Blaze of Glory

Saving the world is easy for a superhero—unless you’re a fraud.

Jo Tanis is a superhero, fighting evil on the city streets, using her ability to feed off electromagnetic energy and fire off charges—and it’s all just a show. The Agency captures her and others like her when their powers begin to manifest, pitting them against each other in staged, gladiatorial fights. An explosive implant on the back of her neck assures she’ll keep right on smiling for the camera and beating up the bad guys. When Earth comes under attack, suddenly the show becomes deadly real. Unable to deal with a real alien, the “supers” are falling in droves. Millions of innocent civilians are going to die…unless Jo can cobble together a team from among the fake heroes and villains the Agency enslaved. Including Hunter, who not only promises to show her how to deactivate the implants, but seems to know more than he should about how the mysterious Agency operates. Forcing a rag-tag bunch of former enemies to work together is the least of Jo’s problems. The trick is determining if Hunter is friend or foe—and becoming the hero everyone thought she was before the world is destroyed for real.

Warning: Contains superhero in-jokes, Canadiana and large alien craft shaped like avocados. Really.

eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. Samhain Publishing, Ltd. 577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520 Macon GA 31201 Blaze of Glory Copyright © 2010 by Sheryl Nantus ISBN: 978-1-60504-984-7 Edited by Sasha Knight Cover by Kanaxa All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: April 2010 www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory Sheryl Nantus

Dedication

For my husband, who never let me give up on myself, and SK, who saw the diamond in the rough and decided to dig it out.

Chapter One

I knew there was a problem when I saw Ace spit out a mouthful of blood and teeth, staining his snowwhite uniform down the front and covering the big black A on his chest. “What’s going on?” Mike walked out from the bathroom, a white towel wrapped around his ebony middle and barely doing the job. I didn’t take my eyes off the television screen, despite the obvious distraction. “Ace is getting his ass kicked and he’s losing.” I sucked in my breath through my front teeth as Ace took another punch to the gut. “Didn’t see this on the schedule.” “It’s not.” Mike sat beside me, grabbing the remote from the table. I caught the edge of a frown out of the corner of my eye. “There’s nothing scheduled today.” “Well, someone’s kicking the crap out of him. Must have been a late addition.” The air between us began to shimmer just slightly. I closed my eyes and tried to focus, take it down a notch. I’d learnt how to control my powers without thinking, but every now and then I’d slip up and start seeing the electromagnetic waves around us. It was like staring through a bad set of prescription glasses, all fuzzy and out of perspective. A second more and the world was back in focus. For now, at least. Mike sounded stressed and that wasn’t a good thing, and I knew that we were about thirty seconds away from going live or from having a rip-roaring argument about something. The sound tones told me he was dialing a phone, probably his direct line to the Agency. I hadn’t ever asked for the number; never wanted it. Not that I would have gotten it, anyway. “What the fuck is going on?” he roared into the phone. “I said…” His anger died down as the siren went off from where it was mounted in the corner of the living room, turning off the television set and all external lights other than the spiraling red light and the most annoying noise I knew. “Mount up, Jo.” I opened my eyes to see him standing in front of me, the towel in danger of agreeing with gravity. His eyes were steel—cold blue steel. “We’re going out.” I didn’t really have much to do, not compared to Mike. While I went into my bedroom and put on my outfit, he walked into the far room, out past the kitchen where the technicians had assembled, ready to strap him into a walking tank. A few minutes later I trotted in to join him. “What’s wrong?” I tugged on my gloves. “We’re not supposed to be on for another few days. Rematch with Danny Digger.”

