“You never know,” I said as I pulled open my bag of chips. “It’s worth a shot, at least.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Hopefully Drew will be able to get more info for you soon. I’ll be sure to relay everything I know to the two of you.”
“Okay, sounds good. We’re going to stick around here for the night, just in case our pursed-lips friends decide to change their minds,” I said.
“They did have really pursed lips, didn’t they?” Selena asked with a smile.
“Yeah. It was like they had lemons under their tongues or something,” Samantha said.
“Don’t even get me started on Leopold,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “What a prick. He outright lied to get us here.”
“He manipulated us. I’m almost glad we don’t have to work with him,” Selena said.
“He definitely rubbed me the wrong way,” Samantha chipped in.
We sat there for a few more moments, thinking about how much we didn’t like Leopold, before Selena got up from her seat on my bed. “I’m gonna go hop in the shower and try to at least take a nap.” She reached out for my tray. “I’ll take that, if you’re done.”
I handed it to her. “Yeah, thanks. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know.”
“Same here,” she said, then walked to the door and left.
“You still there?” I asked Samantha. I got up from my chair and plopped myself on my bed. I found it surprisingly comfortable.
“Yeah. You need anything?”
“Have you checked in with my parents lately?” I asked, a nervous knot growing in my stomach.
“I did about an hour ago. I’ll check in really quick, though, if you want me to,” Samantha offered.
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that. Tell them I love them, but don’t mention anything that happened today. I don’t want to worry them. Just tell them that we’re chasing down a couple of leads.”
“Okay. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Samantha left my mind, and I felt suddenly alone. I found myself jealous of her powers. I wished I was able to talk to my parents at any moment. That’d be pretty cool, and I would definitely feel a bit better knowing they were just a thought away.
“Okay, I’m back. They said that they love you too, and they knew you were doing your best. They can’t wait to hear all about your adventures when you get back,” Samantha said.
I smiled, the knot in my stomach replaced by the warmth of my parents’ love and support. “Thanks, Samantha. I just hope the stories I tell them will have a happy ending.”
“I hope so too.”
19
GOODBYE FOR NOW
To say I had a bad night’s sleep would be an understatement. I spent all night tossing and turning, trying to force my internal clock into submission. No matter how hard I wanted it to believe it was the middle of the night, it just wouldn’t give in. Eventually I gave up and talked to Samantha for a bit before finally I was able to fall asleep for a couple of hours.
A knock at the door woke me up. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “Come in,” I said as I straightened out my t-shirt.
In walked Selena, already dressed and ready to go. “It’s almost ten o’clock. You ready?”
I nodded and climbed out of bed. “Give me a second to get dressed, and I’ll be out.”
“Okay, I’ll wait outside. I found a toothbrush and some toothpaste in my bathroom. I bet there’s some in yours. Just a heads-up.” Selena turned and left my room.
I lumbered to the bathroom and searched through the drawers next to the sink. I popped a toothbrush out of the package and went to work making myself presentable.
After a few minutes of brushing my teeth, messing with my hair, and getting dressed, I was ready to go. I walked out of the room I had spent the night in and stepped into a large hallway filled with doors, behind which, I assumed, were rooms identical to mine. Selena stood leaning against the wall, with Leopold Renner standing in the middle of the hallway alongside her with his arms crossed. Neither one of them said a thing, or even looked in the other’s direction.
“Kane,” Leopold said when he saw me step out of my room.
“Leopold,” I said as I shut the door behind me.
“I’m here to escort you out of the building.” He turned and began walking down the hallway. “Follow me,” he said over his shoulder.
Selena and I exchanged glances before following Leopold.
* * *
We stood outside on the cold London street, our jackets offering us as much warmth as possible.
“Well, I guess this is it. We’ll be keeping an eye on you,” Leopold said. “I’m really sorry we couldn’t work anything out.”
I nodded. “Maybe one day if we need you, you’ll be there.”
“Same goes for you,” Leopold said. He extended his hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, I grabbed it and shook it. To my surprise, when I was done, Selena grabbed it and shook it as well.
“We should go,” Selena said.
“Be seeing you two, then,” Leopold said. He turned and walked back towards the building we’d come from.
“You ready?” I said to Selena.
She nodded. “Let’s go to Johannesburg.”
20
JOHANNESBURG
Selena and I floated a few thousand feet above Johannesburg, watching as the city of four million people sat below us like a ghost town. Nobody was out on the streets, no cars were being driven about; it was as if everybody had just up and left. According to Doug, most of them had done just that. However, not everybody could escape, and the people who were left were hiding inside, keeping away from a crazed Super named Raven who ruled from the top of the tallest building in Johannesburg, the Carlton Centre.
“You ready to go down there and get this party started?” I asked Selena.
“Yeah, I could really go for punching something right now,” she replied.
“Okay, you ready to walk us through where we need to go?” I asked Samantha.
“I think so. If you’re starting above the center of Johannesburg, fly down to the Ponte City Apartments. It’s one of the tallest buildings in downtown. It’s like a big cylinder,” Samantha told us.
I scanned the skyline until I saw the building she was talking about. “That it?”
