The Candidate (The Viral Superhero Series Book 3)

by Bryan Cohen

  "As you can all see..." Ted's voice shook. "It's a dragon."

  47

  Jennifer and Dhiraj had tapped into a combination of live video feeds and security cameras to get a comprehensive view of the entire rally. Despite a picture that left no angle uncovered, Jennifer could hardly believe the size of the creature that had just exited the portal. The beast was as long as a city block and wider than the field hockey field. Jennifer's mouth hung open and she couldn't tear her eyes away from the screen. While the creature's shiny, green scales drew some attention, Jennifer couldn't help but notice its extremely ugly face. The grotesque snout and teeth weren't going to win a dragon beauty contest any time soon.

  Nobody spoke on the comms for a solid five seconds until Erica piped up.

  "Actually, it's still a Draconfolk. Just a really big and nasty one."

  Dhiraj glanced over at Jennifer. He looked twice as afraid as she was. "Weaknesses?"

  "Can't fit in tight spaces." Erica sounded like she was all business. "Use your speed."

  "Roger that." Ted didn't sound so sure over the comm.

  Jennifer's eyes darted around the images on the screen. She tried to push the nervousness away. None of those emotions would help Ted now. She knew she had to think and act fast.

  "Ted, there are some narrower streets to your three o'clock." She tried to steady her rapid breathing. "Play a little game of follow the leader."

  Ted gulped. "All right. Let me get its attention."

  The dragon had fully emerged from the portal now, which closed behind it. It whipped out its tail and stretched its body as long as it could go, as if it'd just escaped captivity. The creature swiped at a gargoyle statue perched near the top of one building. The screams of the crowd below doubled in volume as the statue plummeted. Before it got past the third floor, the gargoyle stopped in mid-air. The stone sculpture floated up toward Ted. There they were on screen: Ted Finley, a grey gargoyle statue, and a giant dragon all floating above the city streets.

  "Hey, greeny." Ted's attempt to sound confident was somewhat lacking. "Catch!"

  The gargoyle zipped through the air and nailed the dragon in the face. It roared loud enough to shake the pavement underneath the van. It was the kind of sound that'd make most people lose hope. The dragon flexed its hands and feet, revealing sharp claws that resembled metal.

  As if he needed something else to be afraid of.

  Ted sounded downright meek. "You guys think it worked?"

  Dhiraj raised his eyebrows. "You sure as heck didn't make a new friend."

  With that, the dragon gave chase. Jennifer watched the tiny image of Ted on screen as he flew between two buildings. She heard crunching sounds of structural damage as the dragon's body squeezed its way in after him. Windows smashed and glass rained down on the streets. Within a few moments, Ted was out of the view of all the cameras.

  "I've lost visual on you, Ted." Dhiraj's voice cracked. "You better hope all these buildings have insurance."

  "Hardy-har. I'll keep her busy. You guys just get everybody out of–"

  The low pulse of the portals overwhelmed their comm links for a moment. The video feeds worked just fine, however, and it was easy to see over a dozen portals open up near the ground. In the space that had previously been filled with supporters, signs and chants for change, there were now figures from another realm. Among thousands of people running for their lives, normal-sized Lychos and Draconfolk began streaming out. Gurgles and howls from the creatures filled the streets as the beasts looked for prey they wouldn't have any trouble finding. In the midst of all the chaos, Jennifer spied a pale woman who she identified as Sela Fortbright.

  "Erica and Natalie?"

  Natalie scowled. "It's crazy here, but people are starting to listen. Hey! This way, ma'am!"

  "Three of the bad guys are nearby," Erica said. "Once I take ‘em down, I'm going for the gatekeeper."

  Dhiraj nodded. "Copy that. Everybody report back soon." He turned off their microphones. "Well, this is insane."

  The second Jennifer looked over at Dhiraj, she couldn't stop herself from blurting it out. "I'm really sorry, Dhiraj. About the field hockey thing. I know I should've said–"

  Dhiraj laughed. "You really want to talk about this now?"

  Jennifer shrugged. "Can you think of a better time?"

