The Rebellion (The Viral Superhero Series Book 6)

by Bryan Cohen

  Dhiraj couldn't detect from Bolger's expression if any of that "turnover" was the result of the dark souls sticking their guns where they didn't belong.

  Dhiraj raised an eyebrow. "You do any human interest pieces lately?"

  Rudy rubbed at his forehead, careful not to smudge the expertly applied makeup. "We don't do those much anymore. Someone from on high said they weren't getting the ratings they used to."

  Dhiraj took in exactly what he expected from the encounter. The General was in charge of the news, and he wasn't interested in getting peoples’ perspective.

  Rudy snapped his fingers. "This is happening. I'll kill you like always. You're a pro, Patel. A real pro."

  Dhiraj longed for the days when a compliment from the newscaster would leave him feeling high for weeks. Now he just felt dirty.

  Rudy's polished grin filled up the monitor. "Approximately one month ago, my guest today changed the nation by sharing a conspiracy theory to end all conspiracy theories. He posed the question: What would you do if your president wasn't truly your president? What would you do if your hero was impersonated by a villain? 18-year-old billionaire in the making, Dhiraj Patel, joins us from the White House. Dhiraj, I'm so happy to see that you're alive and well."

  Dhiraj had all of his talking points memorized, but that didn't mean he had any interest in saying them. "Of course I'm okay, Rudy. We are living in the greatest country in the world. And I am fortunate enough to be at the center of everything."

  Rudy feigned surprise. "It surprises me to hear you say that, Dhiraj. After all, it was only a few weeks ago that you sounded like you were being captured after sharing some classified and off-the-wall information. Tell me honestly, are you safe?"

  Dhiraj suppressed every instinct to cue the nation to his true condition. He knew even an attempt at Morse code with his eyebrows would get him killed. "I am 100% safe. I'm actually part of a counsel advising the president on the criminal activities of Ted Finley's doppelganger."

  Rudy narrowed his eyebrows and scratched his head. "But I thought you said that the president had been killed and taken over by an imposter. Now you're saying that you're on the president's side and that the team who had been protecting Treasure for the last month is actually the bad guy? Clear this up for me and millions of viewers."

  "When I was on your program just a month earlier, I was being controlled. My mind wasn't my own, and everything I said should be stricken from the record."

  Rudy pretended to wipe some fearful sweat from his brow. "Phew! I am so relieved to hear you say that. So, all the curfews and the checkpoints—"

  "Nothing but safety precautions to keep us protected under the watch of President Blake and Ted Finley." He felt the sweat trickle down the back of his neck. "My best friend in the world."

  Shortly after the cameras stopped rolling, Dhiraj buried his face in his hands. He'd just walked back, replacing the truth with lies, in front of millions of people. And he'd done it all to stay alive for one more day.

  He heard a familiar throat clearing and looked up to see the face of the General.

  "I knew there was a reason I kept you alive. If you could go on national TV every couple of weeks and make that stump speech for me, it really would improve morale. You're doing a great service for—"

  "For dark souls everywhere. I'm so glad to hear it."

  The General laughed. "What an incredibly willing participant. I'm glad you're enjoying your dream job as PR man for the party in power."

  Dhiraj narrowed his eyes. "The people will know the truth. No matter what I say, people are going to fight back."

  The General's face turned sour in a hurry. "I'm not going to kill you today. But that doesn't mean you're safe. Besides, it's never nice to talk back to your best friend in the world."

  As the General walked away, Dhiraj kept his ears open.

  A fellow dark soul stepped up to the General's side and whispered. Fortunately for him, Dhiraj had gotten pretty adept at reading lips.

  "We've discovered a settlement in the middle of rural Virginia. They've done a great job staying underground, but we're pretty sure we know a way in."

  The General smiled. "Excellent work. If they're not willing to bend a knee, we'll chop them off. Get me some more intel so that we can keep this as quiet as possible."

