by Lucas Flint
"Are you sure that would be so wise?" said TW. "I'm still not convinced that you're ready for this. Yes, you've handled the Injectors well so far, but your control over your powers still needs work and--"
"And when will I be ready?" I said. I put my hands on my waist. "A week from now? A month? Two months? Six months? A year? And how much time do you have left to teach me?"
"What do you--"
"You're fuzzy," I said, gesturing at TW's form. "And getting fuzzier by the day."
TW looked down at his body, grimaced as if he had just spotted a really ugly pimple, and looked at me with a somewhat shameful look. "You're right, but I'm still functioning at near one hundred percent. I'm not about to go away anytime soon."
"Can you guarantee that, though?" I said. "Can you really be sure you won't just suddenly disappear all of a sudden? Because you made it sound like that would happen to you when I first met you."
TW shifted his gaze away from me. "To some degree, you are correct. I don't know how long I have, except that I have less than I should. If we could get the Watch repaired, I would be able to live much longer, but my time is indeed limited. Still, you need training, more training than you've received now."
"Maybe, but will the Injectors or Icon leave me alone long enough for me to train?" I said. "You know the answer to that question, don't you?"
TW nodded reluctantly. "Yes, I do. I wish I didn't, but I do."
"Then the only way to stop the Injectors from coming after me--and, eventually, my family, if they ever find out my real identity--is to take the fight directly to them," I said, punching my fist into my other hand. "No more hiding. No more waiting for them to come after me. We go to their headquarters and take them down once and for all. I have the power. I know I can do it."
"What if you run into Lethal Injection?" said TW. "Your last fight with him ended with you nearly dying of poison. Should that happen again, you might very well die for certain this time. Do you think that's a risk worth taking?"
I hesitated, remembering how badly my fight with Lethal Injection went not too long ago. If we attacked their headquarters, I would definitely run into him at some point. And even with a better grasp on my powers and knowing what he could do, I still might not be able to beat him.
But then I thought about Thomas. The knowledge that Power would continue to ruin the lives of other people, people just like my brother, filled me with such rage that I couldn't even begin to describe it.
"I'm not afraid of Lethal Injection," I said. "Even if Lethal Injection is leading an army of Ferdinands against me, I will handle them. By the time it's over, there won't be even one Injector left free to sell their drugs on the streets of Rumsfeld to innocent people. Not one."
TW looked taken aback by how passionately I spoke, but I didn't feel the need to apologize. What I said was the truth. Whether TW agreed with it or not, I believed it and I was going to do everything in my power to make it a reality.
To my surprise, TW actually smiled. "You reminded me of Gregory just then. He said something similar to me once, years and years ago, about how he was willing to do anything to protect his family and the people of Rumsfeld. It was the first time I'd ever seen a human speak so passionately about anything and I didn't quite understand it at the time. But now ... now I think I do, having seen it in you."
"So you think I'm ready?" I said.
TW shrugged. "No one is ever ready to storm a drug dealer's den and put an end to their activities once and for all, but then, I suppose you need to take a leap of faith sometimes and just hope it works out for the best. That's what Gregory said to me once."
I nodded. "All right. Tomorrow night, we'll begin the assault. And by the time we're done, the Injectors won't know what hit them."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Waiting for tomorrow night was pure agony. I probably could have simply gone straight to the Injectors' headquarters that very day and confronted Michael Jones, but I decided that that would be too hasty. I needed time to formulate a plan, as well as rest and get ready for the attack. Despite how strong I was, my body ached all over from my fight with Ferdinand and I wanted to make sure I was in tiptop shape before I did anything strenuous.
I did call the police and inform them about Ferdinand and the Injectors, but I made it an anonymous tip, because the last thing I needed was to have the police ask me, a sixteen-year-old boy, what I was doing in an abandoned warehouse after school with no adult supervision whatsoever. I trusted that the police would be able to figure out what happened there by themselves when they arrived, especially once they started hauling Injectors off to jail.
Speaking of the Injectors, before I left Warehouse 19, I gathered all of the unconscious Injectors up and tied them together with some steel chains I found lying around, as well as neatly piling their weapons up in a corner out of their reach. I didn't bother to tie up Ferdinand or do anything to restrain him, partially because I thought he would just break out of it regardless, but also because Ferdinand was out cold, to the point where I wasn't sure he would ever wake up. It may have been the unstable effects of the Power drug affecting his consciousness, but in any case, I was content to leave him alone, and besides the police would probably bring Bug Bite with them, who would be able to deal with Ferdinand if it turned out that Ferdinand was more dangerous than I thought.
I returned home before Mom or Dad did, luckily enough, and managed to get out of my costume and shower before either of them got back home. As a result, neither of them suspected that I had been doing anything other than my homework in my room after I got home from school, which was exactly what I wanted them to think. It was safer for them if they didn't know that I had just been involved in a fight to the death with a crazy bull man and his drug dealing friends. I wasn't even sure how I would explain it to them.
