“Where’s that scary doctor?”
“Put me down. Get a syringe.”
Venusta did what Portia asked.
Portia weakly gestured for Venusta to come close. “Let me see your face.”
Venusta slid off her mask and put back her hood to become Candilyn again.
Portia put her arm around Candilyn, slid her waistband down, and jabbed the syringe into Candilyn’s upper buttock.
“Ow! What the hell?”
“Your … healing factor,” Portia pushed the stopper back with her thumb. “Blood can save me.” She drew the syringe, plunged it into the bullet hole in her chest, and injected Candilyn’s blood into herself.
The doctor came back. He reached behind the door and grabbed a rifle.
Candilyn scooped Portia up and ran for the open door at the truck loading dock. She made it out of the door before the doctor fired. His shots zipped over her shoulder as she ran alongside the building to Portia’s Porsche.
Portia jabbed Candilyn’s hip and drew more blood with one hand and pulled out her keys with the other. She unlocked the doors with the fob and injected herself while Candilyn put her in the passenger seat.
Candilyn got behind the wheel and turned the key. The engine roared to life as Portia jabbed Candilyn’s him again with one hand and shifted into reverse.
“How much blood are you going to take?” asked Candilyn.
“As much as I need.” Portia injected herself again. “Drive.”
Candilyn put her full weight on the gas pedal. The sports car’s engine shot straight back through the parking lot and sideswiped every car in its path as the steering wheel slipped through Candilyn’s bloodied fingers. She didn’t straighten it out before it went over the curb, down the hill, and into oncoming traffic.
A SUV rammed into the Porshe’s tailgate. It spun so sharply its front end ended up in the other lane before an oncoming truck could slam on its brakes.
Everything shook. Candilyn heard the tires screeching and metal crunching fiberglass.
Neither Candilyn nor Portia wore their seatbelts. The airbags shoved them so close together Portia’s mouth was in Candilyn’s ear.
Portia said, “We’re away from the Handler.”
Candilyn pushed the deflating airbag out of her mouth. “Then we escaped?”
“The police … coming. Can’t get out.”
“I don’t want to go back to jail.”
“I have a plan. The guy you almost killed, the one you got arrested for. What’s his name?”
“Why?”
“Tell me, idiot!”
“Dwight Perine.”
“Good. And your family … Wingrove Mobile Homes Community, right?”
“Yeah, so?”
Portia focused her blood flow to her head at the expense of the rest of her body. “Listen. Don’t say a word. Not a single word. If you say anything, I will contact a hitman. He'll kill everyone in your family killed, including your retarded little brother. I'll also give a million dollars to Dwight Perine.”
“No. Leave them out of this.”
“If you are quiet, they will live. Only if you are quiet. Do you understand me?”
At Griffin Tower, Alex’s phone rang while he was in the middle of calling the other MAB agents assigned to metahuman teams. He didn’t recognize the number. “Agent O’Farrell.”
An unfamiliar voice said, “What do you have against me?”
“Who is this?”
“I’m the manager of the Young Sentinels. You stole the best half of my team.”
“They asked to become Prospects.”
“Whatever. They’ve been replaced. There’s something big going on tonight. Every cape-and-tights wearer is either leaving or patrolling except my newly reformed team. They’re ready for a big debut.”
“Your ‘team’ is not legally recognized. They’re only entertainers.”
“Sure, but they look better than the palookas who get punched up, which is why kids love ‘em. The news crews will come out if something does go down, so I want them to get some publicity.”
“They’re not going anywhere. If I see any Young Sentinels in costume tonight, I’ll arrest them and you.”
“On what grounds?”
“Them, vigilantism. You, fraud. These kids on your team, do they know you’ve taken out insurance policies on them?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That’s what Steve, Kayleigh, and Pete said too. They also said you gave them so many papers they don’t know if you took out insurance policies on them. After all this is done, I’ll arrange an audit. We’ll see what you had them sign.”
The manager hung up.
