The White Knight & Black Valentine Series (Book 3): Almost Invincible

by Brand, Kristen

  “So,” she said. “I heard somebody was looking for White Knight.”

  Chapter 10

  I smiled despite the pain. I didn’t know how she’d found us, and quite frankly, I didn’t care. It was going to be an incredibly good feeling when we got out of here, and Blue Sparrow found out her mom was okay. I hoped I’d be able to witness it. And if Agent Lagarde was okay… then might Elisa be, as well?

  Julio exhaled loudly, bending over and bracing his hands above his knees as he caught his breath. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you.”

  Agent Lagarde allowed a small smile to grace her stern face. When I’d first met her a few months ago, I’d gotten the impression of a competent DSA agent. Mid-forties, black, and no-nonsense, she’d worn a crisp gray pantsuit, her micro-braids pulled into a tight bun on the back of her head. She’d never wavered in her professionalism, even when Val was trying to push her buttons, and everything about her said “down to business” except for her odd glasses, which had lenses tinted electric blue.

  Now, those glasses were the only thing about her appearance I recognized. Her hair was down, and her suit had been replaced with denim shorts and a White Knight T-shirt designed to look like the front of my old uniform. Her backpack was the best, though: gold with plastic blue wings flaring out to each side, it had a Blue Sparrow logo on the front. They’d been a huge craze a few years ago but had dropped out of popularity since, yet Agent Lagarde was evidently too much of a proud mother to let that stop her. The no-nonsense expression remained on her face, but I was betting I’d have seen a very different person if I’d been at the park before Bloodbath attacked.

  She surveyed the scene as the civilians climbed out of the water and I lay panting on the floor. “Not as glad as I—”

  Laughter interrupted. It was the same low, creepy cackle we’d heard in the tunnels, only now, it was even harder to tell where it was coming from.

  Most of the civilians had gotten out of the water, but one of the last people there cried out in alarm. It took me a second to see why, because the water was so dark, but the surface was bubbling and rippling like a witch’s cauldron.

  All at once, the water surged up like a living thing. It slammed into the civilians first, knocking them down before hitting me. I didn’t have time to brace myself, and for a second, I was drowning with no idea which way was up. Then I hit the wall, and the water receded. Coughs and choking noises reached my ears, and I saw that Julio, Agent Lagarde, and Treat had also gotten hit. They lay waterlogged off the edge of the stage.

  “Hey, White Knight,” said the same voice that had laughed at us earlier. “Long time no see, man.”

  Standing on the stage was yet another supervillain I’d put in prison: Tidal Wave. Silver tinged his black hair, which he’d grown long enough to tie back in a ponytail. His costume was a black and blue wetsuit, and he looked like he could be a surfing instructor if not for the yakuza tattoos that peeked above the suit’s neckline.

  Before I could so much as think of a quip to throw back at him, he summoned more water from the river. It crashed atop me, but instead of receding, it stayed. Completely submerged, I opened my eyes to see water all around me. He was holding it there, my own personal pool to drown in.

  My heart pounded as my lungs started to constrict. I fought the urge to suck in air through my nose. I’d only inhale water and choke, losing more oxygen from my lungs. I’d been through that before, and I couldn’t— No, stay calm. I rolled onto my stomach and crawled, the water pressure pushing down on my back. But the edge of the water moved further from my reach the more progress I made. Tidal Wave kept it hovering around me, moving it when I moved.

  I could hear him talking. His voice was light and mocking, and whatever he said was probably a decent joke at my expense, but the effect was lost on me since the water distorted his words.

  My lungs burned. Where were Julio and Lagarde? I had to do something fast before I lost consciousness. I couldn’t reach the edge of the water. Maybe I could reach Tidal Wave.

  I sat up, fighting the force of the water that molded around me to keep me submerged. My stomach and back flared in pain, and a grunt escaped my lips. It let in foul-tasting water, and I struggled not to panic. I had a good view of Tidal Wave now—or as good as I could get with the water in my eyes. I lifted my cane and threw it.

  The cane burst out of my watery prison. It spun handle over tip like a wheel before gloriously smacking Tidal Wave in the forehead. His feet went over his head, and he lost his grip on the water around me. Subject to the laws of gravity once again, it fell to the floor.