But there was a news report on the clash between Trickshot and the Injectors on the evening news, which Dad turned on during dinner that night. The news reporter claimed that the police had arrived at Warehouse 19, in the northeastern section of the city, where they had found over a dozen unconscious Injectors tied together, plus an unconscious man with a bull face who they quickly identified as a Power user. All thirteen of the criminals were promptly arrested, bringing the total number of Injectors arrested that week up to twenty, which was the most Injectors ever arrested in such a short time span. There was, of course, no sign of Trickshot himself, though apparently some people speculated that Trickshot might have been the one to inform the police about the Injectors in the first place.
While Mom and Dad chatted about the attack, I didn't say much, mostly because I didn't want to say anything that would make my parents suspicious of me. It helped that we had a big dinner of steak and potatoes that night, which meant that my mouth was usually too full of good food for me to say more than a few words at a time. I was surprised by how Mom and Dad both seemed very positive about Trickshot now, especially Dad, who had been worried that Trickshot might be someone who wanted to cause no good. Dad still wasn't entirely on board with Trickshot, however, though he was definitely warming up to him.
It was times like that that I wished I could have said something, but I didn't. I just finished my dinner and went to bed early, mostly because my body was aching from everywhere Ferdinand had beaten me earlier.
At school the next day, however, I found myself sitting in my usual spot in the cafeteria with Kyle, who, like everyone else, was talking about the arrest of so many Injectors last night.
"It's pretty awesome," said Kyle in between mouthfuls of pizza. "According to one news report I read, this is the largest number of Injectors ever arrested at one time. Even Bug Bite has never taken down that many Injectors in one go like that."
I nodded and sipped my water bottle. "Really? That's pretty interesting. Guess this Trickshot guy is really something, huh?"
"He sure is," said Kyle. "My parents still don't like him because he's an unlicensed hero, but I think he's great. I just can't bel
ieve that the Injectors consider him such a big threat that they feel like they need to send a dozen guys and a Power user after him. They must be really scared of him to do that."
I shrugged. "The Injectors are ruthless. They'll take down anyone they consider a threat to their business. I imagine Trickshot is just better at stopping them than most."
"Even better than Bug Bite, at that," said Kyle. "If Trickshot keeps this up, I wonder if the city will offer to make him the official superhero of Rumsfeld, instead of Bug Bite."
"That doesn't seem likely," I said. "I've never heard of an unlicensed superhero being made the official superhero of a city, at least not without first passing the Superhero Exam. And besides, Bug Bite and Mayor Adams are close, right?"
"They're brothers, actually," said Kyle. "Still, imagine what would happen if he actually took down the Injectors all by himself. That would be historical."
I wanted to tell Kyle that I was Trickshot and that I intended to do exactly that, but I kept my mouth shut. I hadn't realized it, but the hardest part about being a superhero so far wasn't fighting criminals or learning how to use your powers, but keeping your mouth shut when everyone around you was complimenting you (or your alter ego, really) for saving the day. I guess that Bug Bite, being the superhero of Rumsfeld who didn't have a secret identity, didn't have to figure out how to take compliments, but I did, and it sucked.
"But there's still the mystery of just who Trickshot is in the first place," said Kyle. He shrugged. "I guess it doesn't really matter, if you think about it. Whoever he is and wherever he came from, he's done more to make Rumsfeld safer than the police and Bug Bite combined."
"He's definitely done good work so far," I said as I bit into my peanut butter sandwich, chewed, and swallowed. "But I wonder if the police will ever try to crack down on him. He's operating as a superhero illegally, after all."
"They probably will at some point," said Kyle. "I know my cousin in the police department has told me that the police don't know what to make of him. Doesn't help that Trickshot just keeps appearing and disappearing all the time, seemingly at random. But it's inevitable that they'll come after him at some point. The police don't like unlicensed superheroes."
I nodded in agreement, but I wondered what I would do if the police ever decided to come after me. I could evade them, I knew, but at some point I would have to fight them, especially if Bug Bite got involved. But I pushed that thought out of my mind for now in order to focus on my plans for tomorrow night. First, I would worry about taking down the Injectors. Afterward, I would worry about the police and what they might do to me.
"Anyway, do you want to come over to my house after school and play some games?" said Kyle. "I just got the newest Street Battler on PC. I haven't even started playing it yet."
I thought about whether to accept his offer or not. My attack on the Injectors' headquarters was scheduled for tonight at midnight. I had intended to take the rest of the afternoon and night to prepare for it, but maybe it would be better for me if I spent some time with Kyle. I remembered what TW said, about how I could never be sure if I was going to survive or not, and decided that checking out Kyle's new game with him couldn't hurt.
So I nodded and said, "Sure thing. I've got nothing better to do after school anyway."
"Great," said Kyle. "We can go to my house as soon as school lets out. Don't worry about my parents. I've already asked them and they're okay with you coming over."
"Sounds good," I said. "I'll call my parents and let them know where I'll be."
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and quickly dialed our home phone number. I didn't have to wait long before I heard someone pick up the phone, prompting me to say, "Hi, Mom! This is Jack. I'm just calling to let you know that I'm going over to Kyle's house after school to play a game with him. I'll probably be back before dinner, but I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't get worried."
