Desperate Times

by Tom Andry

  Nineteen lay in a heap off to the side. Realizing how stupidly impulsive I'd been, I stood and reached into my pocket and withdrew the plastic box. At my feet, the henchman struggled with his mask and goggles, trying to free his vision.

  To my left, The Raven had punctured the ceiling on the far side of the room like a burst boil. The metal of the ceiling had not only been ripped and torn out of his way, but also glowed red from the heat of the sudden physical force. He stood erect and uncaring under the tear, molten metal dripping down on him from above, fizzling into non-existence on the glowing purple-black sheen of fire that covered his body. His costume was in the same condition as I'd last seen him: in tatters around his chest and torso, face and lower half still mostly undamaged. His head turned slowly to the two henchmen who were firing their guns at him in rapid succession. The bolts of energy, or whatever they were, had as little effect as the molten metal from above.

  The Raven reached out a hand toward one of the henchmen, questing. He was trying to draw some of their power, I realized. As he tilted his head to the side, I knew that Mind was right - he couldn't get anything from them and it confused him. I looked down again at the henchman on the ground, his mask now off. He was older than I expected, with intelligent, deep-set eyes and a well-lined face. He looked like he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep for a few years. His hairline was receding slightly though not yet into full retreat. His face was not unattractive in spite of a myriad of small scars, apparently gifts from Siddeon.

  The man turned his head slowly toward me, his eyes drifting from mine to the glowing coal in the plastic box in my hand. A smile spread slowly, distorting his features unnaturally. I gritted my teeth, the henchman looking around for his gun.

  "You shouldn't have hurt Liz," I growled, my whole body shaking.

  His left hand shot toward his right shoulder as I threw the plastic box at him. It exploded as the box hit the ground near his hip.

  I reached down, scooped up Nineteen, and turned and bolted down the aisle toward the round door to which Mind had sent me. With luck, the blast would draw The Raven directly toward the prone and, hopefully, charred henchman. But before I'd taken three steps, I saw a beam of yellow energy cut a line in the ceiling over my head. I ducked, trying to make myself a smaller target, and less visible to The Raven. In the tiny hallway between cubicles, it wasn't going to make much of a difference. I dove into the last cubicle in the hallway just as a second bolt of energy tore through the skin of my shoulder. I grunted in pain.

  Apparently my clothes weren't as resistant as I'd hoped.

  I slumped into the corner and pushed myself back under the desk. I felt my shoulder. The overcoat and jacket were completely disintegrated, but the wound wasn't deep. I was lucky.

  Well, maybe lucky was a bit of an overstatement.

  I needed to get to the door and get out. The supers were waiting to ambush The Raven, but they were in the launch bay. With the henchmen caught in the middle, I couldn't imagine a better situation. The henchmen would provide the distraction, the supers would take out The Raven, and Nineteen would be fixed in no time. All I needed to do was get through the door and on the other side of the supers before The Raven disintegrated the henchmen and noticed Nineteen and me. I glanced down at the young telepath. I'd dropped the ice when I'd dropped her and her head felt hot, even through my shirt. I was running out of time.

  A figure appeared in the cubicle, clothing smoldering but not obviously damaged. The henchman's smile had turned to a sneer of hatred and determination. He scanned the cubicle, eyes cold and calculating as I'd ever seen, quickly zeroing in on me under the desk. I kicked the rolling chair toward him, but he batted it easily to the side.

  "You know the sad part?" the henchman laughed. "I don't even know who you're talking about. And I don't care. I've been doing this for so long..." his eyes drifted, "…it doesn't matter. Liz. Jennifer. Brad. They're all the same. They're in my way. Just like you are." He raised his gun, his jaw tight.

  The chorus of gunfire stopped suddenly with a wash of heat. There were no cries of pain or begging for mercy. Just silence. The henchman slowly turned toward the lack of sound and then ducked down in front of me, his eyes wide. He swallowed, glancing between me and the cubicle wall that hid him from The Raven. After a moment, he turned toward me and, with a practiced motion, he placed the oversized gun on his back where it clicked into place. A gloved hand, a glove larger than the other I realized, clenched into a fist and a pyramid of hardened ice appeared around it. Mist wafted away from the pyramid.