“Yeah, you got it. Fly down to the front door of the building. From there I’ll talk you through where you need to go.”
Selena and I flew down, stopping right in front of the building. From there, Samantha acted as our personal GPS, telling us the right turns to take to get to where we needed to be.
We walked down the empty streets of Johannesburg, doing our best to stay quiet. We didn’t want anybody to know we were in town other than the people we were going to meet. If too many people knew, we were sure word would get back to Raven. We wanted to hold on to the element of surprise as long as possible, at least until we knew exactly what was going on.
As we snuck down the street, staying close to the wall, I saw something in the distance flying towards us. I stopped walking, and Selena almost bumped into me from behind.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I think someone’s coming,” I whispered. I focused on the figure in the distance, and it became clear. A figure decked out in military gear was flying towards us. He had a gun over his shoulder, a vest filled with ammunition and grenades, and a mask to cover his face. He flew closer and closer, picking up speed.
I reached behind me and grabbed Selena’s wrist, then I ran into an alleyway, Selena in tow. We ran behind a trash can and huddled behind its disgusting, foul-smelling green exterior.
I peeked out and watched as the Super flew by, having not seen us.
“Wow, was that a patrol? You guys are going to have to be extra careful if you want to stay hidden,” Samantha said.
“That’s for sure,” I replied as I stood up, stepping out from behind the garbage can.
“How much farther do we have to
go?” Selena asked.
“Just a couple more blocks. You guys can go a little bit faster if you want. I’ll try to keep up.”
I snuck to the edge of the alley, poked my head out and looked both ways to make sure the Super wasn’t going to be making another round anytime soon. “It looks clear,” I told Samantha.
The two of us made our way down the street, once again following Samantha’s instructions. I made sure my hearing and vision stayed sharp, searching for any signs of a patrol. We walked down a few more blocks, twisting and turning through the empty Johannesburg streets. Every once in a while, I saw somebody peeking out through their curtains, or watching us from behind their blinds. I just hoped that none of them recognized either of us.
“Okay, you’re coming up on the apartment building. It’s the second one on your right,” Samantha told us after we’d turned down a smaller street.
Selena and I walked down the sidewalk, keeping our eyes peeled for any signs of danger. There were two flights of stairs leading up to the two-story apartment complex. We walked up the stairs quickly and quietly. The door and the windows around it were frosted, making it impossible to see anything more than the shapes and colors of the courtyard on the other side.
I tried the doorknob, but it wouldn’t turn. “Samantha, the door’s locked. I don’t really want to break it—I’m not sure they’d appreciate that.”
“I agree, probably not a good idea. The apartment building is shaped like a rectangle, except the middle of the rectangle has been cut out and a courtyard was put there instead. Just fly over the building and land in the middle,” Samantha explained.
I turned to Selena. “You got that?”
“Yep, way ahead of you,” she said as she flew into the air.
I flew after her, and the two of us landed in the vacant courtyard—if you could call it that. Really, it was just a long, wide walkway with a couple of benches at the edge, up against the wall. “Which apartment are we going for?” I asked Samantha.
“Apartment three. If you go towards the entryway, it’s up the stairwell that’s immediately to your left.”
I walked towards the entryway, and sure enough, tucked in the corner to my left was a stairwell. I walked up and knocked on the door that had the number 3 stuck onto its exterior.
“Who is it?” a female voice with a thick South African accent asked me from the other side.
“Umm,” I began. I wasn’t sure what to say. I hadn’t really thought this far ahead. “It’s Kane Andrews—I, uh, you probably know me as Tempest?”
A peephole at eye level opened, and a dark blue eye stared back at me. “Holy shit,” the voice said. “It really is you.”
The door swung open, and before me stood a woman I thought might be in her late twenties, her fair cheeks flushed red. She was wearing a gray tank top with camo cargo pants and a pair of combat boots. “Who’s this?” she asked, looking at Selena.
“This is Selena. You might know her as Holocene? Anyway, we heard you could use some help.”
21
A RUSHED PLAN
A few moments later we were taking off our backpacks and sitting on Clarissa’s—the woman who had greeted us—couch, being introduced to her group.
“This is Jackson. He’s our tech specialist,” she said, pointing to a tan-skinned guy wearing a pair of glasses that had a small crack in one lens.
“A pleasure,” he said, smiling wide.
“And this is our weapons specialist, Vince,” she said as she gestured to a large man standing next to the window. His muscles bulged from beneath his white shirt, and sweat was running down his dark-skinned forehead. A pistol was strapped to his waist, and a knife sat in a holster on the opposite side.
“We appreciate your assistance,” he said, his South African accent thick, but not quite as thick as Clarissa’s.
“I’m head of operations,” Clarissa said as she sat down in a chair next to Jackson’s. “So, what brings Tempest all the way to South Africa?”
I leaned forward in my seat. “Our tech specialist back in the States has been in contact with people all over the world, reporting on the goings-on of Supers outside our borders. We heard that Johannesburg had been taken over by a crazed Super, and we figured we’d come over here to help you guys take care of him. In exchange, we were hoping you’d be able to help us in some way with our situation back in the States.”
