by Ekeke, C. C.
Greyson shrugged. “I’m full of surprises.” He turned to the scene before him, and his poise faltered.
Beyond them on another dirt road lay the remains of Diego’s caravan. Overturned vehicles blazed merrily, chasing away the dark. Bodies of seasoned killers littered the road, still burning. Any survivors were either fleeing or firing at something high above. Gunfire sliced through fiery roars. Then a thick golden beam from the skies mowed the soldiers down.
Greyson jerked back. Then he saw the attacker.
A masked figure hovered above the destruction. Angular lines covering his black costume glowed white from some internal radiance. A golden aura sheathed his body.
“Diablo,” Greyson snarled. The ego. The messiah complex. Power churned within to attack.
Saed’s hand on his shoulder drew him from that odium. Greyson turned, noticing his partner’s taut features. “Stay hidden. Rikki and I will distract while you take him out.”
Greyson almost objected, wanting to defeat Diablo alone. But after some quick thought, he saw wisdom in surprise. “Done.” He hung back.
Rikki and Saed burst out into the clearing, guns blazing.
“Over here, asshole!” Rikki cried.
Diablo whipped around in their direction, eyes burning.
Saed and Rikki aimed high, their assault rifles barking out rapid-fire rounds in freeze-frame flashes. Any other enemy would've been dead.
But to Greyson’s shock, the bullets struck Diablo’s ‘aura’ and melted into slag.
No wonder these gunmen got destroyed. Greyson saw his chance. Time to die. He reached out from his hiding spot, sensing Diablo’s personal gravity field and quadrupling it.
The vigilante got yanked down from the air. He landed hard on loamy, bloodied earth.
Saed and Rikki moved in like sharks. Greyson sneered. “All too easy—”
Diablo blazed from head to heel, a living and breathing sun. As Greyson shielded his eyes, his hold on the vigilante evaporated.
Diablo grunted and soared upward.
Greyson gaped after Diablo, then his own fist. “What the ever-loving hell?” he murmured. No one had broken out of his gravitation hold--until Diablo.
Rikki and Saed were equally flummoxed. A plume of light overhead highlighted their terror. “He’s coming back!” Saed cried out. Both him and Rikki ran for cover.
Another energy beam shredded through the earth where they stood, sending Rikki and Saed flying. Greyson cringed, fearing the worst.
Until a female driver collapsed out of the overturned truck transport. She looked no older than twenty, crawling toward Greyson.
An idea blossomed. He reached out, negating her gravity. The girl rocketed upward, shrieking. Greyson then restored her to normal. The girl plunged to earth, screaming louder.
The energy beams cut off. Saed and Rikki lay gasping. Their guns were glowing pools of molten metal.
Diablo floated to the ground, carrying the frantic driver. He placed her down, and she scrambled away into the dark. Diablo observed his fiery handiwork with glowing eyes full of disdain. Then his stare landed near Greyson, who froze in his hiding spot.
For the first time in ages, he felt completely vulnerable. Don’t see me. Please…
Diablo looked to the skies and rocketed upward.
After a few minutes, Greyson let himself breathe. He stepped out onto the road.
Rikki was unconscious but unharmed. Saed, to Greyson’s dismay, sported burns across his legs and back, despite his light body armor.
The gunman glared at Greyson, eyes full of bile. “I thought…you had him.”
“Me, too…” Greyson had no excuse for Diablo escaping. The pile of bodies only drove home the threat that Diablo posed. “We need a better strategy.”
Regardless, Greyson considered the driver Diablo had rescued. He cares about bystanders.
His lips pulled into a half-smile. “But I found a weakness.”
Chapter 17
The night was stifling, dirty brown clouds eddying above. As Hugo stood amid the rubble littering Paxton-Brandt’s Shandon labs, a chill seeped through his costume into his soul.
This is where they killed Geist. The news still didn’t seem real. But Longshadow couldn’t have been lying, especially after how badly she’d been hurt.
Hugo felt numb, like when Titan had died, which was slowly giving way to ravenous hate. Paxton-Brandt had to be stopped, no matter what.
A sonic boom echoed from several miles away, someone approaching at top speed. Hugo peered through the gaping hole in the ceiling. He’d know that flight pattern anywhere.