  "Damn!" I cursed under my breath. I fumbled under Nineteen to find the switch to my Inertial Dampener. Ice or no, it should be able to protect me from what was essentially a dagger. All I needed to do was keep my body between Nineteen and the blade, a tough proposition in such tight quarters. It was clear, however, that none of the henchmen had seen her, evidence that her power, some of it at least, was still in effect. I could just toss her aside at the last minute and hope that the henchman didn't have another weapon on him that he could use. After that, all I had to do was push him toward The Raven.

  Me and my thin plans.

  The henchman smiled viciously, "Don't worry," he whispered, inching toward me, "I won't let him get you."

  An audible click from down the hall caused both of our jaws to drop in surprise. It was clear by the look in the henchman's eyes that we both had come to the same conclusion. The circular door, the one that Mind was supposed to open for me, had finally unlocked.

  The henchman bolted from the cubicle, sprinting out of view. I got to my feet as quickly as I could with the little girl in my arms and took off after him. I stole a glance over my shoulder to see The Raven holding the dead and badly burnt bodies of the other two henchmen by their obviously broken necks. He squeezed and their heads simultaneously separated from their bodies and arced to the ground. He looked over at me, head again tilted to the side. He turned one hand toward me. A sound like a mouse caught in a trap escaped my throat. I choked it back, ducked down, and sprinted toward the circular door. I kept my body between Nineteen and The Raven, not that I had any hope that it would protect her.

  I wasn't fast enough. Even if I had the room to catch up with the henchman, I didn't know how I could have passed him with that ice thing on his hand. Not without putting Nineteen in harm's way. The henchman spun the wheel, releasing the lock. Pulling with surprisingly little effort, the door swung open, spilling bright light into the dim office.

  "Pitiful."

  It was barely a word. More of a grunt. But the impact was undeniable. The henchman turned at the sound, his eyes wide with fear. Behind him, I could see the hallway beyond the ajar door as it spilled light into the room. Inside the light were three glowing dots spinning as if caught in a tornado. I pushed the henchman toward the hallway, keeping his body between me and whatever was on the other side of that doorway. The henchman's expression switched from terror at seeing The Raven up close to confusion as my shoulder hit him. He stumbled back as the three glowing devices flew out of the doorway and stuck to him at the head, back and leg. The henchman grabbed for them, but they held fast.

  I paused, watching the henchman grab for the devices. A small smile fluttered across my lips, "Don't worry; I won't let him get you."

  The henchman's eyes grew wide as understanding dawned. He redoubled his efforts and even managed to get both hands around one of the objects. But this was a trap for The Raven. No tippy would escape it. A millisecond later and three circles of crackling energy formed about four inches out from each of the glowing objects, encompassing small sections of the henchman's body. Within a blink, those parts were gone, leaving only pieces of the henchman behind. As they rained down, I sprinted through the doorway, stumbling from the blinding light, shoes wet with bodily fluids.

  I tripped and fell, twisting as I did so as not to land on Nineteen, as more of the glowing objects shot over my sliding form.

  "Shut the Goddamn door!" I screamed, my voice
a screech.

  "Bob?" It was Gale, "Damn it, Bob, what the hell are you doing here?"

  "Just shut the door already! He's out there. He's coming!"

  "Ja, we know. That's the plan." Rod responded, irritated. "What we don't know is what you are doing here messing it up."

  I stumbled to my feet, hoping that Nineteen was okay and still able to shield herself from the supers, "Running for my life...obviously." I muttered under my breath, "So much for a low profile."

