“Hi guys,” he said, waving at them. Okay, maybe I’m being too friendly; I want them to take me seriously.
Several officers in full SWAT gear were standing at the door. Their eyes popped with surprise as he approached and landed ten feet from the door.
“Officers, let me in please,” Blue Spekter said, keeping up the polite conversation.
The two closest to the door readied themselves and gripped the door handles.
“One moment,” the lead officer said. He gently knocked on the door and shouted through it. “Hello again, it’s the police. We’re going to open the door. It’s your lucky day…Blue Spekter is here.”
“Finally!” a man shouted from the inside.
They opened the door and Blue Spekter walked in, his eyes focusing on the man in the center of the opposite wall. As the doors closed behind him, he heard movement all around him. The supposedly hand-cuffed hostages pulled weapons from their backside and aimed at him.
“Blue Spekter,” a voice boomed, “you will stop and surrender immediately to the Department of Homeland Security.”
Shit, it’s a trap.
Blue Spekter slowly turned around, surveying the armed officers and body-armored DHS agents who had surrounded him, their weapons drawn and pointed at him. They all wore tactical masks over their faces. His bright blue glow illuminated the white ballroom walls and reflected off the crystal chandeliers.
If they open fire, they’ll all shoot themselves in the cross-fire. This is pretty stupid…unless they expect me to surrender and prove I’m the good guy, but we’ll see about that.
“Blue Spekter!” the voice boomed, “By order of the United States Department of Homeland Security, you will put your hands above your head and slowly drop to your knees. Do you understand?” The male voice did not belong to Chief Applegate.
“No, and yes I understand.” I guess I’m not the unidentified phenomenon anymore?
“Put your hands above your head and drop to your knees!” the angry voice bellowed.
He slowly turned toward the direction of the voice on his right. “Or what, you’ll shoot me? I’m in the middle of a circular firing squad. You’ll take each other out.” How do they not see this?
Silence.
Blue Spekter sighed. “I’ll make a deal with you…”
“We do not negotiate with terrorists,” the voice cried out.
Blue Spekter faced the voice, narrowing down who was yelling at him to two agents and slowly put his hands on his hips. “I’m not a terrorist. If you haven’t noticed, I saved people in this city…twice. If I wanted to terrorize you, I’d be destroying things left and right, and let’s face it, if I was the bad guy, none of you would make it out of here alive.”
That ought to make some of these people reconsider what they’re about to do.
“Put your hands above your head or my men will have no choice but to shoot you,” the voice shouted.
“Go ahead,” Blue Spekter said, calling his bluff, realizing he wasn’t entirely sure if he was bulletproof or not.
No one moved.
“Seven and Nine, cuff him.”
Behind him, two physically imposing agents stepped forward. Blue Spekter turned to face them, and they slowed their approach, caught up in the sight of being so close to his glowing eyes and body.
That’s not going to last long with these guys.
Behind him, movement distracted him. Two other burly agents charged him. Blue Spekter felt a new power surge within him—a power he hadn’t felt since he stopped the red car on Daniel Street from flattening the toddler. This time, however, it was different, stronger, and he knew exactly what it was.
On his left and right, several agents drew tasers and fired at him.
This was never about shooting me dead but capturing me alive.
Blue Spekter’s defensive shield stopped the taser darts in mid-flight several inches from his body. They hovered in the air, electricity arcing between the highly charged electrodes until they harmlessly fell to the ground.
Seconds before the four charging agents reached him, he leapt six feet into the air and backflipped over them. Stunned, the agents collided into one another as Blue Spekter landed closer to the group leader, the flailing, confused arms and legs of tangled agents crashing in a tangled pile on the floor behind him.
I need to be careful; this capture effort is well-planned.
“Second wave, move in!” the leader cried out.
Blue Spekter heard the sound of tasers discharging their unpleasant electrodes. In a flash, he spun around with super speed and grabbed all the wires just behind the dangerous needlepoints. He spun around a second time and ripped the weapons from their hands. The tasers clattered on the carpeted floor at his feet.
“Apex!” the leader shouted.
Blue Spekter flinched at the loud sound of gunfire. With no time to react, he felt bullets striking his chest. Fearful for the men on the other side of the room, he jumped up and hovered near the ceiling, the bullets finding him there. He could feel them striking his body, ripping through his white hoodie, but he didn’t feel them penetrating his chest. At least, he didn’t think they were. Instead, the hot bullets bounced off or became entangled in between his body, T-shirt, and sweatshirt—until his defensive shield kicked in and deflected the bullets.
“Enough!” he yelled, creating and directing blasts of water from his hands to the four agents shooting at him. The fire-hose strength water blasts he generated hit each agent with substantial force, knocking them off balance. They fell to the floor, dazed and confused.
He flew down to the agent he thought was in charge. The hard-plastic masks made it difficult for him to see whose mouth was moving when they shouted orders, and his super hearing wasn’t guaranteeing accuracy. “That was a brand-new sweatshirt you just shot up! This ends now before your people get hurt.”
“This ends when you surrender!” he shouted back, glancing at the sweatshirt.
Yup, that’s him.