  Dhiraj nodded. "I could've helped." He fumbled with the video controls. "I don't know why you shut me out."

  "It's just... you're so sure of everything. I didn't want to mess with your life."

  Dhiraj looked into Jennifer's eyes. "I don't know anything. I work everything so hard. Trying to be the best and all. If I worked the relationship harder, I think we'd be okay."

  She took his hand. "And I'll try to trust you more."

  In the midst of the chaos, they kissed for a split second before Jennifer pulled away.

  "What if I have to move?"

  "Then we'll deal with it, cents." Dhiraj grinned. "Don't worry, I've got more than a few frequent flyer miles saved up."

  Jennifer felt the tension melt from her neck and shoulders. "Good to know, dollar."

  "And by the way, don't feel like you have to apply to the Boston schools. If you don't want to."

  "I don't know." She winked. "I think I'll apply to one or two."

  Dhiraj grinned and flipped their mics back on.

  Even before the creatures emerged from the portals, Erica had a feeling they were coming. She drew the sword from its holster. The sharp pinging sound it made as it exited made her think of battles past. As much as she liked training, there was something about planting a weapon in the belly of a beast that made her feel so darn satisfied. Erica grinned and turned the sword in her hands.

  "Let's go hunting."

  She ran with full force toward the closest Draconfolk. It had its arms around a middle-aged woman letting loose a high-pitched scream. Erica stuck the sword right into its back. With a blue burst of light, the creature disappeared and sent the woman to the ground.

  One down. About 50 to go.

  The disappearance of their comrade caused two nearby creatures to look Erica's way. The Lychos dropped the teenager it was about to eat, while the Draconfolk pushed a mother and her daughter out of the way.

  Erica licked her lips. "Didn't anyone ever tell you to say excuse me?"

  The Lychos dashed toward her at full speed. Erica halved the distance and leapt into the air. Her blade came down on the creature's shoulder. The wolf clutched at the wound before the laceration turned a glowing blue and the creature burst. Erica grabbed her sword by its hilt and tossed it like a spear toward the chest of the approaching Draconfolk. It pierced the scales like a knife going through soft butter. The lizard exploded in light and the sword clattered to the ground.

  Erica shouted a war cry. "Yes! That's three."

  When Erica ran and rolled to pick up the sword, five more creatures descended upon her. Two Draconfolk moved to hold her arms behind her while three Lychos scratched at her legs.

  "It's my party, and you'll die if I want you to."

  With a guttural growl, Erica took out one by thrusting the sword straight behind her. She used the other Draconfolk as a springboard and flew into the air. With one windmill slice, she cut all three Lychos down before they vanished from existence. When the fifth creature reached for her, she sliced off its arm. The lizard gurgled in pain before its body and its fallen appendage both exploded in a blue firework.

  "Eight. Piece of ca–"

  A hard, metal object struck Erica in the back of the head, sending her face-first into the ground. She spied the heavy manhole cover to her left as she brushed off some of the grime on her shirt. A wound began to form right beside her contusion from the other day. She wondered if she'd have matching scars as she turned to see the dark black hair of Sela Fortbright. The powerful woman's eyes looked colder than ever.

  "I think we've got a little family business to discuss, Protector."

  Erica gripped the sword tigh
tly with both hands. "I'd be happy to give you and your brother a reunion."

  She ignored the throbbing in her head and ran toward the gatekeeper.

  48

  Ted banked around the corner of the building so fast that he barely stopped himself from careening into a window. He righted his body and continued down the narrow street at full speed. The dragon pulled the same maneuver not a second later, tightly tucking its wings as it powered through the street. Ted could barely hear his comm link over the sounds of the buildings crunching behind him. The dragon howled in pain as its wings struck the metal, wood and brick of the buildings.

  "Caution: wide load!"

  When Ted banked around another corner, the creature flew straight up into the air to avoid the tight street. He looked above him to see the dragon flying back toward the open expanse of the rally.

  "Oh, no you don't."

