“Not to mention what you did at the high school,” Keegan added.
Mr. Miller appeared in the doorway and folded his arms across his chest. The sound of police sirens approaching trickled in through the walls and windows.
Blake smiled and looked at Keegan. “It’s a good thing your dad woke up and called the police. After all, they’ve done such a great job trying to stop me.”
“What is it you want with us?” Mr. Miller asked.
Blake raised a finger. “I wanted Keegan to hear the truth about the organization Quinn despises, and I wanted him to hear it from one of its leader’s mouths, that of his own grandfather. Absalom, tell him about the children.”
Absalom blinked with surprise. “What’s ‘the children’ supposed to mean?”
“The ones I rescued at Mystic River.”
“Ah.” The man nervously wrung his hands together. “Some of our members sought to replenish our funds through less than moral means.”
“Less than moral?” Mrs. Miller asked. “What does that mean, dad? What kind of mixed up thing do you work for?”
Absalom sighed. “Some branches of the organization have ties to criminal organizations. We even founded some so that they would become lucrative sources of income. The Mystic River Plant in Boston was destroyed, presumably by Dark Flame, which created a small dent in our revenue stream.”
“Revenue stream?” Blake echoed. “Are you kidding me? That facility was a drug warehouse. I saw impoverished men, women, and children packing drugs and getting them ready for shipment to a whole bunch of New England destinations.”
“Is this true?” Mrs. Miller asked.
Mrs. Miller—the grandmother—was frowning at her husband as he told his story.
“I’m afraid it is, but that was Nigel Krause’s territory. That man is dead now because of you.”
“And what less-than-moral things fall under your territory?” Mrs. Miller asked, exasperated.
“That’s not the point,” Absalom snapped, finding courage in the face of adversity. “Dark Flame is right, if we could monitor and stop terrorism in the world, imagine what a safer place the world would be for Keegan. That’s why I do what I do…so my grandson can have a safer world than the one I grew up in. Think of how many people died at the hands of terrible dictators like Mao Zedong, Jozef Stalin, or Adolf Hitler. My family knew first-hand what it was to be under the oppression of the Nazi boot and when the war ended, a few of us vowed never again to let someone like those despots rise to power and desecrate the humanity of this beautiful planet. When our technology is perfected, we will have the final say, and we will be able to eliminate anyone who threatens us.”
“Us?” Keegan said. “It sounds like you’ve become the very thing you want to prevent. If Hitler hadn’t committed suicide, he would have been tried for crimes against humanity. Are you next?”
Blake smirked. “Get your coat, we’re leaving.”
“Leaving? What do you mean?” Mrs. Miller asked, her voice panicked.
“Not you, I’m taking Keegan with me.”
“If Blue Spekter shows up, tell him to look up.”
“I’m not leaving,” Keegan said defiantly.
Blake turned and squared off with him. His eyes began to glow orange. “Get your coat or you will freeze to death. You won’t get a third chance.”
Keegan swallowed nervously and then dashed through the living room to the coat closet and grabbed a heavy winter coat, gloves, a scarf, and a hat. Immediately, his mother and grandmother fell into a fit of hysterics while Absalom shrank into his seat, looking embarrassed and disappointed.
Mr. Miller stepped forward. “You’re not taking my son.”
Blake raised a hand and froze him in place. “I’m going to take him and there’s nothing you can do to stop me. If you’re lucky, I won’t have to hurt him…much.”
“Dad, it’s okay,” Keegan said.
“No, it’s not,” Mr. Miller said, but he couldn’t stop Blake.
When Keegan was ready, Blake grabbed him by the right arm and marched him outside. A number of police cars had pulled up and the officers with drawn guns immediately pointed them toward the sky when they saw Dark Flame had taken a teenage hostage.
“You don’t have to do this, son,” one of the officers shouted
Blake ignored him and wrapped his left arm around Keegan’s chest. “Here’s the only part you’re going to like.” Then, he took off with Keegan, leaving his family screaming at the police who knew they couldn’t do a damn thing except radio for backup and hope Blue Spekter would arrive.