  # # #

  Chapter 25

  A hurricane-force wind rushed past me as Gale used her power over the air to slam the door shut. It locked with a click that reverberated through the tube. It was a hallway, really, but rounded, with light coming from long, thin openings about a foot and a half apart embedded along the length of the shaft. The only part of the tube that was not rounded was the floor, and just a three-foot wide span at that. I sprinted up the hallway and away from the door toward a furious Gale at the other end who was standing in a similarly shaped, open doorway, hands on hips.

  "You better have a good explanation for this crap, Bob."

  I didn't, not really. At least not one that she would believe or even accept. But I tried anyhow, "I'm here saving your asses. Now get out of the way!"

  I stormed through the doorway into a gaggle of supers, who crowded around the opening in a semicircle. We were standing on a metal grating that seemed to be a million floors up. There was a large platform with a stairway going up on the left and down on the right. They circled the large launch tube, which was, I was relieved to find, devoid of anything that might accidentally annihilate us and the adjacent three states.

  I didn't recognize many of the supers on sight, but I did recognize two things. First, they were almost universally young. Most probably only came into their powers in the last few years. Their costumes hung loose and many looked to be nothing more than off-the-rack spandex with large V's sewn on them. Fire Arc was there, as were Force and Tinkerer. Ted still wore that ridiculous persona, though I noted that Gale must have forced him to eliminate the over-exaggerated manhood. The second thing I noted was the expression in their eyes. Without exception, all the younger supers were terrified.

  Good. At least they weren't stupid.

  Gale's power closed the second door with a flick of her wrist. She was wearing, for the first time in years, clothes. Skintight, black spandex with silver Bs on the left breast and shoulders, I couldn't help but notice the resemblance to Rod's costume. Gale turned to me, "You just messed up a very well laid out plan."

  "Oh really? Hide behind a door and hope he uses the pretty hallway? This is the second time I've faced him and walked away and, I don't know if you've been paying attention, but he hasn't been much for doors."

  A beam of purple-black fire melted through the wall above the large hatch. The supers scattered as Gale flicked a finger and sent the debris falling harmlessly into the center of the tube. I clutched Nineteen closer, bending over her to protect her from anything Gale might have missed. Of course, there was nothing to protect her from. Gale was nothing if not thorough.

  Gale's eyes never left mine, "The rest of you - head to the secondary confrontation site with Saint. Either Bob's right and he's following us or we're right and he's following her. Doesn't matter either way."

  One of the supers turned into electricity and another dissolved into a stream of water. The rest turned and ran down the stairs. That's all I needed to see. I turned and headed up as fast as I could. Wherever the supers were, I didn't want to be. Let The Raven follow the yummy, energy filled supers below. Nineteen and I would find a comfy hiding spot above. Gale floated next to the stairway, her expression grim. Her eyes kept darting to my chest, but slid back up as if she couldn't quite focus on what was there. I took a short look at Nineteen. She was flushed, but her head was dry. I didn't know if that was good or not, but it seemed positive. Maybe her fever was breaking.

  "Shouldn't you go be with your super buddies," I gasped.

  "Nissa told me your theory."

  "So I gathered."

  "Is that why there are armed men traipsing through the base?"

  "You know about them?"

  "Give me a break, Bob."

  "They can only help," I wheezed. My lungs were on fire and I was having a hard time talking. "When he's trying to steal energy from them, he'll be vulnerable. Weaker."

  "But who are they?" she demanded.

  "Bad guys," I gasped.

  "You're sure?"

  "That's the theory," I croaked.

  "Okay. So what's your theory on that?"

  I stopped on a landing across from our original entry point, but now I was two levels up. I looked down at the gaping hole in the wall, still glowing around the edges from the heat of the blast. The Raven floated in front of it, hand outstretched, palm down. His head dipped toward the waiting supers below. My smile faded as I realized that his hand hadn't stopped moving. Slowly, he raised his arm, his hand questing. When it stopped, pointing toward me, I gulped. Gale floated to the side, testing. His hand never wavered.

  "Bob?" she drew my name out. "Why is he tracking you?"

