by Dee J. Stone
“How dare you put my son and his friends in danger again,” Samson demands. Each time another guy from the sewer inches closer to Samson, he throws them against the wall. He doesn’t hurt them, though, but they get the message.
“You sent them to their death once,” Samson continues. “Do you want to do it another time?”
I have not—
Samson’s eyes fill with rage. He presses Scar further into the wall. Any more and he’ll be flatter than a pancake.
“Dad, stop!”
“One was murdered because of your recklessness!” Samson yells. “I forgave you once, but I won’t do it again. Sending three children into the ShadowBlades? Unarmed? Unprotected? Nobody puts my son and his friends at risk.”
Kale jumps to his dad and puts his hands on his, trying to lower them. “Scar didn’t send us.”
Samson’s eyebrows knit. He doesn’t lower his hands. “What are you talking about?”
“We went to Scar to ask him if he could reach you, since I couldn’t. He couldn’t, either. So we tried to pool our powers together to see if that would work. It didn’t, but I saw something in his mind. He knows where the Blades are keeping their hostages. We were going to save Lindsay and all the other Keepers they kidnapped.”
Samson stays frozen. His hands still hold Scar in place. Scar doesn’t look freaked, just indifferent, as usual. After a little while, Samson slowly drops his hands. Scar and the others slide to the ground.
Samson runs his hand through his blond hair. “I’m sorry, Scar. I assumed…”
It is alright. You had reason to suspect me. He turns to Kale. But I had no such information in my mind. I have no knowledge of such a place where the ShadowBlades are holding hostages.
Kale’s mouth falls open. “What…what do you mean? I saw it in your head. It’s in Staten Island.”
I have no such knowledge.
Kale looks at his dad, who’s a little pale. “I don’t get it.”
Scar walks around. When telepaths are connected, our telepathic walls are weakened. That allows other telepaths full access into our minds. I believe Vlayne invaded your mind and put an image in your head. It was only temporary. She is no longer inside, for your telepathic block is now strong.
We all blink at each other.
“That means she knows where we are,” Kale says.
Scar shakes his head. It’s possible for a telepath to put a thought in one’s mind without knowing his location.
“But why did she do that?” I ask.
I assume she wished to lure you boys to that location and capture you.
Lure us? “For what?” I squeak. “To kill us?”
“To use as leverage,” Samson explains. He looks around. “We’ll discuss this later.”
He walks over to Scar and holds out his hand for a shake. Scar doesn’t seem pissed at all for what Samson did to him. He accepts the shake.
Outside the sewers, Samson puts on his mask and checks the area before lifting us in the air. We zoom away, zigzagging in different directions like we’re flying through a maze. My head spins and I can hardly breathe.
After a little while, Kale’s dad drops us to the ground. Surveying the area, I recognize the familiar skyscrapers. We’re in Manhattan.
The guys and I bend over, catching our breaths. Kale gives his dad a what-the-hell-was-that look.
“Sorry for the bumpy ride,” Samson says. “I had to make sure we weren’t being followed.” He points to a large, brick building in front of us. The sign says, Jerry’s Top Reads.
“A bookstore?” I ask.
Placing his finger on his mouth, Samson motions for us to follow him. The door’s locked. Samson uses his power to twist the lock, and the door swings open. It’s dark inside, but I can see many bookshelves. The place is deserted.
We go deeper into the store, turning right and left as we pass the many shelves. Samson stops before one in the middle and lifts his hand. As he brushes it to the right, the shelf shifts to reveal a steel door.
The three of us gawk at each other as Samson beckons us to enter. The door slams behind us, echoing. We’re in a dark hallway. It’s spooky and a little chilly. Through my clothes, I feel spider webs clinging to my legs. It also smells. Like dust and mold and old air.
Samson leads us down a dark path.
“What is this place?” Kale whispers.
“Somewhere we’ll be safe.”
“Are there any more survivors?” I ask. “Cindy? My parents?”
He doesn’t answer right away. “A few have survived.”