A tiny dot broke through the clouds, growing rapidly.
Minutes later, Lady Liberty touched down a few feet away. She rose and tossed her hair back.
After Hugo told her about Geist, Lady Liberty had been visibly leveled. Two days later, Hugo didn't know what to expect.
Lady Liberty approached with elegant, Amazonian strides. But her face was a blank and beautiful mask, revealing nothing.
Hugo wanted to ask about Zelda’s father so badly. But after Geist’s murder, it wasn’t the time. “You okay?”
Grief cracked Lady Liberty’s face fleetingly. “I will be,” she assured, walling up. “What do your senses tell you?”
Hugo cast a dispassionate look around the rubble. He’d swept the property and this lab three times. A burnt sterile odor tickled his nostrils. “This entire place was wiped clean.” Hugo pointed around them. “There are other ways to get answers.”
Lady Liberty scrutinized him. “Can you handle it?”
“I’ve been practicing,” Hugo assured. It had taken awhile to get solid control over his psychometry. He knelt and laid both gloved hands on cracked flooring. He stretched his mind forward to connect energetically with the ground.
Fog soon gathered around him, swirling into translucent phantoms. Hugo soon saw a quartet led by Geist in his billowing trench coat.
The vigilantes lingered between many ghostlike pillars. Hugo guessed these were gestation tubes, which weren’t present. “Geist and his team breached this lab.”
More phantoms burst into the room carrying what resembled firearms.
“Armed guards,” Hugo informed, fixated on the ensuing firefight between the two ethereal teams.
The intruders fell before Team Geist, dissolving into curls of mist.
Hugo smiled, knowing Geist went out fighting. “Team Geist handled them.”
Lady Liberty watched him, oblivious of the phantoms. “What else?”
Hugo curled his fingers, pushing further. Having psychometry was awesome, but extensive use left him lightheaded.
Two more shadows emerged, one tall and brawny paired with someone smaller. Even in the fog, Hugo noted their face masks.
The smaller speedster zigzagged across the lab in seconds, knocking Team Geist over like bowling pins. The larger figure had Geist by the throat, shrugging off his bullets. “Oh shit,” Hugo exclaimed. “Two supers.”
The burly shadow that resembled Blackjack went down, the larger super stomping on his leg.
“Both are powerhouses. One can fly. The other’s a speedster. Team Geist was outmatched.”
As the smaller super ping-ponged Domino and Longshadow around.
“He’s got Geist and…fuck.” Hugo watched helplessly as the roiling phantom hurled Geist like a lawn dart. “Threw him into that wall.”
Bright beams burst from the large shadow’s fingers, and illusions of rubble rained down. Hugo went rigid with recognition. “The powerhouse shot fingers lasers…like Titan…wait.” Hugo jolted upright. As soon as his fingers weren’t touching the floor, the ghostly apparitions faded, leaving only Lady Liberty. He stared at the debris stretching beyond the wall. Was it possible?
Lady Liberty watched him, confused. “Focus, Aegis.”
Hugo walked toward the rubble instinctively. “Help me with this.”
With her help, Hugo tossed aside tons of jagged metal and concrete, an ea
sy yet tedious task.
His insides lurched once they’d reach the bottom. Hugo found pools of blood. But no body.
“Geist’s not here.” Hugo turned to Lady Liberty. “He escaped.” The teen brushed dust off his suit.
Lady Liberty looked doubtful. “Or Paxton-Brandt took him.” Her silvery diadem gleamed in the darkness.
“Maybe…” Hugo caught the scent of Geist’s blood, spotting tinier droplets trailing from the rubble. “If there are tunnels underground…” Hugo paused and straightened.
An approaching jet engine roar grabbed his ears.
Lady Liberty’s eyes tightened seeing his reaction. “Now what?”
“A V-Jet.” The Vanguard weren’t directly aware of Hugo. And he wanted to keep it that way.
Lady Liberty understood. “Go.” She waved him off. “I’ll handle them.”
Hugo whirled and ran. By the time The Vanguard had reached the facilities, he was on his own bed still in costume. Hugo kept listening to Lady Liberty’s comm channel.
“Sentinel. What brings you here?”