Clarissa and her group listened intently, nodding along with my words. “Yes, the situation in the States does seem dire,” Clarissa said. “I imagine it’s a bit similar to ours, given that both of our homes have been taken over by a tyrannical Super.”
“You could almost think of this as practice for us,” Selena said.
“I don’t appreciate that. This isn’t practice for us,” Vince said, his booming voice intimidating me, even though I could take him down before he had time to blink.
“Yes, my apologies. That’s not what we mean,” I said, covering for Selena. “What we mean is that we would like to help, and maybe we can learn a thing or two that will help us in our fight against Atlas and the Legion. Maybe you’d even be able to help us out in some way.”
“What way do you mean?” Jackson asked, adjusting his glasses.
“How many soldiers do you have? Maybe we could transport them back to the United States to help us in our fight,” I offered.
The three of them exchanged uneasy glances. Clarissa cleared her throat. “I’m not sure we have the numbers to be able to send people to the States without risking our own safety,” she said.
“Here we go again,” Samantha said, her words echoing through my mind.
“How many exactly do you have?” I asked.
Clarissa hesitated before she said, “About one hundred and fifty.”
I did my best to hide the surprise on my face, but I wasn’t convinced I’d done that great of a job. One hundred and fifty was nowhere near the amount I’d been thinking. “Where are your people right now?”
“Groups of them are spread out in different apartment complexes nearby. We don’t keep many of them in one place, in case Raven and his soldiers figure out one group’s location. Then, the others are still safe and hidden,” Vince told us as he stepped forward, looming at the edge of our circle.
“That’s smart,” I said. I glanced over at Selena, trying to get a read on her facial expression. Of course, she offered me no hints to what she was thinking. “Well, regardless of what you have to offer,” I said as I turned to look at Clarissa, “we will help you.”
She looked surprised and hopeful at once. “But, Tempest, we have nothing to offer you, save for a few weapons.”
“Don’t worry. We’re based in Texas; we’ve got plenty of those. We can’t just go off and leave you and the people of this city, not now.”
Clarissa turned to look at Jackson and Vince, excited enough for both of them. They smiled back at her, and a warmth exploded inside of me. The hope I saw on their faces was priceless to me.
“Thank you,” Clarissa said. “Thank you so much.”
I waved her off. “Don’t worry about it. It’s what we came here to do.” I stood up, ready to go kick some ass. “Where is Raven’s base of operations? Selena and I will head over there and take care of them.”
I knew it wouldn’t take long. Just fly in, beat the hell out of Raven, and scare his goons off. It shouldn’t take more than an hour or two.
“They’re holed up in the Carlton Centre. It’s the tallest building in the city,” Jackson said.
“Okay, sounds good.” I said. “Anything else about Raven and his people we need to know? What are his powers?”
Clarissa’s expression turned uneasy. She looked to Vince, who answered my question. “We’re not sure what Raven’s powers are. His soldiers are the ones who took over the city. He just directed them from the top of the Carlton.”
“So, you mean you’ve never actually seen this Raven character?” Selena asked, her skepticism growing.
&nb
sp; “We have,” Jackson said. “We’ve seen him through the windows of the Carton. He never leaves the top floor, however, so we’ve never seen his powers at work.”
I nodded, my questions subsiding. “This seems like it’ll be quick. There’s nothing else you guys want to tell us?”
“Just please, be careful,” Clarissa replied. “We were considering giving up. We haven’t been able to make ground. You’ve become our last resort—but still, try not to destroy anything.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not like we’re planning on destroying half the city or anything.”
22
WINDOW BREAKER
Once I was outside and alone with Selena, I pointed up towards the sky, raising one of my eyebrows. She nodded, and the two of us took off. We flew high above the city, stopping once we’d passed the first low layer of clouds.
“What do you think?” I asked, now that we were sure we weren’t being overheard.
“I think this is all moving way too fast,” she said.
“I’m with Selena,” Samantha said, jumping into the conversation.
I gritted my teeth, frustrated. Mostly with myself, though. A small voice in the back of my head was telling me to take a step back, but I didn’t listen. “What are we going to do?”
“What can we do? You just promised them we’d liberate their damn city, without asking any of us first,” Selena said, obviously frustrated with me.
“I’m sorry,” I said with a sigh. “I just got caught up in the moment. I should’ve stopped to ask what you thought about it.”
“We aren’t even getting anything in return,” Selena said, ignoring my apology.
“That’s not what it’s about, Selena,” I said.
“No, Kane, that’s exactly what this is about. That is literally the whole point of all of this! We’re supposed to be finding people who can help us. None of those people were even Supers, and I doubt that any of their soldiers are, or else they wouldn’t be getting their asses handed to them.”
“Okay, I get it. I know. We’re frustrated. We’re not making any progress. But I can’t just leave these people, not if we can help them. You saw the looks on their faces when we told them we’d help them.” I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about it. “We gave them hope. And not false hope, either. We can help these people, and we have to. I have to. You can do whatever you want, but I’m going to go kick Raven’s ass.”
The War of the Supers (The First Superhero Book 3) Page 9