My legs freeze. “Who? Are my parents here?”
Samson rests his hand on my arm. “I’m sorry, Andrew. Your parents are in custody.”
No! I mean, I knew my mom was captured, but my dad, too? This sucks.
Samson squeezes my arm. “Let’s move on.”
“Are we going to free them?”
He hesitates. “Let’s get to safety, all right? There is a lot we need to discuss.”
I reluctantly trail them, my head clouded with thoughts. I had a little bit of hope that my dad was hiding. That we’d find him. What if the government kills my folks?
I slump against the wall, breathing heavily. Someone crouches down before me. “Andrew, relax.” Samson places his hand on my forehead. “Everyone is okay. No one will get hurt.”
“The—the government. Going to…kill…”
My head sags toward my shoulder. Samson takes my face between his hands. “Listen to me. No one is going to kill your parents.”
“They will!”
“No. You need to trust me on this.” He heaves my arm over his shoulder and helps me to my feet. Only my torso lifts. My bottom half is still on the floor. “It’s me they’re after,” he says in a low voice. “They’re not going to harm your parents.”
“H-how do you know for sure?”
“I know the ways of the government. Now fix your limbs, please. It’s dangerous for us to be in here.”
I don’t mean to put our lives at stake. “Sorry, guys.” I’m shaking, but I manage to slowly put my body back together.
Samson pats my back. “We’re nearly there.”
We keep going for what feels like days. Finally, Samson stops before a door. It’s also made of steel. Raising his hand once again, he shoves the door open. No lights shine at us. Whatever this place is, it’s just as dark as the rest of the store.
As we continue our trek, all I see are more walls. A few minutes later, Samson’s pace slows down. He stands before another steel door. I see light behind it.
Samson gives us a reassuring smile before opening the door. “Fast,” he says. We dash in before the door shuts with a loud thud.
There’s a foyer right when we walk in, and glancing deeper inside, I see many rooms.
Shifter, a shapeshifter who’s an Elite member of the League, sits on one of the chairs. When he sees us, his eyes brighten, which says a lot for him since his expression is usually sad. He went through a lot in his life. He lost his family a few years ago and mostly keeps to himself.
Kale waves, slipping off his mask. “Hey, Shifter.” X and I wave, taking off our masks, too.
Shifter gives us a small smile.
Kale turns to his dad. “Who else is here? Where’s Mom?”
Samson’s eyes flick to the floor for a second before they meet Kale. “There’s been an accident.”
“An…an accident?”
“Follow me, please.” Samson’s trying to hide his pain, but I hear it in his voice.
Kale looks at me unsurely. I place my hand on his shoulder as we follow Samson down a small hallway and into a room.
Tears fill Kale’s eyes. “Mom.”
Chapter Fourteen
Kale rushes over to the bed where Cindy’s lying and flings his arms over her.
Seeing her lying there makes me almost puke. She’s alive—I can see her breathing—but she looks dead. This is just like what happened last year when she was in a coma. A pow
erful telepath trapped her in her own mind and no one was able to help her. Until Kale got telepathy and went into her mind and freed her.
X and I step closer to the bed. I don’t want to look at her, don’t want to see the reality of what’s going on. But my eyes can’t move. It’s like they think the harder I stare at her the faster she’ll wake up.
“Is she…?” Kale’s voice is muffled.
Samson gently lifts Kale up and wraps his arms around him. “She’s alive and expected to make a full recovery.”
Kale shoulders sag in relief. He pulls off. “What happened?”
Samson strokes his wife’s cheek. A look washes over his face. Sadness mixed in with guilt and regret. His hand finds hers and he clasps it. “There’s a lot I need to explain to you.” He stands up. “Let’s sit in my office. Andrew, Ray, I’d like you to join us, please.”
Kale bends down to hug his mom again. I inch closer to the bed and whisper, “Feel better, Cindy.”