Blaze of Glory

“There’s an alien ship hovering over New York City. Looks like a giant fat green avocado.” He climbed up the stepladder and into the harness and lay back, letting the techs go to work slapping on the metal plates that would turn him into Metal Mike, my sidekick. “Yeah, I saw that on CNN with their coverage of Ace.” The warped metal gave me a nice view of myself. I’d grabbed the first thing out of the closet, thankfully not the sleek leather costume the Agency demanded for the big-ticket fights. It wasn’t that the outfit was impractical or anything, but the tight leather was almost too tight. Still, it got the fanboys kicking and the merchandise sales went up every time I wore it. Along with, I expect, the superhero porn. I really didn’t need a sexy nickname like Dominatrix. Who, for the record, kicks ass when she gets sober and in gear. Today I looked like a middle-aged woman out for a nice stroll in a leather jacket and jeans, almost the opposite of what a superhero was supposed to look like. “Figured it was part of the show.” “It’s not. It isn’t.” Mike’s voice boomed out as the helmet slammed home over his head. “You ready to go?” I smiled, levitating up to stare at him eye-to-eye. “Always.” “Then grab the back and hang on—we’re going supersonic as soon as we can. No time to show off for the kids.” Usually I didn’t ride shotgun. It really didn’t cultivate the best image to have you seen riding into battle on the back of a giant robot in some weird piggyback game. But right now I didn’t know what the hell was going on, and from the nervous sweat trickling down Mike’s face I knew it couldn’t be good. It took a few minutes for us to get to the roof, the freight elevator groaning under the weight of Mike’s suit as usual. The techs had disappeared into the woodwork, back down to the floor beneath our condominium where they’d be working the stats and the computers and telling Mike anything he needed to know. Mike. Not me. Not that I didn’t want to know, but I didn’t have the security clearance. None of the supers did. The ceiling opened up in the elevator as we hit the roof, cool night air racing in. The oversized boots began to warm up, spouting out grey smoke that rolled over our feet like some sort of ghostly fog. Mike looked up at the sky. “Going to be sunset by the time we hit New York.” “Yeah.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “What’s going on?” I moved to grab the steel bar on his back, white-knuckling it. “Something no one planned for.” The voice rumbled in my ears. “Locked in?” The shimmering waves surrounding me settled into a nice placid blue, intermingling with those coming from Metal Mike. Gently I wove them together where my hands were, securing the hold. “Five by five,” I whispered, knowing he’d hear me through the link.

www.samhainpublishing.com

7

Sheryl Nantus

We lifted off into a clear blue sky that was getting darker by the second. I spotted a few flashes below us, tourists who had come out for a sunset viewing of Niagara Falls and instead got the chance to spot the local celebrities taking off from their private penthouse heading for…well, something they’d read about soon enough. Rumor had it we were the second most popular attraction after the Falls and that’s on the Canadian side of the border—I had insisted on keeping a Canadian home base in my contract. It gave me a sense of at least trying to do my country proud. “So what’s up?” The cool air rushed by us as he gained altitude, ripping through the clouds like paper. There was no use in trying to shout. Within hours of my “recruitment”, the Agency had installed a sweet little microphone in my jaw and accompanying receiver in my ear to allow me to communicate with Mike without trying to scream. Not with my permission, of course, but that was beside the point. All I had do was whisper the words and he’d hear them. We called it a link for the sake of making it sound high-tech and less scary. “Agency’s freaking. Big time.” There was a note of fear in his voice, something I’d never heard before. Not in two years of playing superhero and sidekick, of taking on bad guys like Duke Krasher and Maestro Maniac. He went supersonic and the world blurred around me as we shot out over Lake Ontario. I increased my grip on the bar even though I knew that, in theory, I’d be able to use my power to surf the waves safely back to dry land if for some reason Mike broke down or I had to let go. In theory. The metallic voice stuttered into my ears. “Okay, first—this is between thee and me, and if you love me you’ll take this seriously the first time I say it.” I nodded. He could see me on the external cameras. “The Agency is freaking because there was no fight scheduled for today. Ace was supposed to be standing down. He had a brawl three days ago with DominAce and he was still pretty sore.” “I caught it on the delayed feed. One helluva fight.” I couldn’t help smiling. “He took her downtown and then back up again.” Mike gave a rough chuckle. “Yeah, it was a good one. She really bitched about taking a few shots to the face. She likes staying pretty. Even with being invulnerable and all.” “It’s a girl thang. We don’t like being slapped around.” He grunted in response. “Anyway, he was on downtime until the call came in that an alien ship had suddenly appeared over New York City, hovering over the Hudson. Straight local news feed, no official Agency alert.” I frowned. “So someone else was assigned to take out the big, bad alien invaders. I remember when they did that three years ago. Great for the ratings, if I recall correctly. Pissed off a few Hollywood moguls ’cause we had better special effects than the upcoming summer blockbuster.” “You were still in training.” Mike’s metal body jerked a bit, leveling out quickly. “Sorry ’bout that.”

