The Pantheon Saga | Book 5 | Absolute Power

by Ekeke, C. C.

  Greyson realized what was happening. Shattershot was amplifying the team’s negative emotions.

  Now Reverb, all five-foot-eight of him, got right in the face of all seven-foot-three, four hundred pounds of Bulldozer. “I’m getting sick of your attitude, Dozer.”

  Bulldozer gave a deep belly laugh. “I’m sick of your happy-happy joy-joy asking to be kicked in the face.”

  Erika wedged between her teammates. “Guys—”

  “Shut up!” Bulldozer palmed her face and shoved. She went skidding across the room into the shadows.

  Reverb spread his arms in challenge. “Do something about it!”

  “Gladly.” Bulldozer backhanded Reverb with such force, Greyson felt it in his teeth.

  And Reverb went sailing out of the room, and the building. A distant crash outside was followed by pockets of distant civilian screams.

  Brightburn dove toward the powerhouse. “Assclown. Stop it!”

  Bulldozer glared down at her. “You’re with them?” He pointed in Greyson and Shattershot’s direction. “Fine!” He lunged for Brightburn.

  But the electrokinetic cocooned herself in lightning and hurled massive bolts at Bulldozer.

  The attack launched him through the wall, obliterating it. Beyond the hole in the wall was an earthshaking thump followed by several screams. Brightburn then leaped through the opening after him.

  Erika Skye rose and shook her head. “Stop it! All of you!” She hesitated when her gaze found Greyson. More shrieks from outside drove her toward her imploding team. She jumped out the wall opening.

  Bam-Bam dropped to her knees. “Good God,” she whispered as the battle commenced outside.

  Shattershot was horrified by what he’d triggered. “The citizens…” he murmured in a daze.

  Greyson smiled, feeling his aches subside. This was working out far better than expected. “That’s the point.”

  Shattershot whirled on him sharply. “You wanted this.” This wasn’t a question.

  Greyson didn’t bother denying. The freedom felt amazing. “Took a detour, but yes.”

  Heartbreak cracked Shattershot’s face. He backpedaled. “Why?”

  Greyson struggled to his feet. The pain from Erika’s hot knives was mostly gone. More shuddering impact from outside sounded. “Because…I am Damocles.” Saying his name aloud filled him with courage. “I’m shedding light on The Natural Born Thrillers and their duplicity.” He swept his arm around them. “Look how quickly they betray you.” Greyson turned back to his flabbergasted friend. “These virtuous heroes are really dangerous hypocrites. Now the city of Shenandoah will bear witness.”

  Shattershot’s face scrunched in revulsion. “You’re a monster.” He tapped this temple to employ his abilities.

  Greyson offered a slow smile, feeling no different than before. Preparation paid off. “How will you stop me with my dampener?”

  Shattershot gulped. “What…you—?” A blur moved from behind, cracking him over the head. He sank without a sound.

  Bam-Bam stood over him, awash with regret.

  Greyson nodded in gratitude. A deafening boom echoed from the streets, followed by the crackle of massive electricity. “Thank you.”

  Bam-Bam smiled. “The effects of Shattershot’s power will last at least twenty more minutes,” she advised.

  “That’s more than enough time,” Greyson acknowledged. Erika couldn’t stop all three of her rogue teammates. “Now kindly evacuate.” He pivoted to face the gaping wound in the wall. Excitement washed away the last of his aches and pains. “There’s work to be done.”

  Chapter 40

  Hugo awoke to J-Tom at his side shaking him. He blinked and evaluated his situation, on some cot in a small and sparse room. Everything hurt from the beating the Forces of Nature gave him, but less than before. Oddly, the top part of his costume had been removed. Two other heartbeats were in the room.

  Hugo jolted to a sitting position. “Whoa. Where—?”

  J-Tom caught his shoulders. “Easy.” Her freckles stood out on her pale skin, as did her short-sleeved black shirt. “You’re in the Clubhouse.”

  Hugo glanced around and relaxed. No wonder the room seemed familiar. AJ and Zelda sat in chairs near the foot of the bed. His brother was relieved, his sister furious. That conversation won’t be fun. The top half of his costume lay beside him, charred and blackened. Hugo looked down and shuddered. Dark-red blisters covered his chest. He turned again to J-Tom. “How—?”