  I sucked in air, ignoring how my ribs and chest ached when I took too deep a breath. The hot, humid air had never felt so good.

  “Ow.” Tidal Wave sounded more offended than hurt as he sat up and rubbed his forehead. “If that leaves a welt, you’re dead.”

  “You were just trying to kill me anyway,” I huffed, still out of breath.

  Tidal Wave stood. “Well, yeah, but…” He shrugged. “Yeah, okay. Fair point.”

  He threw his arms forward, and another torrent of water shot at me. When it was about three feet away, it froze solid.

  The ice crashed to the floor around me and shattered, leaving Tidal Wave staring. I shivered, the frigid air harsh on my soaking wet body.

  “So you control water, huh?” Julio had risen to his feet and gave Tidal Wave a smirk. “That’s cool.”

  I honestly didn’t think Julio intended to make temperature-related puns. It just happened all the time.

  Tidal Wave looked at Freezefire, did the math, and dove back into the river. The water roared as he made it rush him quickly away to another part of the ride. Julio raised a hand but then lowered it. If he froze the river, it would kill Tidal Wave, and that wasn’t necessary if he was retreating.

  I didn’t try to get up. My cane was several feet away, and I needed the chance to catch my breath. Most of the civilians seemed to feel the same way, huddled together on the floor, dripping and in shock. Treat tried to get up, but Agent Lagarde placed her foot firmly on her back.

  Julio glanced at me. “Who was that asshole?”

  Chapter 11

  “His codename’s Tidal Wave,” I told Julio as we led everyone down the stairs.

  The first thing we did was get the civilians out of there. We didn’t know if Bloodbath and Mother Earth were keeping tabs on Treat and Tidal Wave, so I evacuated the freed mind-control victims down into the tunnels while Julio and Agent Lagarde frog-marched Treat behind us. (Agent Lagarde’s telepathy was more than enough to keep Treat in check.)

  “That sounds vaguely familiar,” Julio said. “Why do I know him?”

  I went down the stairs slowly, and my moist socks squelched with each step. “He used to work for the Tsubaki Syndicate. I fought him in the nineties. Once in Washington and the other time in San Francisco, I think.”

  “Hmm.” He still looked stumped.

  “I hit him with a parade balloon.”

  Julio snapped his fingers. “That’s it. I remember seeing that on the news.”

  I was honestly a little surprised Tidal Wave was here. Treat hated me, and Bloodbath loathed me on a nearly spiritual level, but I’d never gotten the impression of more than mild aggravation from Tidal Wave. He must have had time to stew in prison.

  Bloodbath, Mother Earth, Treat, Tidal Wave, Dr. Sweet. That was five supervillains, and Deputy Director Chung had said eight escaped. Were they all here? How many were tormenting trapped tourists like Treat had been, and how many were searching for Julio and me? If Mother Earth had guards, bringing down the wall might be harder than I’d thought.

  We reached the bottom of the stairs, and I paused to wait for the group to catch up. It wasn’t until we started walking again that I realized I recognized one of Treat’s victims.

  “Madison?”

  The teenage girl blinked at me. She was dripping wet, and she’d skinned both her knees, but otherwise, she looked unhurt. It took her a
few seconds to place me. “Mr. Del Toro?”

  “Where’s Elisa? Is she all right? I’m sorry. Are you all right?”

  The person walking behind me nearly bumped into my back as I stopped. I picked up my pace again as Madison kept walking. “I’m not hurt. I…” She sniffed and wiped tears from her eyes.

  She cried quietly, and I pulled her into an awkward half-hug as we went down the tunnel. “It’s okay,” I lied soothingly. “What happened?”

  “It’s not Elisa.” She sniffed again and wiped her nose. “It’s Haley. We were in line when that—that glowing man tore through the ride. The roof collapsed, and Haley, she—she—”

  I swallowed, and my throat felt sore and tender. I’d known Haley Flores since she was twelve years old. She’d been a baton twirler for the high school marching band Elisa played the flute in. Her plan after graduation was to go to nursing school.

