Quinn drew a sharp breath. Glancing over, I saw her face turn pale. It must have been her father, Robert Okada.
‘This man’s daughter is currently on assignment for us, although she is not a believer. She can shapeshift. Once she returns, we will be synthesizing a formula from her genes.’ He turned to the audience. ‘Can you imagine what we can achieve as a group with the power to change our appearance? Can you conceive of the number of world leaders we could assassinate in one place at one time with those powers?
‘And that’s just the beginning. Plans are currently underway to develop serums from other modified humans.’
A girl near the front put up her hand. ‘When will the serums be ready?’ she asked.
‘Within days.’
Another boy raised an arm. ‘What’s the target?
Tanner smiled. It was an ugly grin. ‘That information is classified,’ he said, ‘for now. But I promise we will strike where the planet’s economic leaders meet, and the world will watch their final downfall.’
Shaw went over to Tanner and murmured something. Tanner turned back to the audience.
‘It is time you were taken to your quarters,’ he said. ‘We will familiarize you with the process before delivering the injections.’
The monitor snapped off. We filed out the door, and Shaw led us down a corridor towards the heart of the complex. Trailing the group, I grabbed Quinn and dragged her into a broom cupboard.
‘That was your father on the monitor?’ I asked.
‘Yes!’ Quinn hissed. ‘We need to find him.’
‘That’s easier said than done. This is a big place. He could be anywhere.’
‘I’ve got an idea,’ she said. ‘We’ll need access to a computer.’
Leaving the cupboard, we made our way back to the meeting room. Hurrying over to a computer on the far side, Quinn sat at the desk and started punching keys.
‘What are you looking for?’ I asked.
‘You know what a zeno emitter does?’
Did I ever? The devices could nullify our powers. They had been used more than once to render us helpless.
‘Zeno emitters use an enormous amount of energy,’ Quinn explained. ‘It takes a lot of power to operate them.’ She pointed to a schematic on the screen. ‘You see these reinforced conduits leading to the basements? They must be holding modified humans down there. It’s probably where they’re holding my father too.’
‘We’ve just got to—’
I stopped. Footsteps approached, and the door was pushed open. Shaw appeared in the doorway.
‘What are you doing here?’ he growled.
Chapter Thirty-Two
For what seemed like an eternity—but was probably only about five seconds—my mouth opened and closed like a fish. Then I heard a voice beside me.
‘This recruit is with me.’
Glancing down, I saw Tanner.
What the—
How could Tanner have come into the room? And why was he now defending me? Then I realized. It was Quinn! She had transformed herself into the E-Group leader!
‘This recruit had some extra questions,’ Quinn continued. ‘I decided to run through them with him.’
‘The briefing downstairs is just about to start,’ Shaw said. ‘Don’t you think—’
‘Leave the thinking to me. I’ll bring him shortly.’
‘Of course, sir.’
Shaw left. ‘And to think I kissed you,’ I said to Tanner. ‘I must have been out of my head.’
‘I didn’t have a mustache then,’ she said. ‘Come on. Let’s go.’
Quinn stayed disguised as Tanner as we made our way along a corridor and down a flight of stairs. Reaching the basement, she lowered her eye to an iris scanner. The door clicked open.
‘That’s pretty impressive,’ I said.
‘I’m an impressive girl.’
We entered a lab. Scientists were standing at benches, mixing potions, and entering information on computers. Security guards lining the walls nodded at Quinn, thinking she was Tanner. Reaching a locked door at the end, she tried her eye on another security scanner, but it buzzed impotently. She tried again. It would not open.
‘Tanner?’
The voice came from a man in a lab coat, whose badge identified him as Harper. He had been examining a Petri dish under a microscope. On the wall to his right was a large red button with an Emergency sign under it.
‘Ah, good,’ Quinn said, trying to sound official. ‘I need to see the prisoner.’
‘Which one?’
‘Okada.’
