Not this time, buddy.
Blake punched, but Quinn absorbed the telekinetic strike, surprising Blake, who momentarily let his guard down.
A bright flash of blue and orange light and sparks exploded between them when Quinn hammer-punched Blake’s face. A loud bang shook the gymnasium and reverberated through the wooden bleachers. Then, the student body lost its mind.
I’ve got to get him away from here, now.
Students screamed and ran for the nearest exists as Quinn zipped forward and his right hook connected with the left side of Blake’s face, causing another ear-shattering bang and a flash of blue and orange sparks. With Blake stunned and off-balance, Quinn made a split-second decision and grabbed his ex-best friend by the arm and then flew straight up, rocketing through the roof of the gymnasium.
With no one around us, the chance of injury should be almost nothing…and I’m pretty sure the roof can take a small hole…although the principal’s not going to be happy with me after.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Quinn shouted as he ascended into the air.
Knowing Blake’s powers of flight were no match to his own, Quinn rocketed high into the sky before deciding to fly toward the Isle of Shoals where they could fight without harming anyone.
But Blake had other plans for him.
“Let me go!” Blake shouted, pulling his arm back. He flipped himself around and punched Quinn in the stomach, sending out a spray of colorful sparks and a loud bang. Quinn grunted with surprise and let go of Blake’s wrist. Blake didn’t fall away, but instead closed the gap between them and punched hard, his fist connecting with Quinn’s jaw. Sparks flew as Quinn grunted and raised his hands in defense.
Wow, he recovered really fast.
He spun around and tried to lead Blake away from the high school, but Blake was all over him, grabbing at him and pulling him back down to the high school grounds.
“What are you…” Blake’s fist and a spray of blue and orange liquid energy sparks finished Quinn’s question for him and he tumbled down to the football field and parking lot. He wasn’t sure where he would land because the world was spinning around him so fast. Then, his back slammed onto the roof of a parked car and he froze, momentarily stunned by the abrupt stop.
Ouch.
The car’s windows exploded at the force of his landing and several car alarms went off around him.
Blake landed on top of him, planting a foot on each side of Quinn, further crushing the car. Blake dropped to his knees, smashing them into Quinn’s ribs. Quinn hollered at the pain and saw Blake pull his arm back to punch him.
Move!
Quinn evaded the assault by rocketing out from between his legs. He zipped toward the baseball field, taking out a small tree by accident.
Sheesh, he really wants to hurt me today. Not that this is different from before…but now the school is involved…and Agent Potter just pulled the agents out…dammit.
Quinn landed on his back in the baseball field and Blake charged at him. Coming to a stop, Quinn was almost on his feet when Blake slammed into him. The force of the blow caused blue and orange light to flash between them as Blake knocked Quinn down once more. Quinn tumbled away in a mix of dirt grass and snow.
“Why are you doing this?” Quinn shouted as he searched for footing. “We’re at school, you idiot!”
Blake snarled, but didn’t answer. Instead he charged at Quinn again.
Quinn found solid ground and jumped to his feet, ready to block Blake’s attack, but at the last second, he rapidly shifted ten feet to the left. Blake overshot and tumbled forward, cursing when he slammed into the ground.
Rolling back to his feet, Blake jumped up and ran at Quinn, closing the distance between them.
Quinn put his hands up and super-cooled the air in front of him. Seconds before Blake tackled him, he super-froze the moisture in the air and formed a thick, solid block of ice between them. Blake slammed into it and angrily yelped as he bounced off the ice wall and fell to the ground.
Quinn raised the ice block several feet to slam it into Blake, but his friend extended a hand and melted the ice as it came down on him.
“Nice try, asshole,” Blake sneered.
“Why are you doing this?” Quinn asked, putting his fists up in defense of positions.
“Like I even have to tell you, jerk face,” Blake replied. Then, Blake charged at him again, fists swinging.
Not this again. Change it up, keep him guessing.
At the last second, Quinn squatted and lowered his center of gravity as Blake ran at him, then launched himself forward and wrapped his arms around Blake’s waist. As Blake’s momentum carried him forward, Quinn pushed up with his legs and threw Blake over his shoulders.