8

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“I watched it in the lounge. Sorry I missed it.” In my mind’s eye I was back at the Agency trying to figure out what the hell had happened to me and what was going to happen to me if I fucked up the training. Already we’d had a few rookies disappear out of the dorm and rumor had it they’d just been removed. I’d never tried to find out if they’d been shoved into the supervillains program or if they’d just had their plugs tapped. Didn’t pay to ask too many questions then or now. Mike’s voice brought me back to the present as we cut over the edge of New York State. “Guy comes out of the ship yelling something about taking on our greatest warriors. Says it in English, of all things.” “English?” My body bumped against the metal shell as we changed altitude. “So it was fixed?” “Not by anyone we know. The Agency got on the horn with Russia, Mexico, the EU—anyone who has a program. No one had any sort of exchange arrangement set up. Besides, been years since the last one, and Venezuela is still claiming they won that scrap.” The fields below us began to grow larger, the roads less like loose hairs spread out across a brown and green canvas. I could see the cars on the highway jockeying for position on their way somewhere that I’d had once. A home. “So it’s a rogue?” My face felt cold, the shield protecting me from freezing to death starting to wear thin. “Can you get a bit lower? I’m losing a bit of integrity here…” “Sorry.” Metal Mike dipped down suddenly, almost causing me to lose my grip. “Better?” A bit of concentration, and the waves around our bodies shifted again, melding together with a warming that took the edge off my chilled body. “Much. Thanks.” I could hear the smile in his words. “I forget that you’re not invulnerable.” “Only in my mind.” “Anyway, the Agency put out a call for any supers in the area who could respond, to answer. Ace’s Guardian, Dan Fremont, asked Ace if he was up to it.” The setting sun was in my eyes now, blinding me as we circled around, staying clear of the air traffic in the area. “And Ace wanted another notch in his gun belt.” “Something like that. I never knew you were the jealous type.” “Jealous of a guy with super strength and able to withstand having a tank tossed at him? Pshaw!” The metal back wobbled a bit, and I knew he was laughing inside. It was a welcome change from the serious stuff we were discussing. “So Ace answers the call of duty and gets his game on,” I continued. “And who else?” “Well, we’re not sure,” Mike admitted. “Because as soon as Ace showed up all hell broke loose with this guy slamming him into the ground and smacking him silly.” “I believe that’s where we came in.” The tall spires of New York City weren’t that far ahead of us, the jagged metal mountain range alit with not only the evening lights of a city that never sleeps but also random gunfire and more than a few city blocks ablaze. “Holy…”

www.samhainpublishing.com

9

Sheryl Nantus

“Yeah.” Mike swallowed. “It’s a bad one.” “How bad?” My hands felt very cold, despite the gloves. “Ace has just been confirmed dead. Along with three other A-listers.” He paused, gave a heavy sigh. “And we’re going in next.” I’d seen buildings on fire; we all had. There wasn’t much to do other than try to stay clear of the flames and hope the firefighters could do their job while we fought around them. But so many of them and so many people in the streets… “Focus, Jo,” Mike barked into my ear as we circled the scene. “Focus and start charging up.” Sucking as much air as I could into my lungs, I spotted the waves around us and started to pull them inside myself, booting and filling up what I had been taught to think of as a capacitor in the core of my body. It was a hell of a long way away from working in a bookstore. “We’ve got reinforcements as well. Tan and Black; Davie Lyon.” Mike ground his teeth, sending stuttering Morse-code-like static down the line. “Lost Aviator and Jane Doe already.” The pounding in my ears increased. “Two Alphas? What the hell are we going to do?” “What we always do, girlfriend.” The rolling joke didn’t lighten the weight on my heart. “We save the world.” We spun around, feet in the air, and spiraled down towards the center of the fighting, or what Mike guessed was the center. All I knew was that with the rush of civilians out of the area and the police and National Guard rushing to get into the area that it wasn’t good. The Agency didn’t like getting civilians involved. Only supers fought supers. Of course, that was when we just beat each other senseless and went away to fight another day. The sinking feeling in my stomach told me those days were long, long gone. We landed near a Starbucks that had already been half-destroyed, the windows shattered and a few stragglers walking out through the door with coffee machines. Mike pulled himself up to his full height of ten feet and hit the external speakers. “Drop the loot and get the fuck out of here.” The kids stared at him as if they’d never seen a giant robot before. “I said, drop the stuff and go home.” He raised one hand towards the sky, displaying the Gatling gun prominently placed on his forearm. “You really don’t want to be my warm-up exercise, do you?” The looters split and ran, one tough guy holding up his pants with his right hand as the other troublemakers sprinted past him to safety. “You’ve got a way with kids, you know?” I put my hands on my hips and scowled at the mess. “You’d think they’d have better things to do than steal coffee beans.” “As we do.” The metal hand pointed down the street. “We’re going to rendezvous with Tan there, in the doorway.”