Harper looked at Quinn, frowning. ‘You know your security level doesn’t allow you into the labs,’ he said. Turning to me, he added, ‘And who is this?’
‘A new recruit,’ Quinn said. ‘He’s a modified human. I believe he’ll be able to get information out of Okada.’
‘How could you forget about the security arrangements?’ Harper asked.
‘I’ve had a lot on my mind,’ Quinn said, her voice going high. ‘Now stop wasting my time and let us through.’
‘I understand that,’ Harper soothed. ‘I was just surprised because it was you who insisted we upgrade security.’
‘I know.’
Harper slapped the alarm system, and the siren rang throughout the complex. ‘It was me who insisted on upgrading security,’ he snapped. ‘Who are you? What are—’
I arrowed a fist into his chin, and he slumped to the floor. The alarm ringing loudly in our ears, I focused on expanding the air in the gap between the door and the frame. Metal sheered as it broke free. Running footsteps came from behind, and two guards opened fire.
Blocking the hail of bullets with an air wall, I dragged Quinn through the doorway and jammed the door into the frame. It would hold, but not for long.
We raced down a corridor. There were doors on each side. Peering through the small window of one near the end, Quinn let out a shriek. ‘It’s Dad!’ she yelled. ‘He’s in here.’
I jerked the door off its hinges, and we entered. Robert Okada was a Japanese man with a broad, honest face. His black hair was streaked with gray, but he looked about forty.
He leaped to his feet. ‘What?’ he said. ‘Who are you? Where—’
Quinn shapeshifted into her real self, a slim Japanese girl with bright eyes and pretty lips. ‘Dad!’ she said. ‘We’re here to save you!’
He hugged Quinn tightly before his eyes angled to me. ‘And this is—’
‘Axel,’ I said, ‘but we don’t have time for a reunion right now. We’ve got to escape.’
The sound of running footsteps echoed down the corridor.
I fired cannonballs made of compressed air at half-a-dozen guards. It knocked them flying, and they didn’t move. Still, I felt no confidence in getting up to the next level. If it had just been me, I might have been able to do it, but getting Quinn and her father out as well would be almost impossible.
‘There may be another way,’ Mister Okada said. ‘I noticed the smell down here was quite bad.’
‘I don’t understand—’
‘There are old sewers that flow directly under this basement. We can use them to escape.’
I spotted a grill set into the floor. Mister Okada was right about the smell. It was foul, all right, but the sewers might just spell the difference between life and death. Expanding the gaps between the bars, I cracked open the floor and lowered us into the sewer. There was just one problem. No light.
Quinn solved this by producing a cell phone and using the torch app. Within seconds we were racing down the damp passageway to an intersection.
Mister Okada pointed to the left. ‘This way,’ he said. ‘It should lead to the street.’
We hurried to the end where a metal ladder led up. At the top, I shoved aside a manhole cover and emerged. The wire fence was behind us. Armed men were running from the building. I threw up a barrier as they fired on us.
‘Come on!’ I yelled at Quinn and her father. Creating a raft of ai
r, we climbed onto it, and I took us away into the sky.
A ship, similar to a flex craft, took off from a warehouse and fired. Avoiding the missile, I launched an air cannonball at its engine, spinning the vessel about. It lurched towards the ground, smoke trailing from it.
‘Axel!’ Quinn yelled, pointing to an antenna on one of the buildings. ‘Destroy that!’
There was no time to argue. More armed men were already streaming from the building. I used a burst of air to reduce the antenna to scrap. With bullets flying all around us, I flew us away from the factory.
‘What was all that about?’ I asked Quinn.
‘What?’
‘The antenna.’
‘Oh,’ she said. ‘Check your communicator bracelet.’
I did. For the first time in days, I had a clear signal. Liber8tor was sending an automated distress signal.
‘I’ve got to put you down,’ I said to Quinn and Mister Okada. ‘My friends need me.’
‘We’ll come with you,’ Mister Okada said. ‘It’s the least we can do after risking your life for us.’