“Same as you,” the supersoldier replied. He inhaled raggedly. “We heard about Geist.”
“Yeah…” Lady Liberty’s unguarded sadness needled Hugo’s heart. “Thought he’d outlive us all.”
“Did Paxton-Brandt leave any trace?” Another voice, soft and feminine. Definitely Seraph.
“Probably not,” Lady Liberty answered. “I’m searching anyway.”
“What did your protégé find?” The thunderous voice was Vulcan, the team’s massive powerhouse.
Hugo froze. They know about me? Given the tech at their disposal, he shouldn’t have been shocked. Still, being on The Vanguard’s radar was both frightening and…flattering.
“We know you came with him, Libby.” Sentinel’s tone sounded borderline rude.
“We’re not discussing this again,” Lady Liberty snapped, switching to the threat of Paxton-Brandt.
Hugo sighed gratefully and shut off the comms, undressing before heading to bed. He needed rest for tomorrow’s US History Final.
Several hours later, Hugo was roused by yelling. AJ and Mom. Confused, he threw some clothes on and slinked downstairs to investigate.
Mom, in maroon nursing scrubs from last night’s shift, stood in the kitchen with AJ. The beefy thirteen-year-old was bellowing right back.
Hugo watched from the bottom of the staircase in growing concern. AJ had gotten in a lot of trouble recently. But this fight between mother and son had an uglier undertone.
“Leave me alone!” AJ yelled.
“No, Angelo, I won’t!” Mom threw back. “Why would you cheat on your test?”
“Whatever.” To Hugo’s dismay, AJ actually walked away.
Mom seized her youngest son by the arm. “We're not done here.” She spun AJ around. “Now you’ll have to take summer school to avoid getting held back—”
AJ shoved Mom, and she stumbled. “Get off!”
In a half-second, Hugo stood in the kitchen holding AJ up by the throat one-handed. His brother gagged, feet dangling off the floor. Hugo felt so deeply appalled his arm trembled. But he couldn’t lose himself in that anger.
Mom regained balance, only to stumble again seeing one son attacking the other. “Bogota!”
Hugo shook his head as AJ squirmed. “This ungrateful bastard’s begging for tough love.” He focused on his little brother. “What’s your problem?”
Despite his fear, AJ grew malicious. “Fuck you!”
Hugo lazily flung him out of the kitchen. AJ squealed and flailed, crashing into the back of the common room couch. He slid to the floor, coughing. Lucky for him, Hugo used no effort in that toss.
Mom clutched her head in horror. “Bogota, stop!” She moved to run for AJ.
Hugo held out an arm, blocking her. “Your way isn’t working,” he warned. “AJ could hit you next time.”
AJ fought up to a seated posture, outraged. “I’d never do that!”
Hugo reached the couch in a blink of an eye, crouching over his brother imperiously. AJ instinctively flattened himself against the couch’s back.
“You won’t disrespect Mom again,” Hugo snarled. “Now answer my question!”
“You drove Uncle Sione away!” AJ cried, lips trembling. The sight nearly broke Hugo’s heart. “And Mom let you to protect your secret. Everything’s about your stupid secret!”
Mom gave a wounded sigh. Hugo had known it was an effort for people to protect his secret. But facing AJ’s anger revealed the true weight. That didn’t deter Hugo from addressing Sione. “Yeah, I drove away Sione. Think I wanted that?”
AJ scowled. “I know you did.”
“Wrong.” Hugo leaned in. “I wanted a man in the house. For you and Mom.” He pointed at AJ and then Mom behind him. “But not him.”
“Why?” AJ’s voice cracked from emotion.
“He was opening a drug shop, with Mom’s money.”
AJ's eyes flashed. "That’s not true—”
“Yes! Yes, it was!” Hugo interrupted heatedly. “And knowing Sione, he’d screw up and get arrested.” He looked back in the kitchen. Mom bowed her head in such shame. “Mom, too.”
AJ remained doubtful. “No, she wouldn’t.”
“She loaned Sione money for his stupid shop,” Hugo countered. “Who’d care for us then, genius?”
“I…I don’t know,” AJ stammered, tears spilling freely.
“Exactly!” Hugo rose while his brother shrank back. “You don’t know shit.”