“I will not surrender to you, ever.” Blue Spekter shouted, grabbing the man by his body armor. He then flew with him to the center of the room and hovered four feet above the ground, holding the leader by his armor in mid-air. The police officers around him cocked and aimed their weapons.
“Listen to me,” Blue Spekter shouted, his voice louder than expected. He rotated slowly as he spoke to the agents, softening his voice. “Most of you have girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands or wives, children, families, and this douchebag wants you to risk losing everything by trying to take me out. You can’t. You probably never will but know this: if I was the bad guy, you’d all be dead right now. I’m not the bad guy.”
He pulled the man close to his face, but his bright blue eyes forced the man to squint and avoid eye contact. “I know you don’t believe me, but one day you will remember the day you tried to take me in and I let you live. I’ll always let you live because I’m not a killer.”
Blue Spekter thought about dropping the man, but quickly thought better of it. He landed and put the leader down on his feet.
“Thanks,” the leader said smugly, quickly aiming his handgun at Blue Spekter’s face.
“Stop, already,” Blue Spekter said, feeling annoyed.
“Okay,” the leader said sarcastically, lowering the handgun. Then, when it was aimed at Blue Spekter’s left leg, he fired.
“Ow!” Blue Spekter cried out, surprised at the sharp pinch he felt on his left thigh. He looked down; his sweatpants had a new bullet hole in them, but there was no gush of blood. “What the hell?” Blue Spekter yelled.
The man fired again.
A second hole appeared in Blue Spekter’s sweatpants, but it didn’t hurt as much. He put his free hand on his leg to check for wounds, but he felt none.
“Enough is enough!”
Quinn glared at the man and shoved him backward with enough force to knock him over and embarrass him. Then he addressed the rest of the officers and agents. “It’s been fun, but
I’m out, guys. Oh, and here’s a tip, from one decent citizen to another; don’t ever do this again.” Then, he walked to the doors and pushed them open. The officers and soldiers gathered on the other side of the door aimed their weapons at him but didn’t shoot.
“I’m not the bad guy, okay?” he said. They looked at one another until their leader lowered his weapon.
“Thank you,” Quinn said. He flew toward the front doors of the hotel. Halfway there, he spotted Lieutenant Doral. Quinn paused momentarily, ready to scold him.
Doral sheepishly raised his hands in surrender and looked at Quinn. “I’m really sorry, I had to follow orders. There’s a lot of pressure at HQ to take you down any way we can. Watch your back, Blue Spekter.”
“Thanks for the tip,” Quinn said, his anger fading at Doral’s unexpected gesture of kindness. He tossed the radio Doral had lent him back to the lieutenant. “It’s time I become the superhero I need to be, once and for all.”
Then, he made his way out of the hotel. Outside, he flew up and away from the Sheraton as reporters snapped his picture, flying away from downtown in case he was being watched or recorded. When he thought it was safe, he flew low over the buildings to the 100 Club Roof to grab his gym bag and change out of his bullet-torn clothes.
❖
Blake
Blake peeled his eyes open, but the bright lights made him blink several times.
His body ached, and he felt disoriented, dizzy, and nauseous—he didn’t know if he was sitting, standing, or lying down. His head throbbed at the back and he tried to move, but he couldn’t.
“Hello?” he tried to say, but his voice failed him.
He heard a woman’s voice speaking somewhere around him. “I need to know if the implant is going to work. All of Project Genesis II is riding on our success here, and the investors are very interested in the control chip should he become a liability.”
Is that Mother Superior? Shit, I could really use Quinn’s help right now…
A moment later, the voice faded, and his mind surrendered to the darkness that encroached on his consciousness.
17 | Coming Out
Quinn
INVISIBLE, BLUE SPEKTER STOOD ON the lookout of the largest pier, waiting quietly for Camilla Brenhurst and Phil, her cameraman to finish their late-night report for the local news regarding the hostage situation earlier in the afternoon. No one else was in Prescott Park at that late hour.
“Police say they have the suspect in custody and that the unidentified phenomenon known popularly as the Blue Spekter remains at large and should not be trusted.”
He rolled his invisible eyes at her comment, then looked down at the river beneath the pier, confirming that high-tide was in. This should be fun.
“In addition, Chief Tina Applegate asked news outlets to remind citizens that should anyone come face-to-face with the unidentified phenomenon, they are to call 911. Reporting live from Portsmouth, I'm Camilla Brenhurst for News Nine.”
With one hand, Phil silently counted her out and Blue Spekter focused, the sound of rushing water surrounding them. Camilla and Phil stared at the rushing Piscataqua River water around the pier as it mysteriously bubbled and frothed.
“I think we should go,” Phil said nervously.
“Go?” Camilla asked, astonished. She pointed at the water churning around the deck. “Are you filming this?”
“Hell no, it sounds like this thing is going to collapse. Let’s get out of here.”
The news crew turned to leave, but they stopped short as Blue Spekter raised a thick wall of water from the harbor. The water flowed up and over the wooden walkway, cutting off their only escape route to the park.
“What the hell?” Phil asked.