‘It might be dangerous.’
‘I’ve faced a lot of danger over the years. A little more won’t hurt.’
Putting on a burst of speed, I took us in the direction of the signal. ‘I just hope I’m not too late,’ I said.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Two hours later, we were flying over dense woods in northern Virginia. I kept checking the bracelet, trying to communicate with the others, but there was no response. Quinn placed a hand on my arm.
‘We’ll be there soon,’ she said.
‘I know,’ I said. ‘But I’m worried.’ Especially after what Tanner had said about developing serums from other mods. ‘This distress signal would only be transmitted in an emergency.’
‘How far are we from your vessel?’ Mister Okada asked.
‘Less than a mile, now.’
‘May I make a suggestion? Discretion may be the better part of valor. It may be safer to put down here and walk.’
It was a good idea. Landing, we crept through the forest, following the signal of the bracelet. Within half-an-hour, we found Liber8tor. The vessel was de-cloaked and surrounded by armed guards. A few scientists were working on an entry door, trying to open it.
Ferdy had recorded a power loss when I had last seen the team. Had Liber8tor entirely run out of energy? But how was the ship still sending a message? And where were Brodie and the others?
‘How will we get in?’ Quinn asked.
‘I don’t know.’
Mister Okada rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘I wonder what would happen if you tried contacting your ship again,’ he said. ‘Someone may be aboard.’
I did this. ‘This is Axel,’ I said. ‘I’m outside the ship. If anyone’s in there—’
That was as far as I got. A burst of electricity flew from the ship like a crackling whip, hitting the scientists and the guards. They collapsed into a heap on the ground.
Liber8tor’s lower door opened, and we boarded.
‘Ferdy?’ I ventured.
‘Axel,’ Ferdy’s voice came back. ‘It is indeed good to hear your voice.’
‘What’s happening?’
‘Liber8tor’s power levels are at two percent. The power drain must be stopped immediately, or the ship will be permanently inoperable.’
‘What do I need to do?’
‘Ferdy has ascertained that the power loss is due to a device on the underneath of the hull.’
We scrambled under the ship and began searching. After a few minutes, I wondered if Ferdy were wrong.
‘There’s nothing here,’ I said. ‘It looks the same as usual.’
‘A device might be attached that’s invisible to the naked eye,’ Mister Okada said. ‘Is there any way you can test for that?’
One advantage of being able to control air is that I can also create a vacuum. Using a strong suction, I removed all the air along the bottom of the hull. Nothing happened, but then I focused on sucking every last atom from the surface of the metal.
Klang!
A metal disk hit the ground.
‘What is that?’ Quinn asked.
‘Nothing good,’ I replied, crushing it.
Hitting my bracelet, I asked Ferdy how long it would take to recover.
‘Several hours,’ he said. ‘And the capital of Norway is Oslo.’
‘Does he always do that?’ Quinn asked.
‘Ferdy’s a barrel of information.’
I asked him about the others.
‘They have been gone for several days,’ he said. ‘Ferdy sent out repeated messages, both to you and the other crew members, but without success.’
‘I’ve been off the air,’ I said. ‘Long story. What was the last location of the crew?’
‘They headed towards the town of Targo,’ he said.
Finding a trail, Quinn and her father followed me. I didn’t want to fly over the town for risk of drawing attention to myself. We reached a road with a cemetery on one side and a couple of houses on the other. The first place looked ready to fall over. The other had a more lived-in feel. A white van was parked in front.
I had a sense of disquiet as I looked at the van, but I didn’t know why.
‘That’s a new van,’ Quinn said.
She’d hit the nail on the head. It was a late model vehicle. Not that people couldn’t drive new cars around, but this seemed like an odd place to park a new van.
‘Let me do this,’ I said to the others. ‘Things might get a little unpleasant.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Quinn said. ‘A shapeshifter might come in handy.’