Pinwheel panted when he ran into the medical ward. Instead of saying anything, he handed the notepad to Alex.
Alex froze when he read it. “The Handler hacked our computers and phones?”
“For your sake,” said Pinwheel, “I hope he didn’t plant bugs in here too.”
“So the Handler knows everyone I called and what I said, where the New York Guardians and the other teams are going, who’s on patrol and where?”
“That’s what Trista said.”
Gale Force hobbled over. “Is the spyware network still active?”
“I think so.”
Alex said, “If we tell anyone, the Handler will know we’re onto him and shift his plans. What the hell are we going to do?”
Gale Force took the notepad, wrote, “ALL WARFARE IS DECEPTION – THE ART OF WAR,” and held it up. “If Trista can hack into the network, you can attack his strategy. Give him misinformation. Shut him down. Something like that.”
“How?” asked Alex. “I can’t call Trista without the Handler intercepting it.”
“The hospital’s eight blocks away,” said Pinwheel. “I ran it in seven minutes. I need to catch my breath before I run back, though.”
“That’s great,” said Alex, “but Stormhead, Arbalest, and Professor Photon are headed to Jersey City. We can’t get a message to them without the Handler listening in.”
“I can’t fly to them,” Gale Force said. “I’m not that fast, and they won’t hear me with wind rushing around.”
Gary flapped his rumpled wings. “Mine aren’t in good shape. I hope they’ll heal.”
Kayleigh pointed at Deon. “He can run fast, right?”
“Yeah,” said Deon, “but if Stormhead and Magna aren’t looking for me, they won’t see me from up high.”
“Arbalest is on his motorcycle,” said Alex. “He’s got a head start, but there’s no way he’s going close to your top speed. Not with this traffic. You're maneuverable, so you can …” Before Alex finished his phone rang. “Agent O’Farrell.”
“Hey, it’s Apollo Lenox with Harlem Knights. A bunch of crazies are trashing our borough. They’re not robbing or making demands, they’re just attacking everyone.”
“Can you handle the … wait, I’m getting another call.” Alex pressed the button.
“Agent, it's Parkourior with the Hell’s Kitchen Helpers. Some loonies are running amok on Thirty-Fifth Street like they’ve got rabies.”
“Right, I … wait, I’m getting another call, and I got to take care of something.” Alex turned off his phone. “Deon, we need you to run down Arbalest. He can signal Stormhead and Professor Photon with a flare quarrel and bring them down for a word.”
“A flare quarrel?” asked Deon.
“He has lots of novelty quarrels. It’s his thing.”
Gary looked out the window. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but there are cops everywhere. Woah, someone’s flying. He’s shooting at the cops.”
“Wait,” said Deon. “You want me to run through a city full of psychos to deliver a message? That’s crazy, man.”
Gale Force said, “Deon, you can be brave enough to save lives. You proved that.”
“But that … no, you’re right. I gotta do this. What should I tell them?”
“To come back,” said Alex. “
The Handler wants them out of the city. Let’s screw up his plan by bringing them home.”
“Right. I can't run at top speed for long before getting too exhausted to do anything else, so I got one shot at this. Where am I going?”
“Head for the Lincoln Tunnel. If you can’t catch him in there, run down Four-Ninety-Five through Jersey City. That’s most of his route.”
“One more thing,” said Deon. “My mom’s working at New York-Presbyterian. Whatever happens, protect her.”
“I’ll go there myself,” said Alex.
“I’ll watch the prisoners.” Gale Force pulled Deon close and kissed him on the lips. “Be careful out there.”
Deon hopped. “Damn, girl, are we back on?”
She smiled sweetly. “Save the day, and we’ll go out tonight.”
Deon ran out of the medical ward.
“Kayleigh, suit up. Pinwheel, catch your breath. I’ll go to the basement to get some armor and weapons I stashed in the living quarters.” Alex paused. “Emily is down there.”
Kayleigh slipped into her sleeved harness and grabbed her mask. “I’ll go with you.”
