The Guardians Omnibus

by Damien Benoit-Ledoux

  Quinn

  QUINN KNEW IT WAS TIME to destroy Dark Flame once and for all and save his best friend. Ana Maria better show up; I can’t do this alone.

  Invisible and still masking his presence from a confused Dark Flame, he rocketed toward the Memorial Bridge and broke the sound barrier the moment before he collided with an angry and unsuspecting Dark Flame.

  Blue and orange sparks erupted into the air and trailed behind them as Blue Spekter pushed Dark Flame off the bridge tower and aimed for the snow-covered field in the middle of Four Tree Island. Dark Flame landed with a thud and grunted when the frozen ground did not yield beneath him.

  Blue Spekter pulled moisture from the air and wrapped it around Dark Flame’s body, leaving only his head exposed. Moments later, Dark Flame was encased in a tomb of solid ice.

  “This trick again?” Dark Flame asked, quickly recovering from Blue Spekter’s assault.

  Blue Spekter said nothing but leaned forward and placed his hands on either side of Dark Flame’s head.

  Here goes nothing.

  Dark Flame screamed and then his body exploded with fire and heat, shattering the ice that encased him and knocking Blue Spekter back several feet.

  Grunting with determination, Blue Spekter flew at Dark Flame, but Dark Flame took off and led Blue Spekter out to sea.

  I don’t think so.

  Blue Spekter accelerated and flew next to Dark Flame, then grabbed him and re-directed his flight down toward the Great Island Common beach. The boys crashed and rolled together in the snow and Blue Spekter jumped to his feet faster than Dark Flame could recover.

  “Dammit!” Dark Flame shouted. Then, he brought his hands up and blasted Blue Spekter with fire from his hands.

  “What the hell is your problem?” Dark Flame shouted.

  “You are!” Blue Spekter yelled back, deflecting the flames around him with a defensive shield. He raised his hands and blasted the oncoming fire and flame with icy water. He advanced, pushing his powers to the limit as he tried to douse Dark Flame’s inferno of fury.

  Remember, he needs to think he’s going to win. Just don’t let him compromise you, or this whole plan will have been for nothing. Now, ease off…

  Blue Spekter backed off with the icy water barrage and let Dark Flame jump him.

  ❖

  Blake

  Dark Flame yelled as he pushed forward and overpowered Blue Spekter’s pathetic icy water powers with fire and flame.

  I’m so over this.

  When he was two paces away, he lunged forward and tackled Blue Spekter to the ground, but the superhero raised his knee and flipped Dark Flame over his body.

  Recovering in midair, Dark Flame spun around and charged back at Blue Spekter, who was almost back on his feet. Dark Flame tackled him and dragged him across the park.

  “You’re pathetic, you know that?” Dark Flame spat.

  “At least I’m not desperate like you,” Blue Spekter fired back.

  Dark Flame grimaced, then grabbed Blue Spekter by the left arm and leg and hurled him out to the river.

  Blue Spekter spun through the air but recovered and the two boys flew toward one another and collided in midair. A loud, window-shattering bang and a shower of blue and orange sparks exploded between them and the sparks fell to the rushing river below.

  Dark Flame reached for Blue Spekter, but the elusive hero was faster. Blue Spekter evaded Dark Flame’s grasp and grabbed him by the back of the neck, then thrust him down into the raging river. Dark Flame tried to stop, but the force of Blue Spekter’s throw and the force of gravity pulled him underwater. Spinning around, Dark Flame searched for the bright blue light above water and found it, then rushed at it with all the speed he could muster. His right shoulder sunk into Blue Spekter’s stomach, and his ex-best friend grunted and exhaled, then rocketed backward toward the beach.

  Dark Flame flew after him and pounced on Blue Spekter, who bounced on the beach and sprayed snow and sand into the air. He coiled his arm back and punched Blue Spekter in the face. Blue and orange sparks exploded between them.

  “You’re such a little shit, always getting what you want.” He punched him again, spraying blue and orange light into the air. “Now, you’ve taken everything from me.” He landed another punch to the side of Blue Spekter’s head, and a flash of light exploded between them.

  “I was right,” Blue Spekter said, coughing.