  Dhiraj now felt his palms grow sweaty. He did his best to keep the revelation off his face.

  Dhiraj tapped his foot quickly against the ground for the millionth time, as he waited for the two minutes off camera and microphone that Kristen the dark soul would allow him. The moment she walked through the door, Dhiraj began talking. "What do you know about the settlement?"

  Her eyes shot open. "How did you find out about—"

  "Tell me everything."

  Kristen closed the door behind her. "They're technologically advanced. That's why we haven't detected them until now. But they're so isolated, and the General is pretty sure they can take them out without anyone finding out about it."

  Dhiraj shook his head. "I'm not gonna let that happen."

  "What do you mean?"

  Dhiraj stood up, put his hands on his sides. "Because we're going to escape. And we're not going to let one person from that settlement die on my watch."

  14

  Erica sat between Ted and Natalie around a massive, ornate negotiating table. A dozen angels sat beside them with retracted wings and waited for their leader to arrive.

  Ted appeared to be in awe of the surroundings. "I know you said they're not actually angels, but they're really taking this heaven motif to a whole new level."

  Erica was pretty impressed by it herself. The white pillars and the pristine conditions of every room they'd walked through did make it feel like they'd reached the pinnacle of something.

  Natalie scoffed. "If this was actual heaven, I'd wanna go to the other place. It's like Hollywood level of hotness here. Even the planet looks like gutter trash compared to your average angel."

  Erica laughed. "I've never heard gutter trash used as a compliment before."

  "You're welcome."

  The angels sat perfectly still amidst the banter.

  Erica eyed the doorway. "When the leader gets here, keep the chatter and the compliments to a minimum. This planet's leader is notorious for changing his mind on a whim."

  Natalie leaned forward. "Don't worry, we have a backup plan."

  "And what plan is that?"

  Natalie's eyebrows danced. "We'll just have Ted sing 'Broken Wings' and the leader will be moved to give us an army."

  Erica crossed her arms as the angelic leader finally graced them with his presence. While she assumed the king wasn't chosen by a beauty contest, he certainly might've won that kind of election. Like the rest of the species, he didn't seem to age must past his 30s, though Erica had to assume he lived for at least a millennium. The angel in charge took wide, gallant steps as he reached the only empty chair in the room and sat down.

  Not that she was surprised, but the man sported the voice of an angel. "Please accept our dearest apologies for striking first and asking questions later. As you know, the dark souls can take on many forms, and we have to be prepared to kill anything that comes through a portal."

  Ted nodded. "I understand. We all understand."

  "When the dark souls first came to our world, they struck not with force but with espionage. They infiltrated the highest and lowest levels of our families, of our monarchy, and of our friends." He seemed to pause for effect. "To this day, many of us are still coping with the aftereffects of that war. As far as we know, no dark souls remain, but we're ready for the day they could come back."

  Erica took a deep breath. "Our strongest condolences, your worship. We have seen that happen on many worlds, but that doesn't make your loss any less poignant. We come to you because the Earth has nearly been overrun. And the only chance of stopping the dark souls is to take the planet back by force."

  The angel stood back up. Erica didn't take it as a g
ood sign.

  "We feel for your planet. The word of how they look upon creatures like us has not fallen upon dead ears. And yet, when we struggled with our own threat, where was our interplanetary army? Who stepped up to save us?"

  Ted shrugged. "For what it's worth, I wasn't born yet."

  A few of the angels laughed, but not their leader.

  "I'm sorry we cannot help. This is your fight to win."

  As the head angel began his path back towards the entrance, Erica watched Natalie stand up.

  The leader stopped his exit and turned toward her.

  "When a difficult terrible thing happens on your world, you're left with a choice, your highness."

  She now had the leader's full attention. "And what choice is that, human?"

  Natalie licked her lips. "You either never leave your home again or you fight to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else. It's your choice."