I waited for Mom's response, but oddly, I didn't hear anything on the other end of the phone. The phone was definitely working, because it wasn't making the out of order beeping noise it usually made whenever it wasn't working, but I didn't know why Mom wasn't responding. Maybe Dad had actually picked up the phone, but that didn't make sense because Dad should still be at work, unless he got off early, which was always possible, albeit unlikely in my opinion.
"Mom?" I said, turning away from Kyle and the noise from the rest of the cafeteria. "Are you there? Mom?"
Finally, a voice on the other end spoke. It was feminine, but it wasn't Mom's voice at all. It was too young, too cruel, and far, far too familiar for my liking. Even before the voice finished speaking, I didn't have any trouble recognizing it.
"Sorry, but Mrs. McDonald isn't home right now," said Christina Madison, her voice falsely sweet. "But if you leave a message after the beep, I will make sure she gets it."
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
"Christina?" I said in a whisper. "What did you do to Mom?"
"What?" said Kyle, leaning forward curiously.
I looked at Kyle. "It's, uh, just Mom. I can't hear her all that well due to all the noise, so I need to go out into the hall and speak to her. I'll be right back."
Before Kyle could say anything, I jumped off my seat and made my way straight to the exit. I walked out into the hallways of the school and made my way directly to the boys' bathroom. Kicking open the door, a brief glanced at the stalls showed me that I was alone, which was good, because the last thing I needed was for someone to overhear my conversation with Christina.
"Okay, I'm alone now," I said, stopping in front of one of the sinks and looking at the mirror. "Answer me: Are you Christina Madison?"
"You know that's not my real name," said Christina. "But yes, I'm the woman who has gone by that name recently, the one you so rudely knocked out back in my apartment."
"I thought you'd need to spend the next six months in the hospital after what I did to you."
"I'm tougher than I look," said Christina. "Just like you, actually. I'm sitting here on your couch looking at this family photo and man, you look pretty weak and scrawny in this picture. Can't believe you're the same Trickshot who has given me and my boss so much trouble."
"You're in my house?" I said, feeling cold sweat starting to appear on my forehead.
"Yep," said Christina. "It was easy to break into. I don't think any of your neighbors even saw me enter."
"How did you find out where I live?" I said. "And my secret identity?"
"Easy," said Christina. "Logic dictates that your grandfather would have sent the Trickshot Watch to a family member. The new Trickshot doesn't look like either your mom or dad, so I deduced that you had to be the new Trickshot. I wasn't sure at first, but you basically admitting it to me on the phone confirmed it. Thanks, by the way. Idiots like you make my job so much easier."
I cursed myself for being such an idiot, but aloud I said, "Where are my parents?"
"Your parents?" Christina repeated. "Nice people. Seem like decent folk. Better than mine, anyway. At least they don't beat you, though I'll understand if you don't want to talk about it."
"You didn't answer the question," I said. "I said, where are my parents?"
"The Injectors have them," said Christina. "Currently, they're holding your parents hostage in their headquarters. As far as I know, your parents are safe, but they won't be for much longer, I think."
My heart started beating rapidly. "If you lay even one finger on them--"
"Why are you threatening me?" Christina interrupted with a mocking voice. "I'm not the one holding your parents hostage. The Injectors are."
"But you're working with them," I said. "Right?"
"Whatever," said Christina. "The point is, kiddo, that I would save your big mean threats for the Injectors themselves. Yelling at me over the phone makes you look like a kid. Which you are, but you get what I mean."
"Yeah, I do," I said. "And I don't like it one bit. What do I need to do to get my parents back?"
"That's easy," said Christina. "You just have to give me the Trickshot Watch. It's that simple."
I glanced down at the Watch on my wrist and looked at the mirror again. "The Trickshot Watch?"
"Yep," said Christina. "Just come back over to your house and give me the Watch. Then I'll call up the Injectors and let them know that they can let your parents go."
"They will listen to you?"
"They will if they're smart," said Christina casually. "They know what I can do to them. But yes, I can guarantee your parents' safety if you will just give me the Watch."
I hesitated. My first instinct was to agree to Christina's demand and give her the Watch. As important as the Watch was, it wasn't anywhere nearly as important to me as my parents were. And given how I had lost my older brother and grandfather already, I wasn't in the mood to lose more members of my family, especially if there was something I could do about it.
But at the same time, I didn't want to give Christina anything. The Watch wasn't just a family heirloom. It was a weapon, one that could be used for good or evil, and I believed that Christina and her group were planning to use it for evil purposes. It wouldn't be heroic of me to give her a weapon that she could use for evil.
At this point, though, what choice did I have? If Christina was telling the truth--and something told me that she was--then I had no bargaining power in this situation. She was the one with the leverage, namely my parents, and the best I could hope for was agreeing to her demands and hoping she kept up her end of the agreement. It was a terrible situation to be in, but I couldn't see any way out of it without my parents getting harmed. And I knew that Christina would harm them, or rather, the Injectors would, because it was clear to me by now that Christina was every bit as evil as them.
"You've gone awfully quiet all of a sudden," said Christina. "Trying to find a way to have your cake and eat it, too?"