  “Right about what?” Dark Flame asked, wrapping the fingers of his left hand around Blue Spekter’s neck.

  “That one day I would have to stop you from doing something evil.”

  “Fuck you,” Dark Flame snarled. “I’m not the fucking super villain in this story.”

  “I know you’re not, Blake. But if you don’t let me help you, you will be.” Then, Blue Spekter swung his knees up and tried to flip Dark Flame over his head, but Dark Flame shifted his weight back to compensate. Unfortunately, that was all Blue Spekter needed to fly out from under him and kick him in the face at the same time.

  Dark Flame grunted and grabbed his jaw as he fell backward to the snowy ground. He shook his head and looked around for Blue Spekter, but he had disappeared.

  What the hell?

  When he heard air whistling above him, he looked up.

  Shit.

  Blue and orange lighting sparked between them as Blue Spekter’s right heel slammed into his face and his left knee sunk into Dark Flame’s stomach. A blast of icy water from Blue Spekter’s hands slammed into his face and he sputtered in agony as Blue Spekter pressed him to the cold ground. “You know how this goes, Blake. I’m the only one who can pick up the loose ends of The Order’s accidental science experiment gone wrong because you’ve…”

  Dark Flame growled and let his body erupt with fire and fury. Blue Spekter groaned and lost his footing as the sudden burst of scorching heat blasted him. This time, it was Dark Flame’s turn to escape. He coiled his knees up and kicked Blue Spekter hard in the back, knocking the hero forward. Then, Dark Flame sprang to his feet and roundhouse-kicked Blue Spekter in the jaw, slamming the hero face-first into the ground.

  “Eat shit, Quinn.”

  Dark Flame launched himself into the air and flew over New Castle Island toward the naval prison.

  ❖

  Quinn

  Not this time, buddy.

  Blue Spekter rocketed after Dark Flame and chased him to the navel prison side of Seavey Island. Dark Flame spun around and Blue Spekter felt him reaching out with his telekinetic abilities. He went with it and allowed Dark Flame to throw him down to the island, where he bounced and slid across the icy, snow-covered grounds.

  A number of marines scattered and took cover as a fire-engulfed Dark Flame landed on the island and chased after him. Blue Spekter backflipped to his feet and attempted to brace himself against the impending onslaught, but Dark Flame slammed into him and tackled him to the ground. Moving faster than Blue Spekter expected, Dark Flame pummeled him with left and right hooks that rocked his head to the left and right multiple times and sprayed sparks of blue and orange into the air around them.

  Suddenly, Dark Flame yelled and was thrown off him. Hot searing beams of white energy crackled through the air above him and knocked the unsuspecting Dark Flame to the ground. The beams stopped, and Blue Spekter seized the moment to flip over and jump on Dark Flame, pinning his wrists and legs with his hands and feet.

  “You have to let me help you!” Blue Spekter yelled. “There’s a better way to do this.” You can show up anytime now, Ana Maria…that’d be great, thanks.

  “You’ve taken my world away from me,” Dark Flame shouted, tears welling in his eyes.

  “That’s not true, you’ve been deceived, and I want to set you free.”

  ❖

  Blake

  “Lies!” Dark Flame shouted with raw emotion, then he yelled and pushed Blue Spekter away. He slammed his fists on the ground and pushed himself to a standing position. Several guards to his right aimed their wea
pons at him, but Dark Flame reached out and tossed them back with his mind. Then, he extended his left arm and grabbed Blue Spekter in midair before the hero could tackle him again.

  Blue Spekter whimpered and grunted with pain as Dark Flame held him.

  “How does it feel, Quinn?” Dark Flame asked. He brought his right hand forward and spread the fingers of both hands a little and started stretching Blue Spekter, positioning his arms and legs straight out to his sides.

  “How does it feel, Quinn, to be disassembled from the inside, to be the victim for a change, to feel your dreams…die?”

  Blue Spekter cried out in agony as Dark Flame slowly pulled his bones apart, each one separating from its joint or socket. Several sharp cracks and pops perforated the air as Blue Spekter’s body succumbed to the unusual stresses Dark Flame exerted against it.