“So will I,” said Pinwheel. “We followed you into hostile territory before.”
“Agent O’Farrell,” said Gary, “is there anything Lou and I can do?”
“Wait here.”
“But I’m a good shot with a rifle, and Lou is really strong.”
“You’re also sixteen. I’m not sending a child into battle. Lou, how old are you?”
Lou’s doglike face scrunched.
“Let me put it this way,” said Alex, “Who was president when you were born?”
“President? What’s that?”
“It was probably the current one. How many winters have you seen?”
“Three. Two before I got free.”
“So you’re four years old at the most. Stay here. I’ll need you as evidence against the CIA and Alerion Incorporated. “
After they left Joey tugged Gary’s wing. “Could you get the goat? I want to make sure he’s safe.”
Alex, Kayleigh, and Pinwheel went to the elevator. Kayleigh put on her mask to become Knockout Rose and struck poses against the reflective steel wall. Pinwheel repeated under his breath, “I’m as cool as Han Solo. I’m as cool as Indiana Jones. I’m as cool as …”
“What the hell are you two doing?” asked Alex.
“Getting psyched up,” said Pinwheel. “It’s an actor’s ritual.”
“Same for me,” said Knockout Rose. “Posing makes me feel fierce.”
“Knock it off,” said Alex. “Harrison Ford had stuntmen. We don’t. And I saw the pictures on the news from the prison break, Knockout Rose. No more showboating.”
“But we won,” said Knockout Rose.
“That’s where it should end. Don't turn a victory into a humiliating defeat. The Simian Squad will throw feces at your picture until they get out of jail.”
“That won’t be for years, right?” said Pinwheel.
“Take it from someone who’s been on the receiving end of a humiliating defeat. The years make it worse. All you think about is revenge.”
“Wow,” said Knockout Rose. “Who gave you a humiliating defeat?”
“Trista.”
“Our Trista?” said Pinwheel.
“Of all the villains I faced, she came the closest to killing me.”
“But you’re friends now,” said Knockout Rose.
“It’s weird how that happened. I don’t think you want to become friends with the Simian Squad. They eat each other’s fleas. Look, it's this simple. Boasting is cruel, and heroes aren’t cruel.”
The elevator doors opened. Alex immediately went to the hole in the foundation wall. “What happened here?”
“That was me,” said Pinwheel. “I was sad about Pete, and I made a laser. It burned my hands.”
“You made a laser at the bridge too,” said Knockout Rose. “It saved my life.”
“I summoned the grief I felt for Pete because I didn't want to lose you too.”
“That’s sweet, Steve. Thanks.”
“It’s weird. I used to control my light the same way I controlled my acting, with conscious thought about how it looked to the audience. This laser, it’s like it shot out from what I felt deep-down.”
Alex poked the hole’s sides. “A smooth burn through cinderblock. That take a lot of energy. Also, sorry I haven’t had a chance to talk to you about Pete. I got caught up in all the other drama around here.”
“Me too,” said Knockout Rose. “Pete was terrific.”
“When this is over,” said Alex, “we’ll have a memorial service for him.”
Emily’s voice came from the hallway. “Alex?”
Alex clenched his teeth. “I have nothing to say to you.”
Emily came out with Calvin toddling behind her. “But I have something to say to you.”
Alex walked past her to his old bedroom. “There’s no time. The city’s under attack.” He closed the door.
“Please. Don't yell. It upsets Calvin.”
Pinwheel extended his arms. “I can take him somewhere quiet.” He created a light show between his two spread hands. Calvin giggled and followed him out.
“Alex, I’m sorry,” said Emily. “You were gone so long so many times, with all the supervillain gang investigations and special training and when Candilyn answered the phone I thought …”
“I stayed faithful.”
“I know, I was wrong. And you risked your life to save the world so many times.”
“I didn’t do it for the world, I did it for you. Now this shitsack world is all I have left.”