Keegan didn’t say a word while Blake soared over Portsmouth, probably out of amazement or the sheer fear of being dropped. Blake flew out over the Piscataqua River and then ascended until he landed on top of the snow-and-ice covered Portsmouth tower of the Memorial Bridge—the same tower Hector Rodriguez had fallen from. Then, he let Keegan go. Keegan backed away from the edge, and Blake sensed he was afraid of heights.
“Are you going to kill me like you killed everyone else?” Keegan asked.
Blake smiled wickedly. “Oh no, I need you alive or he won’t come. Besides, I didn’t kill anyone at school.”
“He won’t come…Do you mean Quinn?”
“Yes, your precious boyfriend,” Blake replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm and hate.
Keegan’s shoulders slumped. “Um, we broke up…uh…when I found out he was Blue Spekter. I don’t think he’ll be coming for me.”
“Then you’re an idiot. I’ve known him for years, and if there’s anyone who loves with a steady, true heart, it’s Quinn. Don’t worry, he’ll find you, and when he does, well…spoilers.”
4-19 | Heart Wrench and Desperation
Quinn
QUINN’S CELLPHONE RANG AND VIBRATED in his bedroom, but he ignored it because he was using the restroom. A moment later, it rang again, but there was nothing he could do.
Then, it rang a third time.
Come on, can’t I have a few minutes of privacy?
When he finished his business, he walked to his desk and picked up his phone. There were two missed calls from Keegan and one from Lieutenant Doral.
Huh, I wonder what’s up.
A moment later, his phone chimed three times as three notifications of new voicemails appeared on the screen. He played the first message and tried to decipher what Mrs. Miller was shouting into the phone, but she was hysterical and nonsensical. The call cut out and the second voicemail began playing. This time, it was Mr. Miller. His voice was panicked and emotional.
“Quinn, we need your help. Blake took Keegan, but we don’t know where.”
“He kidnapped him,” Mrs. Miller yelled in the background.
“Please come over right away,” Mr. Miller said. The voicemail ended and Quinn’s stomach dropped to his knees.
Holy shit!
The third voicemail began playing, and Lieutenant Doral spoke. “Blue Spekter, there is no easy way to say this, but Dark Flame attacked your boyfriend’s home and kidnapped Keegan. The family wants to see you right away. We are en route, please keep me informed.”
Shit!
Quinn panicked and thumbed a text back to Lieutenant Doral.
“Dads!” Quinn shouted, his voice much louder than anticipated.
“What’s wrong?” They shouted from the living room.
Quinn zipped around his bedroom at super speed and changed into his super suit.
“Blake kidnapped Keegan!”
Footsteps pounded through the house and up the stairs as his dads raced into his room.
“What did you say?”
Quinn was paranoid, out of breath, and became frantic as he pulled on the pants of his super suit. “I just got calls from Keegan’s parents and the police. Apparently, Blake attacked the house and took Keegan.” His stomach twisted when the words came out of his mouth, and he wiped tears that streamed down his cheeks.
He tried to pull on his super shirt, but it was backward, and the s
leeves were tangled.
“Easy, buddy. Let me help you,” Dad said loudly as Daddio came around to embrace Quinn. Quinn surrendered his shirt to his father, who flipped it inside-right while Quinn wept softly into Daddio’s embrace.
“He’s going to be all right, because you’re going to save him,” Daddio said.
Quinn took a deep breath and nodded, then reached for his super shirt. Dad handed it to him, then helped position the cowl over his head and face.
“Be careful,” Dad said as Quinn pulled on his boots and slid the belt into place.
“I will, I promise,” Quinn said, tucking his phone into the waistband pocket. Then, he rushed to the window, raised it, and jumped out. He took a deep breath and flew as fast as he could without breaking the sound barrier to Keegan’s house in New Castle, a trail of blue light streaking behind him.
He landed hard in the driveway of the large house and surprised the police officers standing near their patrol cars. One of them waved him to the house. “Go inside, Blue Spekter, they’re waiting for you.”