Blake somersaulted through the air but recovered, immediately flying back at Quinn.
Dammit, he’s really got flying figured out. When did that happen?
Blake reached out and pulled at Quinn with telekinesis, but Quinn adeptly allowed the telekinetic force to roll over him and he remained unmoved. Blake’s face expressed shock, which Quinn used to his advantage. He zipped forward and punched Blake square in the chest, knocking his ex-friend back twenty feet. Charging at him again, Quinn repeatedly punched him further and further from the high school until Blake’s anger caused him to ignite with superheated flame. Each strike created a concussive bang and a violent spray of blue and orange sparks that was a spectacle to behold against the snow-covered backdrop.
Around them, the sound of sirens indicated the police or the DHS were approaching the school grounds.
If I can keep him here, the agents might take him out with their TaseBolts.
Blake blasted Quinn with fire.
Shit, I don’t have my super suit on.
Although he had projected a shield to deflect the fire, Quinn’s shirt burned away—except for his right sleeve—leaving his torso exposed to the winter cold. Quinn pulled the sleeve off his arm and tossed it to the ground. “Really?”
Blake only grimaced and blasted him with fire a second time, but Quinn’s invisible shield was ready for him. Now, wearing only jeans and sneakers, Quinn glared at Blake and deflected the flames with ease.
Blake charged at him again, and Quinn shifted ten feet to the right in less than a second, then immediately shifted back, spun, and punched Blake on the side of the head. A shower of orange and blue sparks erupted from Blake’s head as he stumbled forward, disoriented by the strike to his temple. Quinn seized the moment and flew toward him, tightly wrapping his arms around Blake’s stomach and lower back. Then, he jumped and pushed them both into the sky. When Blake recovered, he started slapping Quinn’s lower back.
“Blake, let me help you,” Quinn shouted.
“I don’t need anyone’s help,” he yelled back.
“Then tell me why you’re doing this?”
“You screw with my world, I screw with your world,” Blake shouted. He was becoming hotter by the moment, and Quinn struggled to hang onto him.
Just mitigate the heat like you do his telekinetic attacks…if it’s even possible.
“The high school is our world, Blake! It’s our only safe spot!”
“You ruined everything when you let them take the prison!” Blake yelled, trying to wrestle free from Quinn’s grasp in midair.
Afraid of losing his hold on Blake, Quinn looped around, reversed direction, and accelerated to the speed of sound as gravity cooperated with him.
“You knew it was only a matter of time before that happened.”
Blake yelled in frustration, but Quinn didn’t let go. Instead, he super-chilled his upper body to combat the scorching effects he felt from holding onto Blake’s torso. Behind Blake, Quinn saw police and black SUVs pulling into the parking lot as troops and agents made their way to the soccer field. Quinn aimed and yelled as he flew toward the middle of the field, ready to smash into the ground and use Blake’s body as a buffer.
It’ll hurt, but he’ll heal.
“Do you think I’m an idiot?” Blake asked. Seconds before impact, Blake powered off his super-heated body and straightened his legs and arms, stiffening himself into the shape of a pencil, then abruptly stopped his descent. Quinn’s icy arms slid down Blake’s now-slippery body and he slammed into the ground at nearly the speed of sound.
A massive plume of snow, dirt, and grass exploded into the air as Quinn lay on his back in the crater his body—his invisible shield—created.
Wait for it…
“Ouch,” Blake taunted, hovering nearby, “I bet that really hurt.”
Quinn didn’t move, but listened to the footsteps of the approaching police and DHS agents.
Hope they brought TaseBolts.
“It’s really quite simple, Quinn. You wreck my world, I destroy yours. That’s how it works from here on out. You got that, buddy?” Blake sneered.
I’ve got to get that chip out of your head. I can’t understand why you’re so angry.
“Do you think I’m an idiot?” Quinn asked, using his own words against him.
Blake looked at him with a confused expression.
Now!