10

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

I didn’t try to argue. Mike had always been the tactician, mostly because he had the Agency connection. Me, all I had was a plug and orders to do what I was told. Tan and I had met only once, at a brawl in Detroit where they had been trying to evaluate whether I could work with a partner or not. Metal Mike wasn’t really a partner for me under the rules, him being a Guardian and all, and the Agency thought that Tan was possibly a good match. It had all the subtlety of dog breeders trying to decide which bitch to breed with which stud. Tan had laughed about it after we had taken out the tag team composed of Smiling Mick and Dancing Damsel. Not exactly a challenge, but I had gotten pinned under Mick after he slammed a door into the side of my head, eerily reminiscent of how I got fucked up in the first place. He had been sparking up and getting ready to do a sweet little bit of electroshock therapy when Tan slammed into him with righteous fury and rolled him like a cat would a ball of string across the street and into the parked car. Ratings had been good for that one but not enough to justify making us a team. Not to mention that Tan had decided during that broadcast to come out of the closet and declare his homosexuality, live on the air. I adored him for being so honest, but the Agency had freaked and kept him single until the chance to team him up with another man had appeared. “Hey.” Tan staggered out of the shadows. He bent over, wheezing as he tried to catch his breath and spitting out a mouthful of blood. I couldn’t do anything but stand beside him, rubbing his back as he coughed up more blood. His skin still had that deep tan that had given him his nickname despite his pleas to come up with something more…well, macho. “This is bad.” I looked at Mike, unable to read his emotions through the faceplate. “Could be internal injuries.” “Probably is.” Tan stood back up again, both hands on the base of his spine. He closed his eyes. “Black’s down.” Mike turned and began to stride down the street. “I’ll see you there.” I grabbed Tan’s arm. “What’s happening? What’s going on?” “I don’t know.” Tan drew another pained breath, his left hand hugging his ribs. “It’s just one guy but he’s killing us. Literally.” He smiled at me, revealing the loss of more than a few teeth. “Go keep the big guy out of trouble. I’ll be there in a minute when I catch my breath.” Levitating a few feet above the ground, I watched him, feeling tears prick my eyes. “Be careful.” “You be careful.” He thumped his chest with a closed fist. “I’m the one with the GQ cover.” The effort bent him over again, coughing up more blood. “Don’t hold back. This guy’s got more power than anyone we’ve seen before.” I nodded, moving away slowly. There was a screaming sound around the corner, of metal tearing and warping. A woman raced into sight holding up some sort of small video camera. She stopped upon seeing me and Tan, her mouth opening and closing without a sound.