  “I found you and brought you here.” She withdrew her hands from his shoulders. His friend ran fingers though her tight ponytail, nodding at the silvery suitcase by her seat. “When I mimicked the stealth mode in your suit, I also developed a way to track it.”

  Hugo nodded. “Smart.” He fuzzily replayed the fight in his mind and felt incredibly foolish. That would have gone differently with backup. “How long was I out?”

  “Brought you here twenty minutes ago.” By how J-Tom pursed her lips, she had lots of thoughts.

  “Geesh.” Hugo swung his legs off the bed. His chest muscles spasmed at the sudden movement. But he forced himself to meet J-Tom and his siblings’ stares. “Go ahead.”

  J-Tom didn’t look pleased with whatever she wanted to say. “I’d say I told you so—”

  “I will,” Zelda popped up, coppery curls bouncing. “Dumbass!”

  AJ rose and gently hauled her away before she could say more.

  Hugo had no defense. He’d deserved it. “You’re right, ZiZi.” A new fear struck. “The earthquake!”

  “5.6 magnitude,” J-Tom replied. “Lasted seventeen seconds.” She glanced away, as if recalling something. “Could’ve been worse. But the Forces of Nature are still trashing Atascadero.”

  Hugo noticed how quiet AJ had been. “You alright, uso?”

  AJ’s eyes were shrink-wrapped with tears. “They almost killed you.” His voice was thick. “Like the Elite.”

  That was a razorblade of shame through Hugo’s gut. The canned response would’ve been that risk was part of the job. Say that to a boy who’d lost his father two years ago… He bowed his head. “Sorry…”

  “Hey, guys,” J-Tom addressed the two kids. “Give us a moment?”

  Once Zelda and AJ closed the door behind them, Hugo pushed upright. Every tendon ached.

  Whatever wince he’d made must’ve been bad. J-Tom was at his side immediately, arms around his waist to support him. “I wanted to protect you,” Hugo confessed. “After what happened in Seattle.” Almost losing J-Tom— his trainee, his responsibility—still haunted him.

  J-Tom’s face emptied. “Hugo.” She held him tighter. “Since summer, you’ve showered me with love. And I let you, because you make me feel special.” She rolled her eyes and smiled. “And gooey. But if I’m going to be a hero, you have to believe in me. Like I believe in you.” She held his gaze pointedly.

  Hugo’s shame deepened. For months, he’d only seen J-Tom as this fragile flower needing to be protected. Now Hugo saw only her inner strength shining bright. “Okay.”

  A cheeky smile slashed her face. “I got a big surprise for that Alluvion guy.”

  J-Tom’s eagerness was infectious. A desire for payback against the Forces of Nature ignited through Hugo. But he couldn’t deny the numbers disadvantage. “We’re shorthanded.”

  J-Tom's smile broadened. “Well…not exactly.”

  Hugo raised his brow, dialing up his superhearing, and listened. AJ and Zelda weren’t alone outside.

  J-Tom stood on her tiptoes and kissed his mouth. “Gear up,” she ordered in a low and sassy voice, nodding at the folded Aegis suit under Zelda’s chair.

  Hugo marveled at J-Tom bending over to activate the silver suitcase armor. The metal suit unfurled, shifted, and morphed over J-Tom as she stood—operating much faster than the last build.

  Despite the many mistakes he’d made since becoming Aegis, telling J-Tom his secret had been the best. I probably should tell her about Brie. That still hadn’t sunk in.
But Hugo knew now wasn’t the time.

  He grabbed his spare costume, changing in seconds.

  When he and J-Tom stepped out into the Clubhouse’s main atrium in costume, Hugo saw his gaggle of visitors. All were bathed in the light of monitors broadcasting the devastation of Atascadero. Hugo could only glimpse the footage in quick glimpses. Watching the Forces of Nature drop more victims was salt in a gaping wound. His gaze landed on the nearest visitor. “Max.”

  The petite teen werewolf advanced toward him in a denim jacket and jeans, wild brunette tresses flowing down one shoulder. “You alright?” Concern filled her sun-kissed features.

  “Been better—OW!” Hugo recoiled when Max slapped him upside the head. That actually hurt, given her immense strength. Some other guests chuckled.

  Max’s eyes glowed an eerie, angry yellow. “Why didn’t you get backup?”

  Hugo gave a sheepish shrug. “I’m stubborn.”

  “I like that girl,” Zelda remarked from the corner she and AJ stood in.