  “Let me show you, you self-righteous hypocrite, what it means to truly suffer.”

  Scalding pain caught Dark Flame in the back, and he stumbled forward and cried out in agony. Maintaining his hold on Blue Spekter, he turned and telekinetically crushed the two marines who had fired their TaseBolts at him.

  “Blake, stop!” Blue Spekter yelled, his voice punctuated with pain. “Let me help you, please.”

  “Why do you waste your time?” Dark Flame shouted back as another marine fired his TaseBolt at him.

  “Because I love you,” Quinn yelled back, tears running down his face.

  Blake froze at Quinn’s words, the pain of hot energy almost non-existent as Quinn spoke.

  “You’re the brother I never had; you’re my best friend and I’m not giving up on you. I never will. I believe in you and I know you can come back from whatever hell Victor has you trapped in. That chip in your head, Blake, it’s making you do horrible, nasty things you would never do on your own. I love you, so let me help you be free.”

  He’s right.

  Don’t listen to him.

  Kill him now. Ugh, these impulses.

  But he said he still loves me…maybe there’s a chance…

  No, destroy him before it’s…

  Three more beams of energy caught him on the side and back. The energy quickly overpowered him and he dropped Blue Spekter to the ground. He fell to one knee and struggled to fight against the onslaught of painful energy tearing through his body.

  One of the TaseBolt beams struck him at the back of his head, and for a moment, a clarity of thought he hadn’t felt in a long time pushed its way through the angry mire that had unknowingly become his state of mind. A moment later, his other leg gave out and he fell to his hands in front of Blue Spekter.

  ❖

  Quinn

  Quinn’s bones and ligaments rapidly reconstructed and he approached Blake , who pushed himself up to a kneeling position despite the numerous energy beams holding him down. “I’m sorry Blake, but this is going to hurt like a motherfucker.”

  Blake slowly rolled his head up until he met Quinn’s gaze. “Quinn, help me.”

  Quinn’s hands sparked with electricity and he placed them on either side of Blake’s head, just below and behind his ears. The marines stopped firing their TaseBolts at Blake.

  Quinn nearly burst into tears on the spot, but he channeled his emotions into the crippling power he blasted through Blake’s head.

  I have no idea when that thing will be toasted…

  Blake screamed with agony and tightly grabbed Quinn’s forearms for support, but Quinn held fast and let unbridled power dance between his hands and pass through Blake’s head.

  The smell of burning flesh and hair tickled and tormented Quinn’s nose, inciting an urge to throw up on the spot, but his determination to free his best friend from Victor’s claws kept his stomach in line.

  That asshole won’t be in charge of you for much longer.

  Arcs of electricity danced across Blake’s face, zapping in and out of his eyes, over his nose, between his teeth, and through his body. His body convulsed under the electrical strain as every single muscle twitched and contracted in rapid succession.

  To the marines who gaped at the spectacle, it looked like one of the coolest light shows at a dance club, but the potentially lethal display of raw power struck fear and awe in those who watched, including Agent Hartman and the DHS agents who populated the island.

  Blake’s hands relaxed and then his arms fell limp to his side.

  Almost…

  Quinn screamed with rage as he poured the last of his anger against Victor into Blake’s head, then pulled his hands away and stopped lobotomizing his friend.

  The loud, crackling sound of electricity finished echoing off the prison building as Quinn looked at Blake’s dark, lifeless eyes.

  Oh shit.

  “Blake!”

  Gravity pulled Blake’s torso forward, so Quinn dropped to his knees and grabbed Blake’s shoulders to hold him up. Momentum rolled Blake’s head down, and Quinn gasped when he saw the back of his buddy’s head.

  Flesh, hair, muscle, skull, cervical vertebrae, and brain matter had been burned away, exposing a gaping hole containing whatever hadn’t been fried to a crisp or disintegrated. Blood vessels has been cauterized, so there was a little blood spill or spray. He briefly searched for a piece of metal—the micro bug—but from what he could tell, the brain stem, cerebellum, and the bottom half of Blake’s brain had been incinerated.

  Oh my God, I killed him while trying to save him.

  Blake’s lifeless body collapsed into Quinn’s arms.