Alex opened the door. He wore the combat armor of a MAB agent: a blue smartfabric skinsuit under a black bulletproof vest; a helmet with a clear visor; kneepads; boots; and a bandolier of red shotgun shells.
“I can’t make this about you,” said Emily. “It’s my fault. I f wanted to end the marriage until I talked to Trista.”
Alex froze. “Trista?”
“It was at the hospital last month. She said you loved me, that your love was the strongest she’s ever seen in all the minds she’s been in. At that moment, I changed my mind.”
“You already cheated on me by then, and you did again afterwards.” He picked up the shotgun and a box of shells.
“Are you going to kill people?”
“I’m loading it with pepper rounds. Nonlethal but incapacitating.”
“Whatever. Listen, the guy, I … I was lonely. I broke it off with him after talking to Trista. I thought everything would be different, but when you didn’t come back for two nights …”
“Two nights ago, I helped the survivors of a massacre. Last night, I almost died.” Alex slung the shotgun over his shoulder and strapped his gun belt on. “That’s all the excuses I have.”
Emily looked down. “I only thought about you not being around. But when you outwitted that four-eyed monster, that was amazing.”
“I shouldn’t have let you near him. I put you in danger.” He put on the helmet and lowered the visor. “Maybe you are better off without me.”
“Wait,” Emily called after him as he returned to the elevator, “One more thing, please.”
Alex kept walking until Knockout Rose stood in front of him. “Agent, it may not be my place to get involved, but you shouldn’t let it end like this.”
“You’re right,” said Alex, “it’s not your place. Move.”
Knockout Rose stepped aside.
“Look, Alex,” a tear streamed down Emily’s cheek. “You know how hard my parents’ divorce was on me. They set me against each of them and it … I don’t want Calvin to go through that. I screwed up, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right.”
Alex left without another word.
Knockout Rose followed him up the stairs. “I thought you said heroes aren’t cruel.”
“That was as kind as I could be.”
“But it’s …”
> “Stay out of this.”
Knockout Rose spoke calmly. “You became friends with Trista after what she did and stayed with the New York Guardians despite the secrets they kept. I don’t see why you can’t forgive Emily too.”
“It’s complicated. All my relationships are complicated.”
“Kayleigh,” said Pinwheel, “some things a man has to work out for himself.”
Alex turned his shotgun’s safety off. “I’ve never been happier to rush into battle. Stay close and don’t do anything that won’t get us closer to the hospital.”
Alex punched some numbers into the keypad near the elevator. Two rows of machine guns popped out of the walls and pointed at the front doors of Griffin Tower. Steel sheets fell over the windows. Red laser beams crisscrossed the hallways and the barriers behind every hole big enough to be an entrance.
“Let’s hope this multi-million security system is worth it.” Alex opened the front doors.
Outside, it was pandemonium. Flashing blue-and-red lights from an upside-down police car showed citizens running in all directions. Echoes of gunshots and explosions replaced the normal bustling noise of traffic. Superheroes flew under their own power or with jetpacks to have dogfights with villains and monsters between the skyscrapers.
Alex looked behind him. Knockout Rose’s raised fists trembled as quickly as Pinwheel’s legs.
A wall of steel lowered behind them to seal Griffin Tower’s front entrance.
Chapter Twenty-One: Nothing Poorer Than Gods
The Handler wiped blood from his broken nose and swore. He wanted to chase Venusta and Portia down, but revenge wasn’t worth risking the massive project he spent years coordinating. There would be time to get those two later. He had a war to complete. But the indignity of being thrashed by a savage nobody hurt worse than his bruises.
He licked his split lips and stepped over the bodies of his security men. Using clones saved money, but their stupidity made them useless when something unprecedented, like Venusta’s attack his facility, happen. But she and Portia were gone. They were no longer a threat. He had to ignore the pain and forget the humiliation. There would be time to hunt them down later.
The Prospects (Book 2): Nothing Poorer Than Gods Page 22