  I locked eyes with her as The Raven cocked his head to the side over her shoulder. I shrugged and took off running up the stairs.

  "Bloody hell," Gale muttered.

  She waved her arm and a gust of wind blew up through the metal grating. It surrounded me and solidified. There was a time in our relationship when I would travel this way weekly, sometimes daily. The key was to bend your knees. Gale was good enough to catch me if I fell over, but the landing would be harder. I braced myself and managed to wobble just a bit. In moments, I traveled the additional three or so stories to the top of the tube. Gale dropped me off just by the exit door. I spun the hatch as she rocketed downwards, presumably to pick up the rest of the supers. I wanted to ask her about the supers. Whether she had any more super geniuses on the team. But there was no time.

  The tube reverberated with a single word, "Abomination." It was like being in a huge bell. My legs shook, and not just from the exertion of my run.

  I looked up. Above was a huge, circular hatch on a hinge - a hinge the size of my car. Well, Flamer's...er...Fire-whatever's car. I dove through the doorway, pulling it closed behind me. I spun the wheel and turned. The room in front of me was similar to the one I'd used to enter the base except for the addition of slits in the walls with gun turrets sticking out. The room was dimly lit and the walls were just as green. The guns were pointed down, the barrels resting on the openings.

  "Mind?" I muttered to myself, "A little help here?"

  As if in response, the lights flickered to life and the door clicked open in front of me. Again, I sprinted the three steps to the door and whipped it open. On the other side, I found not more halls and cubicles like I'd expected, but a dusty, nearly black room that smelled of mold and animal feces. The light from the antechamber revealed a rickety wooden staircase leading up. I considered closing the door behind me, but decided that I wanted the light more than I wanted The Raven to be (not at all) slowed down by the closed door. I had to use my shoulder to move the large trap door at the top of the stairs, raining dirt down on both Nineteen and me.

  I slammed the door open, breaking the rusted hinges and the chain that was meant to hold it ajar. I was in a large, open space surrounded by walls of metal and a roof that seemed to be at least a third gaping holes. There were windows on all the walls. There was a door at one side and a larger barn-style door at the other, both too high. The building, I noticed, was rectangular, held up by large, metal I-beam columns, and was clearly the building at the top of the hill. Over in one corner was a dilapidated tractor, probably placed there more for show than anything else.

  Suddenly, the tractor jumped and I found myself on my ass, clutching Nineteen tightly, trying not to drop her. Dust filled the air as the very ground I was sitting on shook with the force of an impact. I scrambled to my feet, throwing Nineteen over one shoulder
. No time for pleasantries, we needed to leave and now. I ran toward the largest source of light, hoping it was the door I'd noticed, covering my mouth and coughing.

  By the time I reached the light, the dust had settled enough for me to realize that I hadn't, as I'd hoped, run toward the door. Instead, I faced a section of wall with an opening barely large enough for us to fit through. I placed Nineteen through the opening and then turned my head to squeeze between the corrugated slats. The ground erupted again, rippling under another massive impact. I fell forward, the side of my face slowly coming to a rest against the edge of the metal, my Inertial Dampener slowing me. But just because I didn't hit hard didn't mean the edge wasn't sharp. When I pulled away, I felt warm liquid run down my check and a slight burn that I knew would only get worse. I fell to the side, landing outside the building and next to Nineteen, noting, somewhat immaterially I thought, the full moon overhead.

  The ground shook a third (or was it fourth?) time, but this time the bang was followed by the sound of ripping metal and a whoosh of air. I was bounced off the ground high enough to wonder when I'd touch back down. Again, my Inertial Dampener saved me from any major damage. Above, the moon was blotted out briefly by a large object. I followed it with my eyes, arching my back when it passed directly over my head. I flipped over onto my hands as it fell lower down the hill we were on and I watched, with mixed emotions, as it landed directly on Shawn's car. It was the hatch of the missile launch tube. The tractor was mounted to the top and it landed on his car slightly askew, looking like a chess piece for the gods of Olympus.