Blue Spekter jogged to the front door and opened it. Closing it behind him, he walked into the living room. When Mrs. Miller saw his glowing blue form, she screamed and ran at him, tears flowing down her panicked face. “If only you worked with Blake, none of this would be happening right now,” she cried out.
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Blue Spekter asked, powering off his blue glow.
Mr. Miller approached. “Blake told us you won’t work with him to help The Order secure the planet. That has to be why he’s kidnapped Keegan, because he knows that’s how to get to you.”
“What?” Blue Spekter asked, stunned. He looked around and saw two elderly people cowering in the living room. Those must be his grandparents, the ones from New York I was supposed to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with. But, what the hell did Blake tell them?
“Mr. and Mrs. Miller, I need you to trust me: Blake lied to you. I refuse to work with The Order because they’ve been lying to Blake from the beginning.
“And Victor Kraze?” Mr. Miller asked, then glared at Keegan’s grandfather.
Blue Spekter blinked, surprised to hear the name. “He’s the biggest liar of them all, Mr. Miller. One of the things The Order really wants to do is control the weather, but they lie and talk about avoiding disasters when they full-well can create weather disasters wherever and whenever they want on the planet. Unfortunately, it gets worse. When they figured out Blake and I survived our accidental exposure to orgone energy, Victor and The Order decided to focus on creating more super-powered humans to bring some kind of new order they could control to enforce peace in the world. But, they were smart enough to realize they needed a way to keep their super soldiers in line, so they created a microchip that would make them more obedient and less capable of thinking for themselves. One of those chips is in Blake’s head and it’s malfunctioning. I need to get rid of it to bring Blake back from the madness he’s been subjected to. Then, we can take down The Order once and for all and stop them from creating more of us and taking over the planet.”
Blue Spekter’s voice wavered and became filled with emotion. “Please believe me, even though we broke up, I love Keegan with all my heart and I want nothing more than to save him. Is there anything you can tell me about where Blake might have taken him?”
Keegan’s parents looked at each other and sighed.
“Is he telling the truth?” Mrs. Miller asked her father.
Keegan’s grandfather cleared his throat and nodded. “He has more of the truth than that other disillusioned boy.”
He must mean Blake, but how would he know?
“And you are?” Blue Spekter asked.
“I am Absalom Miller, Keegan’s grandfather, and one of the few surviving members of the Archimandrion Council of The Order that Dark Flame hasn’t killed yet. I fear he used me to get to you through my grandson. I believe we were supposed to have met under better circumstances this evening.”
Holy crap. “You work for The Order?” Blue Spekter asked loudly, advancing toward Absalom.
“Easy, Blue Spekter,” Lieutenant Doral. Blue Spekter spun around, surprised to see the lieutenant had quietly stepped into the room.
Mrs. Miller approached and lovingly placed her hands on his arms. She spoke with a shaky voice. “I know you love my son, and I know he is still deeply in love with you. Cleary, there’s a lot of misinformation floating around, but right now, I need you to go save my son and kick that bully’s arse.”
He’s still in love with me? Blue Spekter smiled and nodded. “Do you have any clues?”
“The only thing Dark Flame said was, ‘If Blue Spekter shows up, tell him to look up.’”
“Look up,” Blue Spekter repeated, unsure of the hidden message.
“It’s a trap,” Doral said.
“It’s Blake, not an army. There’s no trap.”
“Maybe,” Doral replied.
“Look up,” Blue Spekter repeated.
“There isn’t much in Portsmouth that’s very tall, except for North Church and the bridges,” Doral commended.
Blue Spekter snapped his fingers and said, “He’s on top of one of the bridges.” And I bet I know which one.
“Okay, so what do…”
“Tonight, I stop Blake, one way or the other. You and Agent Hartman should contact the team and tell them it’s going down tonight. Place troops with TaseBolts at Prescott Park, Great Island Common, and the baseball field near the naval prison. I’ll try to get him to one of those locations.”
“But my men aren’t ready,” Doral protested.
“They’ll have to be, Lieutenant.”