We follow Samson out. As we pass a room that has many chairs and looks like a conference room, I hear voices. Tranquility, twelve-year-old Speed, a teleport named Regina, Techno—a woman who can control technology—Stone, and sixteen-year-old Stone Junior are seated around a table.
“Look who’s here.” Tranquility heads over and hugs us. I feel my body relax and I’m elated, which is due to her calming ability. “Welcome.”
“Thanks,” Kale says. He scans around. The others wave and smile at us. “Are you guys the only survivors?”
“As far as we know, yes,” Samson says. “I’ve searched day and night. Cindy fled with me, and we’ve gathered everyone else over the past few days.”
“So there could be more,” I say, getting hopeful. “The guys and I searched, too, but haven’t found anyone.”
Samson nods slowly. “I’m not giving up. Kale, have you been using your telepathy to locate our members?”
“No. I don’t know who’s captured and who’s not so I couldn’t risk it, except when I tried to contact you.”
Samson rubs his hand down Kale’s back. “Good. A smart choice.”
“It was X’s idea.”
X waves his hand. “You fled before the telepath sensed you in Freeze’s mind. We could have been captured by now.”
Kale laughs a little. “Just accept the compliment, man.”
A small smile tugs X’s lips.
“I’m very proud of the three of you.” Samson runs his hand through his hair. “I thought surely…well, never mind.” He grabs Kale in for another hug. “I’m so glad you’re all okay.”
“Why couldn’t I contact you or Mom?”
Samson motions down the hall. “Let’s discuss this in my office. Or would you like to eat first?”
We shake our heads. No way are any of us interested in eating right now. Even me, which is weird.
We say bye to the others and make our way to the last room on the floor. Samson pushes the door open to reveal a small office. It’s less than half the size of his office back in the Tower. There are no windows or trophies. The place has an eerie feel to it. Foreign. A chill passes over me, even though it’s so hot and stuffy in here.
Samson tells us to sit down. There is a tiny desk and two chairs. A couch lines the wall. The three of us take the couch as Samson lowers himself onto the desk chair. He doesn’t talk, just sits there with his head lowered.
Kale says, “Dad?”
Lowering his hand, Samson gives us a small smile. “I’m sorry. I keep repeating over in my head that you three are alive and well. I was so worried…”
“It was Stretch.” Kale smiles to me. “After we saw the safe house was attacked, he quickly thought of his parents’ house.”
“Good, smart thinking. Had I known the address, I would have rescued you sooner.”
“We’re sorry about going after the Blades, Dad. That was very stupid of us.” Kale smiles sheepishly. “Good thing you stopped us in time, but how’d you know where we were? We couldn’t contact you for days.”
Samson takes a deep breath as he clasps his hands together. “I suppose I should start from the beginning. From the attack.”
Kale says, “We’ve figured some stuff out on our own.”
Samson raises an eyebrow.
“We know that the wall surrounding the Tower was destroyed. We know that Lindsay was used to do it. Only her energy could break it.”
“Yes.” Samson rubs his forehead. “I should have told her how vital it was for her not to flee from the mansion. I should have been more attentive to her feelings.”
“Can we still go after the Blades?” Kale asks. “Vlayne doesn’t know we know that she tricked me. Maybe if we can go to the location she showed me, we could find her or the Blades and save Lindsay and others who might have been captured.”
Samson doesn’t say anything.
“Dad?”
“Saving our League mates is very important, but I’m afraid we need to attend to a greater issue.” He looks at all three of us. “Do you know why Vlayne attacked us?”
“To get the formula for the antidote,” X says. “She infiltrated the military because she knew we wouldn’t fight back.”
Samson cocks his head to the side. “Yes, she was correct in suspecting we wouldn’t fight the military. It’s hard to accept this, but fighting the military would only result in deaths. It was smarter to flee and regroup. You have my word that our captured League members won’t be harmed.”
I want to believe him. I really do, but I’m worried. I don’t know what to make of all this. I know fighting the government is wrong. They were just protecting their people. But it sucks that they invaded our home and tore us apart.