  Hugo ignored his sister and scanned the allies before him. Blackjack, a tall and brawny figure dressed in all-black with his bandana mask. His partner, Domino, had on her blood-red costume and goggles. The vigilantes flanked their pink-haired ward, Cherry Blossom, who surveyed her surroundings with wide eyes. Justice Jones nodded, wearing a cutoff hoodie that displayed his burly and tattoo-sleeved arms. He glared a hole into Hugo but no longer with disdain.

  Shocking Hugo more was Jones’s companion. Becky Knox wore a sleeveless leather romper, purple hair in a tight ponytail, built like an Amazonian. She had on her usual blasé face. This was the last person Hugo wanted here. “I thought you don’t get involved.”

  Becky studied the Clubhouse with dispassionate sweeps. “A fistful of assholes attacked my city.”

  Hugo never got to question Becky about Saracen. And now wasn’t the time either. On the monitors, another local business collapsed in flames thanks to Hellfire and his stupid-ass manbun.

  Hugo glared daggers into Becky until she shrank back in discomfort. Then he faced Justice Jones.

  The Outlaw Superhero shook his head. “You got your ass kicked, youngblood.”

  Hugo actually laughed. “No shit.”

  “I got your back.” Justice Jones raised a fist, which Hugo bumped.

  Blackjack chimed in. “Us, too, and we couldn't get a babysitter.”

  Hugo studied Cherry Blossom, shy and barely making eye contact. A total opposite of the raging tyke bomb from before. Still, her powers could help… “How much control does she have?” Hugo asked.

  Domino exchanged a wary look with Blackjack. “Improving,” she stated stiffly.

  Cherry Blossom stared up at Hugo and rattled off something in sharp Japanese.

  J-Tom stepped forward. “Sakura…” She continued…in modulated Japanese.

  Cherry Blossom gaped, then nodded gleefully as if acing a pop quiz.

  Heads turned, including Hugo’s. “You speak Japanese?”

  “Fluently,” J-Tom replied. The eyes of her helmet pulsed blue. “Sakura means Cherry Blossom in Japanese. And she wants to blow these four away.”

  Becky looked impressed. “That’s my kind of violence.”

  Justice Jones cracked his bull-like neck, cool as ice. “We roll into Atascadero guns blazing and beat the shit out of these punks,” he summarized as if conferring a tailgating plan.

  Max rubbed her hands together. Becky Knox cracked her knuckles.

  Hugo winced, wishing things were that simple. “Atascadero’s a distraction. Like Seattle, Colorado, Montana, and South Carolina,” Hugo explained. “Someone’s stealing kaiju remains from laboratories while the Forces of Natures create disasters.” He paused, realizing how insane this sounded.

  But from this crowd, the most extreme reaction was Max’s exclamation of “Crazy.”

  “Hold on.” Hugo needed to know if San Miguel PD had success at Cambria. He strode over to the consoles and dialed them up. They answered after the first ring. “Detective,” he greeted.

  “Aegis.” Dawson’s voice filled the chamber. “You had us worried for a sec.”

  Hugo cringed. Did everyone see him get owned? “I’ll manage. What’s the word on Salto’s Cambria lab?”

  “No intruders.” Disappointment bled into Dawson’s tenor. By the background sounds, Hugo guessed five other officers were present. “And with that new earthquake, police are spread all over the city.”

  Hugo glanced at his allies with a half-smile. “I got backup covered.”

  “How?”

  “Text me the Morro Bay lab address.” Hugo’s mind landed on another ally. “Is Ballistic near Atascadero?”

  “Yep,” Dawson confirmed. “Evacuating civilians.”

  “Send me his number.” After ending the call, Hugo turned to address his allies when another call pinged the console. He saw the number, bristled, but answered anyway. “Polymer.”

  “Hu—”

  “Not alone!” Hugo interrupted.

  “Sorry!” Polymer exclaimed. “Are you okay? Can I help?”

  Hugo straightened in confusion. “Are you back in San Miguel?”

  “I’ve been helping search and rescue with someone named Ballistic,” Polymer admitted.

  Hugo couldn’t believe his luck. Bothersome or not, Polymer had EMT training and could be useful. “Perfect. Meet us at the borders of Colony Square in fifteen minutes.”

  After the call, Hugo turned to see all eyes on him. Justice Jones stood in front. “Whatcha thinking, kid?”