Blue Spekter continued to raise a wall of flowing water around the entire lookout deck. It surrounded them and prevented any prying eyes from witnessing their conversation. At least, assuming no one saw the glowing blue wall of flowing water that shouldn’t have been there.
“Oh my gosh, he’s here. Get the camera ready.”
“Don’t,” Blue Spekter snapped. “The only way you talk with me is off camera, for the moment. Set the camera down, Phil.”
Camilla nodded, looking around for Blue Spekter and waving her hand at Phil. He lowered the camera and set it on the deck.
Blue Spekter appeared where he had been standing, eyes and body shimmering with bright blue light. For added effect, he wore the same bullet hole ridden sweatpants and sweatshirt he had worn earlier during the failed capture attempt at the Sheraton.
Camilla and Phil took one look at him and stepped back, unsure of how to proceed.
Blue Spekter raised his hands in surrender to reassure them. “Relax, I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to set the record straight. If you have questions for me, you should ask them now.”
Camilla nodded and glanced at Phil, who shrugged. He looked down at his camera, then he folded his arms in frustration.
“What do you want?” Camilla asked.
“To help,” Blue Spekter answered. “I’m not here to hurt or hinder. I thought I made that abundantly obvious, but the police think otherwise.”
“Will you turn yourself over to the police?”
“No.”
“Why not?” Phil asked. Camilla glared at him and he shrugged.
“I haven’t done anything wrong, and I’m not about to let them capture me and do experiments.”
“Are you human? Where are you from? How did you get your powers?” Camilla asked.
Blue Spekter chuckled. “Yes, I’m human. I grew up and live around here. A freak accident gave me my powers.”
“What happened today at the Sheraton? Why didn’t you save those people?”
Blue Spekter sighed. “This is the part they lied to you about. There were no hostages because it was a total set up.” He explained how the DHS and the local authorities worked together to create a trap for him.
“Did anyone get hurt?” Camilla asked.
Blue Spekter shrugged. “Not really, except maybe their pride. However, they shot me up and they ruined my clothes.” He gestured toward the bullet holes in his outfit.
“Wow,” Camilla exclaimed, looking over the holes in his glowing sweatpants and sweatshirt. “But, you’re not hurt? Are you…bulletproof?
“Something like that,” Blue Spekter answered.
“How old are you?”
Blue Spekter hesitated. If I tell them my real age, they’ll come for me at school…and that will put my classmates in unnecessary danger.
“I’m old enough to know the difference between right and wrong.”
“Do you think you’re a superhero?” Phil asked, his tone flat, but curious.
Blue Spekter smirked, but his bright eyes prevented them from seeing his face clearly. “A superhero dedicates his life to fighting crime, helping keep people safe, and battling super villains. Thankfully, there aren’t any super villains to battle. To answer your question, yes, but it doesn’t matter what I think, does it? What matters is what people think; what you think.”
“And the police?” Phil asked.
“They’ll come around, I have faith.”
“In what?”
“In humanity. Despite our numerous flaws and aggressive tendencies, I believe we can rise above our faults and failings and become something better.”
“You’re getting philosophical.”
“You asked the question.”
“Fair enough.”
Camilla raised her hand, and Phil backed off. “Why did you choose to speak with me, Blue Spekter?”
“I heard you two talking after the Homeland Security briefing at the police station.”
Her eyes opened wide. “You were there?”
“Of course I was there.”
The news crew looked at each other with surprise. “But there was no one around us when we were talking!” Camilla exclaimed, surprised.
Blue Spekter pointed to his ear with is left hand. “Supe
r hearing. I didn’t need to be next to you.”
“So, you eavesdropped?” Phil asked tersely.
Camilla waved her hand again. “Phil!”
“It’s okay, he’s right to be annoyed. These powers can be used for good, or for bad. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but when I heard you talking about me, curiosity got the best of me. I’m sorry.”
“I understand,” Camilla responded.
“While I’m sad you selfishly think talking to me will boost your career, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, Camilla. I’ll trust you were serious when you told Phil I could speak with you and that you would help get my story out.”
“And that story is?”
“Everything I’ve been telling you; that I’m a good guy with good ambitions. I hope you’ve been paying attention.”
Blue Spekter floated off the ground, signaling his intention to fly away.
“Wait, how can I reach you?” Camilla asked.
“You can’t.”
“Why won’t you turn yourself in?”
“For the same reason you can’t arrest Superman; you know that’s not how this works. Have a good night.” Then, he rocketed away into the night, the blue trail of light fading behind him as he flew up and over the harbor and headed inland toward Dover, purposely flying away from his house so they couldn’t track him. Behind him, the water walls flowed and splashed down into the harbor, leaving the stunned news crew to discuss their next steps.
❖
Blake
At first, there was nothing, only blackness.
Then, there was a sensation…then another…and another.
Slowly, Blake pieced together the sensations he felt; rushing cool air, his hair flapping in the breeze, the extended fingers of his outstretched hand cutting the air like the nose of a supersonic fighter jet.
I’m flying, holy crap, I’m flying!
He opened his eyes and saw the horizon in front of him, the green forest below him whipping past.
It was daylight, and he was flying through the air.
Unidentified Phenomenon Page 15