  “Oh, Blake,” Quinn whispered as tears filled his eyes and he sobbed. Around him, marines lowered their weapons and silently watched as Quinn sat on the ground with Dark Flame in his arms and became inconsolable over the death of his best friend.

  This wasn’t supposed to happen…I wasn’t supposed to kill my best friend. I’m so sorry, buddy. I really thought I could save you.

  Somewhere behind him, Agent Hartman spoke into a radio. “The mission is over, Dark Flame is down.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Quinn stopped sobbing and wiped his eyes. He sat up and gently lowered his friend’s body to the snowy ground. A moment later, the military medics who were standing by approached with a stretcher. Quinn—through tears—dutifully picked Blake up and placed his limp body onto the stretcher’s plastic pad.

  The medics looked at him for permission, and he nodded at them. Then, they rolled Blake away.

  Agent Hartman cautiously approached, a look of concern on his face. “Are you okay, son?”

  Blue Spekter sniffled and shook his head. “That’s a really dumb question to ask right now. Of course I’m not okay, I just killed my best friend.” He wiped his eyes and sniffled. The cold air didn’t help his runny nose.

  “I’m sorry, you’re right. I wasn’t thinking.” Agent Hartman said, looking at the ground.

  4-21 | Where Did You Come From?

  Quinn

  BLUE SPEKTER AND AGENT HARTMAN finished checking in by radio with Lieutenant Doral in Prescott Park when Blue Spekter’s mind sensed an unknown and faint proximity. Confused, he turned around and looked at the ambulance that contained Blake’s body, but the sensation wasn’t coming from there. It also wasn’t the sensation he felt when Ana Maria had revealed herself to him.

  What the hell? And speaking of Ana Maria…where the heck is she?

  “What’s wrong?” Hartman asked.

  “I’m not sure. I usually feel something in my mind when Blake and I get within a couple blocks of each other…but this is…different.”

  He stopped talking and grabbed the side of his head again when it suddenly throbbed with unexpected pain—the exact pain that alerted him to Blake’s proximity. This time, it wasn’t Blake or Ana Maria…it was someone new.

  But it feels different…like it’s…more than one person…

  Blue Spekter gasped and looked at the naval prison. “You and your men need to back away, now!” He absentmindedly adopted a fighting stance.

  “What? Why?” Agent Hartman asked, step
ping back.

  “Trouble’s coming. Be ready with those TaseBolts, but keep your distance. Wait for my signal.”

  “I thought we took care of trouble by eliminating Blake,” Agent Hartman said, frowning.

  “Oh, I think this is just beginning. Back away, now!”

  Agent Hartman nodded, jogged away, and raised his right wrist to his mouth to speak into the concealed microphone. He ordered everyone back and the gathered agents and marines shouted orders at one another and complied, watching the skies above them.

  Blue Spekter’s sense of proximity sharpened and he sensed the moving beings on the other side of the naval prison. Then, the beings leapt into the air.

  What on earth?

  He looked up at the sky with amazement and watched a red-glowing man, flanked by a yellow-glowing man and a purple-glowing man, soar over the roof of the naval prison and land twenty paces in front of him.

  Each man was clad in a formfitting, black super suit. The tights reminded him of Blake’s purple pants. The color of their glowing eyes matched their glowing bodies. All three men wore cowls or coverings to hide their faces.

  Then, a familiar voice called out, “Now that there’s only one of you, it will be so much easier to finish you off.” Then, he glanced to his left. “Wait here, he’s mine.”

  “Yes, sir,” the other two super-powered humans replied.

  Then, the red man rushed at the Blue Spekter with super speed.

  Oh, crap.

  Surprised, Blue Spekter swiftly side-stepped out of the way, narrowly evading the man’s attack. Whoever it was, the man wasn’t as agile or experienced as Blue Spekter.

  “I like this,” the man shouted with enthusiastic rage.

  What the hell?

  Blue Spekter readied himself as the stranger spun around in the snow and pointed at him.

  “Your playtime as a superhero is over, Blue Spekter,” the man snarled. Then, he charged at Blue Spekter again.

  Oh my gosh, it’s Victor. How the hell did he get superpowers?