  Hugo blinked. It took a moment to grasp that he was quarterbacking this mission. And holy shit!

  Justice Jones would’ve been more qualified. But after his beatdown, Hugo needed redemption.

  Thankfully, some form of a plan bubbled up. “We use two squads. I attack the Forces of Nature with Cherry Blossom, Ballistic, and Arclight,” Hugo pronounced, containing his panic. “Blackjack and Domino help with rescue and watching Cherry Blossom. Justice, Max, and Becky stop the lab robbery. Arclight then joins them with Polymer.” AJ and Zelda grinned proudly at him in the back.

  Hearing no reaction, Hugo spread his arms invitingly. “Thoughts?”

  Justice Jones scratched his stubble and gave an approving nod. “Damn good plan.”

  That settled Hugo greatly. He considered Max, still in human form. Completely shifting unlocked her full werewolf powers but had drawbacks—like clothing. “How good has your partial shifts gotten?”

  Max’s eyes lit up. “Funny you should ask.” She vibrated, limbs extending, fur sprouting off her skin.

  J-Tom gasped. Seconds later, Max was covered in a coat of dark fur with a more lupine face and yellow eyes. But she still resembled a humanoid in clothes. She whirled, hair whipping about. “What do you think?” Max sounded like herself, except for the growling undercurrent in her tone.

  Hugo nodded. This just might work. “Perfect. Let’s move.”

  Everyone dispersed and headed for the Clubhouse exit. Hugo’s nerves were all over the place, leading a team into battle. What the hell? But he caught Becky by herself, adjusting her golden bracelets.

  He walked up, grabbed her arm, and leaned close. “I know you’re working for Saracen,” he murmured, feeling Becky’s heart skip. “If you fuck us, there will be consequences.” He let the warning linger.

  “That’s why you’re acting squirrely.” Becky jerked out of his grip. “I’m on your side,” she hissed. “So’s he.” Becky marched away, clearly rattled. Her gall was breathtaking.

  Hugo forced himself to stay pokerfaced when addressing AJ and Zelda. “Tell your mom I’m handling this situation,” he told his sister quietly. When Zelda nodded, Hugo high-fived both his siblings.

  J-Tom lingered after the others left. Her helmet had no features, but her posture held a clear question.

  “Watch Becky Knox,” he whispered. “You see fuckery, you drop her.”

  “Done,” J-Tom stated automatically.

  Exactly the loyalt
y Hugo expected. The pair departed to join the team.

  Chapter 41

  The world beyond this building erupted while Greyson leaned against a paint-chipped wall to recover. Screams filled the night, combined with crackling electricity and the thump-thump of footfall.

  Tears of joy filled his eyes after hearing this. His plan was coming to life.

  “Hirsch?” Connie’s voice sounded behind him. She appeared, carrying a bag.

  Farther back, Bam-Bam dragged an unconscious Shattershot away.

  Connie shivered. “It’s World War 3 out there.”

  Greyson smiled as she reached for him. “As planned.” Never had her nearness felt as nourishing.

  She slipped a hand around his waist in visible concern. “You okay?”

  Greyson smiled, brushing away the tears. “Could be better.” He nodded at her bag. “Do you have it?”

  Connie’s reaction was reproachful. “Of course.” She reached deep into the bag, pulling out his golden human-shaped Damocles mask. Now he was ready.

  “Good.” Greyson gazed upon the final piece in his mission. Another wave of screams followed by the sounds of colliding cars reached their attention. He nodded at Bam-Bam struggling to move Shattershot “Help Bam-Bam get Shattershot out of here.”

  Connie pulled Greyson into a fulsome kiss. When she stepped back, her eyes danced with want. “Do your worst.”

  Heady warmth refreshed Greyson. “Always. Be safe, love.”

  Once Connie moved to help Bam-Bam, Greyson pulled the mask over his head and negated his tether to the ground. He floated through the breach created by Bulldozer.

  A smattering of burning overturned cars served as torches to illuminate the dark neighborhood.

  Greyson took one sweeping stare up and down the street and swallowed a startled gasp. This couldn’t be the same boulevard he’d walked down several minutes beforehand. All Greyson saw were people fleeing in every direction. Bodies lay everywhere, trampled or electrocuted or buried under rubble commemorating Paragon Day. Police cars were shredded in half, with officers injured or dismembered.