Mom finally retook control. “Get ready for school, AJ!” She pointed upstairs. “Now!”
AJ scrambled to his feet and fled up the staircase.
Hugo dialed back his hearing, unable to stomach his brother’s sobs again.
Mom's eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Hugo nodded. “Hope I helped.” The good cop/bad cop plan was hatched days after another AJ blowup. Mom had been that desperate to reach him. Hugo didn’t like it, but he’d do anything for family.
He caught familiar footsteps approaching outside. “Did you invite Zelda over?”
Mom shook her head. “No.”
“I’ll get it.” He reached the door in four strides as Mom headed upstairs.
Zelda had one hand raised to knock before Hugo opened the door. She dressed in suspenders and a t-shirt, coppery curls in a ponytail. “Hi, Hugo…” She entered without invitation.
“Hi, Z.” Hugo closed the door, his voice an octave higher than normal. Standing in the foyer, he searched Zelda’s face. Come to think of it, her swarthy complexion matched Titan’s. The bone structure was a dead giveaway. How could Hugo have missed this?
Zelda shifted, clearly uncomfortable under his staring. “You’re acting weird.”
Hugo cringed and fixed his face. “No, I’m not. Why are you here so early?”
“You weren’t answering your cell,” Zelda explained. “Mom wants you at her shop. It’s Longshadow.”
Cold fingers clutched Hugo’s spine. He immediately feared the worst. “Is she…dead?”
Zelda guffawed. “No. She woke up an hour ago.”
Chapter 18
Quinn got the call about Therese at dawn. She’d been overjoyed, relieved, and afraid. How would Therese look? Would she be able to talk or walk? What had she seen at Shandon?
Quinn’s heart seemed lodged in her throat when she stepped off the elevator down to Lady Liberty’s secret lair. She headed to the brightly lit patient room, shaking all over.
Hugo was already present, in a pale-blue short-sleeved henley and black jeans, spiky black hair disheveled. She recognized Oscar, and Clint with his yellow shock of hair and skinny, tattooed arms. Rounding out the group was Lady Liberty in full costume. Everyone greeted Quinn warmly.
She responded in kind before zeroing in on the bedridden patient.
Therese was sitting up, wearing a pink patient gown. She looked better than expected. Therese’s hair was piled ato
p her head, revealing bruising on the left side of her face, puffy eyes, and a swollen lower lip. A bandage covered her right upper arm.
Therese being alert, and alive was enough for Quinn.
When they locked eyes, it took all her self-restraint to not rush to that bed.
Therese’s stare radiated heartache and a little hatred. The exchange lasted a second before she frosted over and looked away.
She’s still mad, Quinn realized.
“I hear I owe you,” Therese addressed Hugo in croaky tones. “Merci, mon ami.”
“Thank Quinn first.” Hugo gestured at the reporter. “She called me to get you from her apartment.”
Therese glanced at her and frowned. “I was at…Quinn’s?”
Quinn made a face. “You don’t remember?” She, Hugo, and Clint briefed Therese on what she’d missed, including Domino’s and Blackjack’s status. Hugo and Lady Liberty also reported their findings at Shandon. The teen seemed eager to reveal more, but Lady Liberty's stern look silenced him.
Quinn frowned. She’d ask Hugo privately. From there Therese spoke about the mission four nights ago.
“It was a simple recon mission,” She sounded stronger after drinking some water. “No engagement. Security was heavy, but Clint disabled the cameras and alarms. Everything looked clear when we entered the laboratory.”
“What did you find?” Lady Liberty inquired.
“Maybe two dozen stasis pods stocked with supers."
Hugo glanced at his mentor. “Paxton-Brandt cleared everything out when we checked last night.”
“We connected transponders,” Therese said, “so Clint could hack their systems.”
“I got in easily, of course,” Clint added. “But searching test subject files set off all kinds of alarms.”
“Right,” Therese said, wincing in pain.
Quinn somehow forced herself not to react. Relax.
“We encountered normal guards,” the archer continued, leaning back. “Highly armed but barely a threat.” Her face darkened. “Until backup arrived.”
Quinn looked to Hugo. “Superhumans.” It wasn’t a question.
Therese avoided her gaze. “Two masked speedsters. One snapped Blackjack’s leg for fun.”