Quinn launched himself at Blake, forming a long, thick ice spear in his right hand while the curled fingers of his left hand pointed at Blake and blasted him with white-hot electricity. A second later, Quinn hurled the sharp-tipped ice spear through Blake’s stomach, impaling him in midair.
Blake gasped, looked at his stomach, and dropped to the ground.
“Hurts, doesn’t it?” Quinn asked.
“Take aim!” one of the agent’s yelled. Blake glared at the approaching agents and then launched himself into the air, blood and water dripping from where the ice spear had run through him.
“This isn’t over, Quinn,” Blake yelled, his voice gurgling. Then, he rocketed away.
You’re not getting away that easy…
Quinn bent at the knees, ready to jump into the air, when a voice stopped him. “Let him go, Blue Spekter,” Agent Potter yelled as he crossed the ruined soccer field with several agents to meet up with him.
“Seriously?” Quinn said.
“Look around you, son…there are high school students everywhere. If he comes back and kids get killed…everything changes again.”
“Everything’s already changed,” Quinn replied.
“I know, but there will be another day. The war isn’t over yet.”
“Fine,” Quinn said, powering down his eyes and body.
“So, that’s what your face looks like, huh?”
Quinn touched his exposed face with his right hand and sheepishly smiled. “Um, yeah.” Shit, no super suit.
“Cool. Right now, there’s a really freaked out school principal you need to speak with. Applegate is with him now.”
Quinn rolled his eyes. “Oh boy.”
Potter chuckled. “Yup.”
“Hey, Quinn!” Peter called out, running across the field toward them. He was the high school’s star senior football player that Blue Spekter saved from drowning in the Piscataqua River.
“Easy, son,” one of the accompanying agents said, blocking his path, but Peter’s agility and immense six-foot-five height and muscular build allowed him to push past the agents with ease.
“It’s okay,” Quinn said, and Agent Potter gestured for his men to let him through.
Peter pulled off his Clippers hoodie as he jogged toward Quinn.
“Dude, this is crazy, I had no idea it was you who saved my life, and now you saved it again. You saved all of us.” He handed him the sweatshirt. “Here, take it, it’s cold.”
It was cold, so Quinn accepted the sweatshirt and pulled it on. “Thanks.” Then, he ran his hands through his messed up hair and tried to fix it. I need to find Keegan.
Quinn walked back to the school with Peter and Agent Potter. Students were still freaking out, and most of them stared at him with wonderment or fear as he approached the main doors of the school. Quinn kept his eyes peeled for Keegan, but he didn’t see his boyfriend outside anywhere. When they entered the school, Quinn turned to Peter. “I have to go to my locker and get a shirt if you want your sweatshirt back.”
Peter smiled and shook his head. “Keep it. Maybe one day you’ll wear it while saving someone else.” Then, Peter extended his arms and pulled Quinn in for a hug. “Thanks. I’ve always wanted to thank the person who saved my life, but I never knew how I could get close to Blue Spekter. You rock, dude.” Then, Peter turned and walked down the highway.
Feel a rush of appreciation, Quinn smiled.
“Not everyone’s going to be that easy,” Potter said.
Quinn frowned. Thanks for raining on my parade.
He sighed and thought of a witty response. “I know, I’ve already had to deal with you.”
“Touché.” They entered the main office and the secretaries waved them through to the principal’s office, where he and Chief Applegate were speaking. Thirty minutes later, after reassuring the principle that Quinn was not destructive and would work with the DHS and the police to keep the school safe, Quinn and Agent Potter left the office and walked to the gymnasium to assess the damage.
“What’s it like, being a teenage superhero?” Agent Potter asked.
Quinn chuckled, knowing he was filling the awkward silence with chatter. “You’d think it’d be fun, but it’s a lot of work. Saving people, running from you, figuring out what The Order is, fighting Blake, and trying to be a normal teen.”
“Yeah, I get it. I thought defending our country would be awesome, but holy moly, it’s not an easy job.”
“I’ll bet.” Small talk with Agent Potter is weird.