  Ted tensed up his body and zipped through the air as quickly as he could. He felt the wind whipping against his cheeks as the dragon came closer into view. The beast was directly over the rally when Ted saw his opportunity to strike. The dragon had reared back in an effort to fly straight down. As it did, the beast revealed the lighter and softer scales on its stomach and chest. Ted willed his body to double its speed and aimed for the dragon's underbelly. He braced for impact and let his shoulder slam into the oily scales like a bullet. He felt the creature's organs shuffle during the impact.

  The dragon let out a scream so loud, Ted's hearing short-circuited. But when the sound returned, so did the dragon's strength. It swiped at Ted, but he was able to duck the blow with ease. He clenched his fist and flew upward into the dragon's chin. The punch sent the dragon reeling backward.

  "Dragon uppercut!"

  As Ted prepared for one more blow, he felt all his muscles release at once. The powers that had kept him in the air to this point had shut down completely. His dead weight dropped like him like a stone out of the air, and all the confidence he'd gained from punching a dragon was replaced by fear and falling.

  "Mayday!" Ted flattened his body to try to slow his descent. "A dark soul's blocking my powers. Helllp!"

  Dhiraj squealed into the earpiece. "What do we do?"

  "Catch me?"

  Ted whipped past the tops of the buildings and knew there was little chance he'd survive the fall. If his powers didn't kick in, he'd be roadkill for sure.

  "Ted!" Erica's voice came in through the comm. Ted wondered if he'd ever have a chance to hold her again.

  He tried to access his powers with every fiber of his being. When nothing came, he screamed as the street approached and he covered his eyes with his arms.

  Then something plucked him out of the air.

  He felt a set of claws wrap around his body and hoist him onto a slick, oily surface. Ted uncovered his eyes and held onto the dragon's scales for dear life.

  "What in the hell?"

  A laugh pervaded through the comm links.

  "Who knew?" Redican's smile was obvious. "Controlling a dragon's mind is even easier than a human's."

  The dragon moved with lightning quickness beneath Ted's body. He was amazed that the beast who'd just tried to slice him to death was the only thing that kept him from splattering.

  "Good work, Mr. Redican." Dhiraj sounded relieved. "Now what's say we take out some of those baddies?"

  "With pleasure. Hang on, Ted."

  Ted gripped the dragon's scales even tighter. The beast flew toward a pack of Lychos and Draconfolk that were terrorizing the Kable supporters. As it whipped its tail, Ted felt his body move in turn. He gripped his legs around the beast's body as it slammed the tail into about ten creatures at once. Ted looked back over his shoulder to see the beasts writhing in agony on the ground. He patted the dragon's scales.

  "Who's a good dragon? You are. Yes, you are."

  The creature roared with approval as it leaned back. Ted's body went almost completely vertical as the dragon kicked one of the Draconfolk back into its portal of origin.

  "If we keep this up, maybe we can actually win this thing."

  When the dragon went horizontal again, Ted saw a metal streetlamp flying toward them. The dragon shrieked when it saw the weapon and attempted to fly away, but the projectile was going too quickly and the metal pierced through the dragon's skin. The creature spasmed so hard that Ted lost his tight grip and fell to the ground. He landed thigh-first on the blacktop, sending a sharp pain through his leg and hip. Ted gritted his teeth and stood up.

  Nothing broken. I guess I'm lucky.

  The dragon's scream caught his attention. Ted looked back to see it collapse into a lifeless heap, cracking the pavement beneath it. Mr. Redican's screams simultaneously shot through the comm channel. Ted winced and clutched at his ear. "Something's wrong with Redican." Sheriff Norris was nearly drowned out by the sounds of agony.

  Ted frowned. "If he was in the dragon's head when it died, he's in a world of hurt. Take it slow with him."

  "Roger that."

  Ted limped to the creature's side. The streetlamp seemed to have gone right through the dragon's heart.

  "Well, that's just not fair. How did that even happen, guys?"

  "No clue, man," Dhiraj said. "Didn't even see where that came from."

  Ted tried to use his powers to fly again, but whatever was blocking his powers before continued to have him on lockdown.

  As he began to walk toward the stage, he heard a low gurgling rumble. The fear that coursed through him made him feel even more vulnerable than he already was. Ted turned around to see half a dozen Draconfolk approaching. His heart began beating at an incredible rate.