‘You’re not leaving me behind,’ Mister Okada said.
I sighed. ‘Okay,’ I said. ‘Just don’t get shot...or stabbed...or anything.’
Marching up to the front door, I knocked and waited. It was only seconds before an old lady appeared. She looked alarmed.
‘Yes?’
‘Sorry to bother you,’ I said. ‘Some friends of mine have gone missing, and I’m trying to track them down.’
‘Really?’ Her voice went up an octave. ‘Perhaps you should come in. Have a glass of lemonade.’
The old lady led us into a parlor. Giving us a nervous smile, she disappeared through a door. Glancing about, I looked around for anything that appeared amiss, but it all looked startlingly familiar. I was beginning to think we were on completely the wrong track when—
‘Look out!’ Mister Okada yelled.
As he pushed me aside, I saw the old lady in the doorway. A gun went off in her hand, and I retaliated with a blast of air that knocked her out.
‘So much for little old ladies,’ I said, picking myself up off the floor. ‘Her lemonade must have been—’
Oh no.
Quinn’s father was on the floor, a bullet wound in the middle of his forehead. He had saved my life but at the cost of his own. I grabbed his wrist, desperate to find a pulse, and felt none.
‘Quinn!’ I said. ‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen—’
‘Axel,’ she said, kneeling next to me. ‘It’s okay. Really.’
I couldn’t understand how she could be so calm.
‘It’s not!’ I cried. ‘I don’t know how you can be so calm—’
‘All is fine.’
The voice didn’t come from Quinn. Turning in astonishment, I saw Mister Okada blinking. Sitting up, the wound in his head slowly closed up, the bullet pushed out and plopped onto the floorboards.
‘How...what...’ I stammered.
‘It’s a long story,’ he said. ‘And there’s no time to explain right now. That shot may have alerted others.’
Almost in response, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching the rear of the house. Armed guards crashed through the doorway. This time I was prepared, taking them out with a barrage of air balls. We raced through the building. Computers, and boxes of chemicals, filled the kitchen.
‘What is this st
uff?’ I asked.
‘It’s hard to say without closer examination,’ Mister Okada said. ‘But I wonder if that old property up the road has anything to do with this.’
‘What makes you say that?’
‘There were tire marks in front. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but...’
Within minutes we were striding through the front gate. It was hard to believe anything was going on here—the building looked ready to knock down—but a trail of footsteps in the dust led to the front door. A quick search led us to a brightly lit basement filled with lab equipment, computers—and my friends.
‘It’s them!’ I cried.
Brodie, Chad, Dan, and Ebony were attached to a network of computers via a plethora of wires and tubes. They were stationary, except for their eyelids.
‘They’re in a state of REM,’ Mister Okada said, examining them. ‘It’s a deep-sleep state that people usually experience four or five times a night. I think they’re locked into it completely.’
‘We need to disconnect them!’ I said.
Mister Okada grabbed my arm. ‘Let me,’ he said. ‘I’ve had medical training.’
‘All right. Just be careful—’
‘Axel!’ Quinn yelled.
She was pointing at a cone-shaped device on a bench. I had just enough time to realize it was a bomb when—
Ka-boom!
Chapter Thirty-Four
It’s not easy to contain the blast of an explosion.
Wrapping an air bubble around the bomb just as it exploded took all my strength. The compressed energy was like a miniature tornado, swirling and moving, fighting to escape. If I released it, the blast would expand rapidly, tearing the room apart and killing everyone.
‘Got to get it out of here,’ I grunted.
I maneuvered the bubble of compressed explosion up the stairs ahead of me. One slip in concentration and—goodbye world. Quinn opened doors for me until I made it outside.
Sending the bubble high above the house, I finally released the force of the explosion.
Ka-boom!
Its shockwave threw us to the ground. We slowly stood and looked at each other.
‘You’re a handy young man to have around,’ Quinn said.
Teen Superheroes Box Set | Books 1-7 Page 77