  “There’s nothing you could have done,” I said as Madison cried more, though I wasn’t sure whether I meant that for her or for myself. I couldn’t imagine facing Barbara Flores after her daughter’s death. I’d given them the tickets to come here.

  “What about Barbara?” I asked.

  “Mrs. Flores was waiting for us outside the ride. I haven’t seen her.”

  I had to swallow again before I could ask the next question. “And Elisa?”

  I’d hoped she’d been safely in another part of the park when Bloodbath went on his rampage, but if Madison had seen him, she must have been right at the site of his attack. The chances of her escaping that…

  “I don’t know.” Madison shivered, rubbing her clammy arms. “We went in the single rider line so we wouldn’t have to wait as long. Elisa got on before us, and the ride carried her off. We were about to get on next when…”

  If that was true, then Elisa might have been at a safe distance when Bloodbath had attacked. Or else she was buried under a collapsed ceiling like Haley.

  “This was at the White Knight ride?” I asked.

  Madison nodded shakily. “Y-Yeah.”

  I had to get to that ride and look for her. It was next to the Crimson Phoenix rollercoaster, which was in front of the security hub, so Julio and I had to go in that direction anyway. If I couldn’t convince him to make a detour, we’d split up.

  We reached the employee cafeteria, and I called Rosa’s name before leading everyone inside.

  “Thank God you’re back.” Rosa bumped into something in the dark, and then her flashlight flipped on, illuminating rows of cafeteria tables and chairs.

  “We’ve got people who need a place to stay,” I warned.

  “Come on in. Plenty of room for everybody.”

  We trudged inside, and everyone sank or collapsed into chairs. Some of the children Treat had grabbed had been separated from their parents, but the adults were taking care of them and moved some chairs so they could all sit together. Low murmuring echoed through the wide, empty room.

  “You guys hungry?” Rosa asked. “There’s food in the back if you help me carry it.”

  I moved to help her, but she held out a hand. “Not you. You look like crap. Go sit down.”

  It was hard to argue with that. As she and a couple other volunteers went to the cafeteria’s kitchen, I eased into a chair and leaned forward, resting my arms on my knees. The fight inside Heroes of Yesterday and Tomorrow hadn’t been as bad as facing Bloodbath, but it still hadn’t done me any favors. The painkillers muted the choir of my injuries but couldn’t silence them completely. Instead of placing bets on which of my internal organs were bruised, I focused on my breathing. In and out, nice and slow. My ribs might ache, but at least my lungs were working.

  Rosa brought out boxes of breakfast bars and bottles of water and juice. Everyone stood to get some, and Julio did his party trick and cooled down the drinks.

  “Any beer?” someone asked, causing a weak round of chuckles.

  “No,” Rosa said with a serious sigh. “I tried. I wish I knew where storage was for the Rooftop Bar and Lounge.”

  I was about to drag myself up and get another water when a woman handed me a bottle.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “No.” She shook her head. “Thank you.”

  I stayed there a little longer, resting, as Julio—make that Freezefire—sat with the kids and made them laugh. Eventually, Agent Lagarde caught our eyes from where she stood to the side guarding Treat. Now that the civilians were safe and set up with food and drink, it was time for an interrogation. I checked on Madison quickly, assuring her she’d be safe as long as she stayed here, and then I slipped out of the room.

  We wanted Treat away from the innocent people, so we found a cleaning supply closet nearby and shoved her into a sitting position on an upside-down bucket. It was cramped, stuffy, and smelled like chemical cleaners, but at least we wouldn’t have any interruptions. We’d left two of our flashlights with everyone in the cafeteria, and I resisted the urge to shine our last one straight into Treat’s eyes.

  “Where’s Mother Earth?” I asked.

  Treat spat on the floor in front of me. She’d probably been aiming for my shoes but didn’t quite have the reach.

  “Nicole?” Julio asked.

  Agent Lagarde stepped forward and removed her glasses. Her eyes were closed at first, but when she opened them, they glowed like twin suns. Treat gasped and hunched over under the pressure of her gaze, her breaths coming in rasps like she was clinging to the side of a cliff.

  “Where’s Mother Earth?” Agent Lagarde repeated.