❖
Blue Spekter shifted to invisibility and focused, masking his proximity by using the mental trick Ana Maria had taught him. Since it was a clear winter night, he flew high above New Castle and Portsmouth in hopes of spotting Dark Flame and Keegan. When he approached the Memorial Bridge, he spotted two people walking around the Portsmouth-side tower.
That’s them. Thank gawd, Keegan is still alive and he looks okay.
Keegan was standing still on one end of the tower, and Dark Flame was pacing back and forth, talking to himself—or Keegan—about something.
I need to get Keegan off the tower and then deal with Dark Flame. I just hope the DHS has enough time to get into position.
Careful not to tip off Dark Flame, he slowly descended and hovered behind Keegan. He extended his hands and steadily placed a hand in front of Keegan’s mouth.
Keegan sighed and shivered. Blue Spekter felt the warmth of his ex-boyfriend’s breath on the palm of his hand. Even though Keegan wore a hat, he could smell Keegan’s shampoo. Blue Spekter’s pulse quickened with emotion for a moment.
Stay focused.
He waited.
Then, Dark Flame turned away and paced to the other end of the tower.
It’s now or never.
Keegan tilted his head and cracked his neck, then Blue Spekter put his hand over Keegan’s mouth, stifling Keegan’s surprised grunt.
“Babe, it’s me, don’t freak out. I’m gonna get you out of here.”
“What?” Dark Flame asked.
“Say nothing,” Blue Spekter whispered, releasing Keegan’s mouth.
“Nothing,” Keegan said.
“I’ll be back.” Blue Spekter whispered, then hovered up several feet. It seemed he successfully masked his presence because Dark Flame didn’t sense him.
Dark Flame glared at him and trudged toward him through the snow on top of the tower.
“I…I’m just cold, that’s all. Calm down,” Keegan said.
Dark Flame shook his head. “He’ll come, don’t worry.”
“I doubt it,” Keegan said. “I told you, I dumped him.”
“Idiot.”
Dark Flame turned and walked away, glancing over the edge of the tower at the moderately busy streets below.
Blue Spekter descended to Keegan and hovered behin
d him. “Don’t make a sound,” he whispered as he slid his arms around Keegan’s torso. Then, he focused, and Keegan became invisible. “Hold on.”
Blue Spekter ascended with Keegan, pulling him off the tower. Then, he flew away from the bridge and soared up Daniel Street to the downtown area.
“This is so cool!” Keegan whispered.
Blue Spekter smiled but didn’t respond. Instead, his super hearing heard Dark Flame swearing on top of the bridge, looking for Keegan.
Blue Spekter set Keegan down near Breaking New Grounds and became visible, startling a dog and several pedestrians. Blue Spekter glowed bright blue as he let go of Keegan and spoke with a reserved tone one might use to address an ex-boyfriend you’re still in love with.
“You’ll be safe here, but I don’t have time to bring you back to your house. Your parents are pretty freaked out, so find a way to call them. I have to go, now. I need to take care of Dark Flame before he figures out what happened. Um, bye.”
Blue Spekter turned to leave, but in a familiar move he wasn’t expecting, Keegan grabbed his arm and pulled him in for a kiss. Keegan pulled back and smiled. “Remember when I said I welcomed the chance to be proven wrong about Blue Spekter, especially by you?”
What on earth?
“Yeah,” Quinn said, his voice hopeful.
“I’m sorry. I was an idiot. Please…come back to me.”
Quinn smiled back. “I will.”
“Are you guys dating?” an excited ten-year-old asked. He was standing with his parents in a crowd of bystanders who watched them speak and kiss.
Keegan turned and smiled at him. “Yeah, we are.”
The little boy turned to his father and said, “That’s so cool! I want to date a superhero, too!”
“Um, okay…” the father replied.
Blue Spekter grinned and took off, then quickly shifted back to invisibility.
Thank you, universe.
For a moment, his heart felt free and light, secured in the knowledge he had a chance with Keegan again. The joy quickly faded.
Your time is up, Dark Flame.
4-20 | Try not. Do…or Do Not. There is no Try.
The Guardians Omnibus Page 90