Inside the gym, most of the holiday decorations were in ruin, crushed by the mad stampede of students fleeing the destruction that he and Blake could have wreaked upon them. A small pile of debris sat in the middle of the basketball court under the hole Quinn had made.
“I thought there would be a bigger mess,” Quinn said.
“I suspect most of the debris is on the roof. We’ll have a team help get this fixed right away.”
“Thanks,”
“Do you want an escort home?” Agent Potter asked.
Quinn shook his head. “Nah, I’ll just fly home.”
“All right. Remember, some of your fellow students won’t be accepting of you.”
“There is the freak!” Darien James yelled from the open doors of the gymnasium that led into the school. Kyle and Tony were with him.
“Speaking of which, do you think you could look the other way for a few minutes?” Quinn asked.
“Um, why?”
“I um…because I need to teach the school bully a lesson.”
Agent Potter frowned at him. “Quinn, you can’t really be serious about hurting him, or are you?”
His ears pricked up at the mention of his name. “So, I guess Chief Applegate told you my name?”
“Of course, but I also heard the football player call you Quinn.”
“Right.” Duh. “Anyway, I’ll be right back.” Quinn turned and stared at Darien, then walked toward him. The bully puffed out his chest and stood his ground, but Quinn didn’t slow his approach. The closer he got, the more nervous Darien appeared.
“He’s going to hurt me,” Darien yelled, pulling Kyle in front of him. Kyle’s eyes bugged open with fear and he jumped out of the way. “Don’t put me between you guys!”
Quinn smiled and stopped, standing inches from Darien’s nervous face. “I want you to remember something, Darien. You have nothing over me anymore, do you understand? You can’t hurt me, you can’t bully me, and you can’t blackmail me. Got it?
“Yeah, I got it,” Darien said. “But you still suck, you little faggot.” A hand came down on Darien’s shoulder and Mr. St. Germain spun him around. “That’s three nights of detention, Darien. Now, march to the principal’s office.”
“Whatever, I don’t even know why we’re still here after everything that happened.”
Quinn l
ooked back at Agent Potter, who smiled and and gave him a thumbs up.
“Nice job, Quinn,” Ron said. “You fought Blake and you kept the school safe.”
“Thanks.” Then, Quinn made his way to the cafeteria, desperate to find Keegan.
When he entered the cafeteria, he spotted Loren and Ravone sitting with another group of students. When they saw him enter, they and everyone else stared at him and the cafeteria fell silent. Quinn slowly crossed, feeling the pressure of everyone’s eyes on him. Then, he stopped walking and looked around.
“I’m sorry you had to see Blake and me fight, but I’m glad I was here to stop him from hurting you. That’s all I want to do, help keep people safe.”
Then, one person clapped for him. The sound came from the other side of the cafeteria. Quinn turned and saw football star Peter, who doubled as school’s unspoken captain of enthusiasm, standing alone amongst his seated football team, clapping and nodding with approval.
“Yeah, that’s him right there, our own Blue Spekter. That kid saved our butts today, so he deserves our thanks.”
Then, a few more people started clapping until two-thirds of the students in the cafeteria applauded for him. Some students still looked pissed. Their folded arms and body language conveyed their fear and trepidation. Quinn knew the road ahead would now be filled with more challenges, but if his friends would accept him, he could get by. He continued walking to Ravone and Loren, who applauded and smiled at him.
Thank goodness. Now, where the hell is Keegan?
14 | You Can’t Give Up Now
Blake
Blake grunted and crashed through barren ash and oak tree limbs in the snowy woods between the high school and the South Street residential area, unable to sustain flight. He hit the ground with a thud and rolled, coming to rest on his left side. Somewhere in the distance, a surprised dog barked at commotion and the agonized sounds he made as he tried to sit up.
He gave up when the excruciating pain near his left hip and femur suggested he had broken bones as well. His hands trembled as he looked down at the ice spear that skewered him. He tried to pull it out, but his hands slipped in water and hot blood with each attempt. Also, moving the ice spear sent waves of pain through his torso.
Ultimate Sacrifice Page 14