  The leader pondered this for what seemed like minutes. He made a gesture, and one of the other angels came to his side. "I want you to prepare 1,000 fighters for this war." He looked into Natalie's eyes. "For our war."

  The angel by his side seemed flustered. "That's half of our forces. Are you sure you want to commit that many?"

  "We've stayed at home long enough. It's time to learn to fly again."

  Erica looked toward Natalie with her mouth gaping open.

  The leader raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I know of your Earth music. Now if you'll excuse me." The angel stepped to the exit before turning back once more. "Go win this war."

  Natalie let out a whoop and high fived Erica so hard, the protector wondered how long it would take her hand to heal. Ted look dumbfounded. "You did it. You recruited them."

  "You doubted me?"

  He grinned and took a step toward her. "You prove it to me every day. That I should never underestimate you."

  Erica felt a momentary pang of sadness when she viewed the moment between the two of them. She quickly pressed it down and thought about their first victory. They would need many more to have any chance at beating the dark souls.

  15

  Jennifer woke with a start on the starchy hotel mattress. Her forehead was clammy as she ran over the dream once more in her head. Except it wasn't a dream, she had seen Dhiraj alive on television. But nothing he said made sense. At least, it didn't make sense if he was still the Dhiraj she knew and loved. If Dhiraj was still human.

  The mood was somber in the middle of the suite that Van Housen had once again paid for in cash. The sheriff and the billionaire were already up and eating cereal when Jennifer walked in. One look from the two of them clued her in that they were feeling exactly the same way that she was.

  After tearing into an individual sized box of cereal for herself, she tried not to think about the inevitable conversation.

  As usual, the garrulous billionaire was the one who brought it up first. "So, do we continue the mission? Do we assume that he's dead?"

  The sheriff growled. "A little more delicately would've been nice."

  Jennifer sighed. "There isn't any time for that, Dad. He's right. We need to determine if he's alive but coerced." She looked down into the table. "Or if he's one of them."

  The sheriff put his arm around Jennifer. "But how are we going to tell?"

  Van Housen pushed his bowl away. "Jennifer, you know him the best. From watching him on TV, would you say that it's him?"

  She thought back to her several minutes of confused viewing at the gas station. After the initial shock had worn off, she looked deep into his eyes. She tried to remember every single frame.

  "He seemed like himself. That doesn't mean it's definitely him."

  The billionaire put his hands behind his head. "Then that begs the question. How sure do we have to be to infiltrate the White House? It was going to be a difficult mission before. If it turns out he's a dark soul, then all of us are surely dead."

  The sheriff pulled his seat away from Jennifer's. "When you look at me, are there times that you know I'm a dark soul?"

  Jennifer studied her faux father. While she knew it wasn't truly him, she understood the gravity of the question. If Erica hadn't been there that fateful day when he returned to her, would she have known otherwise?

  She let out a slow, even breath. "Every so often, there's a way you contort your face that he never would have. There's a way you act or some words you say that couldn't be him. So I guess the answer is yes."

  Van Housen wiped at the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "Did you have any of those moments when you watched Dhiraj yesterday?"

  Jennifer bit her lip as she analyzed every moment of her memory. She compared the Dhiraj on the screen with the one in her heart. She hoped answering truthfully wouldn't doom them all.

  "It's him. It's still him." She laid both palms down on the table. "And we need to save him."

  Van Housen smiled. "Then the mission's back on. Get your things, we'll leave in 20."

  Jennifer, the sheriff, and Van Housen spent the day in D.C. They'd wait until just before curfew to enter a tunnel Van Housen had discovered that would lead them straight into the president's domain. And if they were lucky, it would lead them to Dhiraj.

  The city was eerie as the three of them went from Neal to Monument, attempting to blend in with a handful of tourists who made the trip that day. Only those who'd proven that they'd completely bought in to the General's lies were permitted to travel from state to state. While most citizens of D.C. seemed resigned to a world without hope, the fellow tourists were bubbly and laughing. Jennifer helped several couples take pictures with their phones. Their smiles were genuine. They were too deep into their lives to realize just what was happening in their world.