  “There’s a security building.” The words spilled from Treat’s mouth like she couldn’t stop them. “It has camera feeds from all over the park. She’s there, trying to find White Knight.”

  “What about Bloodbath?”

  “He checks in with her sometimes, but mostly, he’s prowling around the park.”

  “And Dr. Sweet?” I asked, thinking of Elisa. She was trapped here somewhere, and if Dr. Sweet found her before I did…

  When Treat didn’t respond, Agent Lagarde said, “Answer him.”

  “He didn’t come with us after the breakout. He said he had other things to take care of.”

  Julio and I shared a glance. Whatever Sweet was taking care of, it was sure to come back and bite us sometime down the road. I should be out there trying to stop him. The whole DSA should.

  Maybe that was the point. Maybe this whole thing was just a distraction.

  “How did you escape the Inferno?” Agent Lagarde asked before I could dwell on that thought any longer.

  “I don’t know,” Treat answered. “My cell door opened, and Dr. Sweet was there. The guards in the hall were all lying on the floor. Dead, I guess. Dr. Sweet had the keycard to the elevator, and when we made it aboveground, there was a car waiting for us outside. I didn’t think we’d make it more than a few miles, but we did. We hid out in one of the doc’s old labs and got to talking about the White Knight ride reopening and getting revenge.”

  “Whose idea was it?” I cut in. “Whose idea was it to attack the park? Bloodbath’s or Sweet’s?”

  Treat paused to think about it. “I don’t know. Bloodbath made it seem like it was his, but he and Dr. Sweet were whispering to each other first. I didn’t care. I just wanted in. And the doc, he had these drugs.” Her eyes lit up at the memory. “When I took them, I could use my powers again even though Trick wasn’t with me. And I was stronger than I’d ever been. It made all of us stronger.”

  “How many of you are here?” Agent Lagarde asked.

  “Four,” Treat said. “The others didn’t want to come, so Bloodbath killed them.”

  Well, we had some answers now. Not answers I liked, but at least things were starting to make sense. Agent Lagarde asked a few more questions, but we’d pretty much reached the limit of what Treat knew. Agent Lagarde’s eyes burned momentarily brighter, and Treat slumped forward, unconscious.

  “That’s one down, at least.” Agent Lagarde slipped her glasses back on.
/>   “Enjoying your day off?” Julio asked her with a grin. “Seriously, though, how’d you find us?”

  “I ran across this poor woman mind-controlled into searching for White Knight. Once I fixed her up and figured out what happened, I decided to take care of Treat myself.”

  Speaking of Treat, we left her passed out in the closet. Even though she probably wouldn’t wake for hours, I pushed one of the golf cart-like vehicles in front of the door to trap her inside.

  “Jocelyn’s worried sick about you, by the way,” Julio said.

  Agent Lagarde rubbed her forehead. “I can imagine. I’m surprised she didn’t come with you.”

  “Chung didn’t want to take the chance. Bloodbath called out White Knight and Freezefire and said he’d kill hostages if Blue Sparrow showed up. Granted, I’m surprised she didn’t sneak in anyway.”

  “She can follow instructions—unlike some people I know.”

  Julio smiled boyishly in response to her tone. Agent Lagarde shook her head. “We need to get to that security center,” she said.

  “That’s the plan,” Julio replied. Then he stiffened, and his gaze flicked over to me. “Or at least it was before we stopped to deal with Treat.”

  “But when we get to that side of the park, I need to search the White Knight ride,” I said before I could stop myself. “That’s the last place Madison saw Elisa. I have to… I have to see if I can find her.”

  “Finding Mother Earth is our priority.” Julio frowned at me, but there was no real force behind his words. When it came down to it, he wouldn’t try to stop me.

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Agent Lagarde said. “Do you two even know how to get to the security hub?”

  “We have a guide,” Julio said.

  With that cue, we headed back to the cafeteria and found Rosa again, introducing her to Agent Lagarde.

  “Hi.” Rosa looked the agent up and down. “Are you in charge now?”

  “Yes,” Agent Lagarde said, managing to pack a lot of authority into that one, firm syllable.

  “Awesomesauce. So no more awkward macho posturing about who gives the order to who.” She gave Julio and me a pointed look.