“Vlayne also used the military because she wanted the normies to lose trust in the Keepers,” Kale adds.
His dad nods. “You’ve figured all this out.”
“Not everything,” I say. “Did she get the formula?”
He shakes his head. “Her plan was to kidnap Brain and the rest of our scientists.”
“Doesn’t she have her own scientists?” Kale asks. “I don’t get it.”
Samson leans forward. “Vlayne’s a smart woman. She knew the formula wasn’t hidden in the League Tower. I assume she searched for it to no avail. Her next option was to kidnap Brain. She didn’t need the formula—she needed him. He was working on the antidote and had the knowledge of the formula. He may not have known it by heart, but the information is in his brain. Since he was already working on it for us, Vlayne wanted him to work on it for her.”
He pauses for a bit to let all of this sink into our heads. “When we were attacked,” he continues. “We didn’t have the antidote synthesized. The formula has two components, as you are aware of. One removes the virus, one regenerates the damaged cells. When we created the cure for Kale, we isolated the component that regenerates cells. That was much easier to synthesize than the first component. After Kale was healed, Brain and the others worked day and night to create the antidote for the humans. However, it’s quite complex and difficult. I’m afraid they didn’t have a chance to complete it before we were attacked.”
“So what happens now?” Kale asks. “Brain and the scientists are in the Blades’ custody. They’re going to kill off all the normies.”
Samson’s got a tiny grin on his face. His eyes are still sad, though.
“What?” Kale asks.
Samson lowers his gaze to the floor. We copy him, but see nothing. Except for X. “Clones,” he says.
Samson smiles. “Yes. We outsmarted her.” His grin widens a little. “We were prepared for the possibility of Vlayne finding a way to kidnap Brain and the others. That’s why we set up decoys. The scientists Vlayne has are clones. These clones have no knowledge of the formula. They can’t create it for her. The real scientists have been working on the antidote in the basement of this building.”
“Won’t she find out?”
“Not for a while. Our plan is to synthesize the antidote and present it to
the humans before Vlayne learns her scientists are fake. We’ve succeeded in creating it. But...we’ve run into an issue. The humans refuse to accept the antidote.”
“Because they don’t trust us,” X says.
“No. We’ve tried force-injecting them. But the humans won’t take it.”
“What do you mean they won’t take it?” Kale asks.
Samson holds out his hands helplessly. “They just won’t take it. We’re investigating why.” He turns to Kale. “Rescuing Lindsay is our top priority, but so is saving the humans.”
“Does that mean we’re not going after the Blades?” Kale asks.
“No, we will, but it’ll take a little while. We need a big army, with lots of people with abilities. The ten of us here can’t battle the ShadowBlades alone.”
Kale nods. “Okay. So who are you going to get for your army?”
“We have many agents, acquaintances, and consultants willing to help us. I’ll have to contact them and ask if they’re willing to take on the ShadowBlades. In the meantime, my focus needs to be on the humans as well. But we will go after the Blades. I promise you that. When we’re ready.” He eyes us. “I need you to give me your word that you won’t go after them alone.”
We look at each other sheepishly. “Sure, Dad,” Kale says. “Gathering a huge army is a better idea than we had. But who are these people? Do you trust them?”
“Yes.”
“But how can you trust anyone now?” Kale demands. “How are you so sure they won’t rat you out? And how safe is it to contact them?”
“These people are trustworthy,” Samson says. “We’re careful when we meet.”
Kale’s eyebrows furrow. “You really trust them?
“I do.”
“Okay, I guess.”
It’s quiet.
“I don’t get why Vlayne tried to lure us to her location,” I say.
“For leverage,” Samson explains. “With most of our League mates captured by the government, we don’t have an army. It’s the perfect opportunity for her to kill me and Cindy. She was planning to use Kale to get to us, just as she had done four months ago. She most probably suspects we have the formula but not the antidote, because we haven’t immunized the human population yet. She wants to stop us from finding other scientists.”