  Approximately a half an hour before curfew, the trio stepped away from their group and reached the opening of the tunnel system. Using one of his many incredible devices, Van Housen lifted the covert opening with the strength of a thousand men.

  Jennifer marveled at the powerful glove he'd used. "Things go back to the way they were, you could make a fortune with that thing."

  He winked. "Maybe I'll let you guys have this one. I've already got my fortune."

  As if on cue, Van Housen switched on his cloaking armor. All she could see was his disembodied head floating in the air. When he put on his helmet, the billionaire was gone.

  "Put on your helmets and switch to night vision. You'll be able to see each other."

  Jennifer complied and as soon as the machine whirred to life, she could see the sheriff and the billionaire. But she hoped that no one else could.

  Jennifer and the others closed the entryway to the tunnel behind them. For two miles, they walked in nothing but pitch black. While they remained silent, the map of the tunnel system showed up in the top right corner of their visor. Jennifer could see that they were getting closer with every passing minute. After entering through a few additional gateways, all of which required Van Housen's powerful device, they reached an area where light once again trickled back in. After traveling another half mile, they spied two guards standing in front of the last door into the White House. It seemed Van Housen wasn't the only one who knew about the auxiliary way in.

  In the low light, Jennifer could see the green night vision outline of the sheriff gesturing them to go in different directions. When she saw that his weapon was drawn, she opted to do the same. By design, the footfalls of the armor were whisper quiet. Jennifer crouched low when she'd reached her directed position. Her laser was trained right on the chest of the unsuspecting guard. Van Housen scaled part of the wall to reach the camera that could identify them. As he fiddled with the wires, Jennifer watched a pair of cutters fall from his hands. The moment the small metal object left the cloaking device, it came into view.

  The sentry in front of the gateway to the White House turned toward the noise and fired his weapon. The sound echoed loudly through the chamber as two bullets slammed into Van Housen's armor. Jennifer ignored the falling billionaire as sh
e unloaded her laser. Her first and second shots were true. The beams connected with the guard's chest, and he dropped to the ground. The sheriff's attack was similarly precise. The Dark Soul grunted as he too fell to the ground. As the sheriff ran over to disable their weapons, Jennifer sprinted to Van Housen's side. He pulled up the visor in his helmet.

  The man cringed as Jennifer cradled his head. "Are you okay? Did the suit work?"

  "Of course it works. Still hurt like hell, but it worked. Nice shooting, Tex."

  "Thanks. Did the cameras catch us?"

  Van Housen extended his hand, which featured a tangle of wires between his fingers. "As soon as I dropped the cutters, I just tore out the wires. Let's get out of here before they check on the downed feed."

  Jennifer watched as the sheriff used his superhuman abilities to bend the guns out of shape. "We don't have much time before they come looking for these guys. We better figure out exactly where Dhiraj is and fast."

  Jennifer's heart raced as she sheathed her weapon. "Let's go be good guys."

  16

  Ted was absolutely exhausted. After the successful negotiation with the angels, Erica took him, Natalie, and the others on a whirlwind tour of multiple planets that could supplement their flying arsenal. After learning their lesson on the first trip, Ted made sure that the first thing he did upon entering each world was sharing their story with the locals directly into their brains. After a few no's in a row, Erica helped to convince three more nations to join them in their quest. After each successful negotiation, Ted created a portal large enough to send the soldiers to the Realm of Souls. Between the huge portals and the constant traveling, Ted felt as though he could barely keep his eyes open. When they reached the tenth planet of the trip, Ted collapsed to his knees the second he made it through the portal. Natalie hoisted the living soul to his feet. "No rest for the weary, superhero."

  Ted put his arm on Natalie's for stability. "This has gotta be what running a marathon at 400 pounds feels like."