www.samhainpublishing.com

11

Sheryl Nantus

“Take him to the paramedics.” I nodded at Tan as I flew past the astonished civilian. My gloved hands clenched into fists. Mike was standing at the center of it all, deflecting blue energy blasts from the alien attacker who hovered about ten feet above a crater dug deep in the asphalt. I saw Black curled up in a fetal position against the side of a car, his head caved in on one side and his sightless eyes staring at me as his brains pooled on the ground. This wasn’t even beginning to be a fair fight. The attacker turned towards me, ignoring Metal Mike for a second. I must have seemed sort of puny, a woman in black just staring at him with a dazed expression. Part of that was because he appeared, well, like a man. No tentacles, no spiky tail waving around in the air, nothing. He looked like a thousand other guys I’d passed in the street—blond and blue-eyed with a pretty good physique. His uniform wasn’t anything fancy, just a blue dress shirt and black dress pants— hardly the clothing of your average alien invader. Not that I knew much about the idea. But I sure as hell didn’t expect some guy out of a fashion magazine. He looked like the barista who made my morning coffee down at the corner Starbucks. The other aspect of seeming dazed was part of a game plan Mike and I thought up years ago. It worked best on new villains who didn’t clue into the fact that Mike was the sidekick and I was the superhero. Focus their attention on the big man in the iron suit and forget the little girl hanging off to one side. It grabbed high ratings every time we pulled it off. With a roar Mike set off both lasers from his arms, channeling the energy of the entire small nuclear reactor on his back into two devastating shots. In the past it’d been enough to knock the bad guy on his butt and give us the win. It was a one-time-only shot—Mike would be totally defenseless for five minutes after it—but it was a game-winner. Or it had been in the past. The dual blast caught our attacker square in the chest. I studied the alien fighter as the red light spiraled around him, enveloping him in what would probably be a lethal amount of heat and light. The man took a deep breath and inhaled the laser attack through his open mouth. Then exhaled it back at Mike. I saw the blast hit Mike squarely in the center of his chest plate. The metal buckled and screamed under the attack as the humanoid robot suit fell back onto the concrete. His arms flailed in the air as he tried to roll over—it’d always been one of the suit’s problems that hadn’t ever been fixed ’cause they never choreographed anyone turning him into a ten-ton turtle. “No!” Raising both hands, I focused all the trapped energy I had gathered into the palms of my hands. Fifty thousand volts of electricity and power and energy all aimed at one man. I’d never tossed that much at a single person before, usually only enough to send a shock through their system and shut them down like a

12

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

taser blast. This was lethal, and I’d never had permission to use that much force before. I figured it was worth the extra paperwork. The release shot me back ten feet as the blue light sprang from my palms and nailed the stranger right in the chest, ripping what appeared to be a smile from his face. The jagged bolts shattered all over his body, bouncing from one point to another, one finger to another, to his head to his nose to his teeth and hopefully across his heart, shutting it down. I landed on my ass, gasping for air. Around me I spotted the electromagnetic waves from everything and everyone and began to suck them back into me just in case I needed a second blast to take this guy down. There wasn’t time for a full recharge. I’d never had to do this so quickly. “Sweetie…” Mike’s anguished voice whispered in my ear. “This guy’s packing serious heat.” “No kidding.” I snarled as the electrical cloud around the alien dissipated, leaving him in perfect condition. His damned shirt wasn’t even burned. Scrambling to my feet, I worked the waves back around me and into my hands again, feeling the sensitive metal fibers in the gloves begin to burn with the heat. “Don’t do it.” My Guardian rolled onto his side, pushing himself upwards with a weariness that translated through the burnt and scorched metal. “Save it, Jo.” “This guy’s got to go down.” Clenching my teeth, I fired off a blast, maybe half-strength if I was lucky. The alien rotated to stare at me, a confused look on his face. “Jo, you’ve got to get the hell out of here.” Mike moved to a kneeling position. His labored breathing was loud in my ears. “This guy’s not alone. Just got the word, there’s alien ships appearing all over the world. And they’re all dropping guys who are killing anyone and anything that’s thrown at them.” “What?” Scooping the waves up from around me, I raced to weave them together and into my palms. “The Alphas are dying.” Metal Mike lumbered to his feet, one steel leg shattered to the point I could not only see the damned skeleton that held it together, I could see Mike’s ebony skin. “Every nation’s sent out their A-list and they’re all going down.” “That’s impossible,” I blustered. “Impossible.” The stranger was watching me intently as I tossed another blast at his head. Raising one hand, he swatted it away, ignoring me and advancing on Mike. Mike jumped up and grabbed both feet of the intruder. “Jo, get out of here. If you stay here, you’ll be killed.” He slammed back to the ground, his feet digging huge holes in the concrete. The suit wobbled for a second before falling backwards, leaving Mike flat on his back, both metal fists clenched around the feet of the invader. “Mike!” I sent off another blast, the weakest yet. It bounced off the man’s head as he levitated back to stand upright on Mike’s chest.