  "For what it's worth, I was really good friends with your big sister."

  The Draconfolk were unfazed. One of them let out a loud gurgle-scream and the others joined in unison.

  "Sorry guys, I don't think lizard a capella is going to take off."

  As one of the creatures lunged, Ted avoided its grasp and ran in the opposite direction.

  Natalie called out to a group of stragglers.

  "Get inside! Now!"

  The group got the message and joined the other people Natalie was waving inside. The large office building had a massive lobby, which made it perfect for holding most of the overflowing crowd as they got off the street. It'd be safe, as long as the Lychos and Draconfolk didn't pursue. When she noticed a bottleneck, Natalie dashed inside and willed her throat to emit the loudest sound it possibly could.

  "Move to the back! Make some room, people!"

  To her surprise, the Kable supporters actually listened. Pride in her success grew within her. The shift to the back allowed several dozen additional entrants.

  If only they didn't want a murderer to win the election.

  Natalie pushed through the crowd and out the doors of the front entrance, where she came face-to-face with a Lychos. Her heart skipped a beat. The creature was looking straight through her, as if she was standing between it and a buffet.

  Natalie drew her knife and pointed it at the creature. "Not today, White Fang."

  The Lychos snarled and lunged for her. She rolled under the attack and crouched beneath a circular patio table covered with campaign pamphlets. When the beast came closer, Natalie pushed the table up with all her might. It slammed into the beast's furry chin, resulting in a yelp of pain. The wolf-like creature took a few steps back. Natalie hopped to her feet.

  "That's right, wolfman!"

  The Lychos rubbed at its chin before drawing its sharp claws. Natalie's eyes grew wide as she tightened her grip on the hilt of the dagger. The beast swung at Natalie, and she parried the first blow with the blade. The wolf continued to approach, and she blocked another swipe, though it continued to push her backward. One more attempt to cut her in two resulted in her spine pressing up against the stone of the building.

  Natalie's pulse raced as she looked at the beast's hairy arm. "Gotta time this right or I'm kibble."

  The Lychos growled and sliced at Natalie. She
leapt up and out of the way of the claws, which lodged in the building's exterior. Natalie landed on the creature's arm and sprinted, doing her best to keep her balance on the hairy runway. Before the Lychos could shake her off, Natalie reached the beast's shoulder, deposited her blade directly into the flesh of its neck and jumped off. Natalie shoulder went crashing down on the concrete below. The blow knocked the wind out of her, but it wasn't forceful enough to jostle anything out of place. As she turned back toward the Lychos, she saw the creature clutch at its neck wound before falling to the ground. Natalie stood up and pumped her fist.

  "I just blew your house down!"

  As she went to retrieve her knife, she heard a growling sound from behind her. Her heart dropped. She turned to see two more Lychos approaching. They looked between their defeated comrade and Natalie several times and then bore their fangs in unison. Natalie pulled the blade free from the defeated creature's neck.

  "There's more where that came from!"

  A honking noise drew her attention behind the Lychos. Then came the screeching tires. When the two creatures turned around, they were met immediately with the hood of a fast-moving car. Natalie dove out of the way as the vehicle slammed into the front of the building, crushing the beasts against the stone.

  Natalie stood up and surveyed the scene. The familiar car had been totaled with both airbags deployed. Travis stepped out of the car and rubbed at his neck.

  "Man, getting around all those barricades was one hell of a trick."

  Natalie wiped the knife on her pants, placed it back in her holster and ran toward her boyfriend. She kissed him hard, but he pulled back.

  "Car accident victim here. Take it easy."

  She smiled. "You can handle it." Natalie looked over at the two dead Lychos on the hood of his car. "You saved my life."

  "I did, didn't I?" He put his arms around her waist. "I shouldn't have told you what to do. If you're gonna risk your frickin' life fighting bad guys, I'm gonna help you do that."

  Natalie felt strange. There was no instinct to recoil at his public display of affection. For a moment, she didn't care that people might think they were in love. Maybe they were.