www.samhainpublishing.com

13

Sheryl Nantus

Mike kept his grip on the black leather shoes. “Just go!” he roared. “I’m setting this baby on overload. Maybe it’ll take this bastard out.” “What?” I moved a bit closer, sucking up another series of waves. “You can’t do that, you’ll destroy the city.” “Limited casualties.” The wheezing grew stronger in my ear. “It’s not a full meltdown; it’s all measured out. A feature we never thought we’d have to use.” The blond man was staring down at him with a puzzled look, almost of sadness, as the metal fingers kept a firm grip on the feet. “Jo, it’ll take out about five city blocks. Agency says it’s a go, so get the fuck out of here and save yourself.” A beeping began in my ear. “Less than a minute.” “I’m not leaving you here.” The weakest shot yet, barely enough to earn me a glance from the stranger. “It’s not an option.” The voice grew fainter. “Lyon’s down; you saw what happened to Black and Tan. Don’t be an idiot, someone’s got to rally the troops.” “The Agency…” “The Agency’s panicking. Everyone is.” Mike coughed. “Save yourself, then save the world. That’s always been the deal, girlfriend.” “Mike…” “Get your ass out of here before I take you with me.” He yelled in my ear so loudly that I instinctively shot into the air, obeying my Guardian’s last order. As I rose higher and higher I spotted the police and firemen racing to clear the area—obviously the word had gone out that something was going to happen, something bad enough that they didn’t mind sacrificing a few city blocks in order to stop these guys. A last, soft voice in my ear. “Hey, girl…kick ass for me.” A supernova appeared far below me, rising up to devour the buildings and anyone who wasn’t fast enough to get out of the blast radius. The shock wave rolled towards me, a shimmering ripple racing outward that I knew I couldn’t escape. So I rolled onto my back, stared up at the sky and let it carry me off into darkness where I could imagine I was safe in bed with Mike, watching another late-night brawl in Japan between Osuki and Gojira with the bad translations and the taste of hot buttered popcorn on Mike’s lips.

14

www.samhainpublishing.com

Chapter Two

There was something wet on my lips, something tapping and withdrawing and tapping again at my mouth. But it wasn’t Mike—it was something cold and wet and metallic and tasted like… I opened my eyes. A clump of grass flapped at me, anchored to a small sand dune. Right beside it a lazy wave slid up the beach and into my face then retreated, leaving an ugly green sludge beside me. Which had me skittering to my feet as fast as I could. I knew what that particular algae was and didn’t want to get any closer to it than I already had. As it was I had an overwhelming urge to throw up and start drinking bleach to disinfect every inch of my body. I was home. In Toronto, Canada. To be exact, on a beach near Parkdale—one of the smaller neighborhoods in the city. And when I say beach don’t think about Florida white sand and Bermuda blue oceans, think of a foot or two of gravelly dirty sand that leads into thin grass and then to parkland. Canada didn’t have a lot of great scenic beaches, but you made the best of what you had. Which also included many days where the beaches were closed due to too much E. coli wandering up from the lake and turning the water into a biological terror for those brave enough to go out for a swim. There was a reason why public swimming pools were always full on the hottest days and the beaches empty. Shaking my head, I forced the last of the lake water from my ponytail and looked around. It was about dawn and I was miles away from the explosion, probably auto-routed in my near unconscious state after the shock wave had hit. Darned lucky too. I wasn’t usually that good at surfing the waves, as it were. My sneakers were soaked where they had been dragging in the water, and my feet felt like two dead fish. Squishing with every step, I made my way to the path and then up to the street corner only a few minutes from the lakeshore. Mike was dead. Of that there was no doubt. He had told me once about the possibility of him having to overload his suit, but I hadn’t really paid much attention. “It’ll have to be something bad,” he’d mumbled into the pillow as I watched the images on television. It was a rematch of Ace versus Downtown Brown, and I was curious to see if the Agency would change their mind and let Brown win this time. It was a long shot, but there was always a chance… “Why would you do that?” I glanced at the set, stealing more of the sheets away from him with a twist of my body. “It’s always fixed.”

Sheryl Nantus

His cool blue eyes caught mine, grabbed them and held them. “Never take any of this for granted. Me, you, this…it could all change in an instant.” “Yeah. Right.” I waved him away. “Ace’ll take this one, you watch.” I had been right and he had been right. For all the good it did. The morning traffic had started along King Street, the red streetcars rumbling along the rails set in the concrete and delivering their pedestrian loads all over the city. There was a coffee shop on the corner of Roncesvalles and King just as I remembered, and I was in desperate need of a coffee and a newspaper along with a few dozen painkillers. Stripping off my gloves, I jammed them into the back pockets of my jeans. It would seem pretty conspicuous if I were the only one walking around with gloves on, given the warm weather, and the last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to myself. Sure, I could have worn a mask, but the Agency liked to put a personal face on each of their heroes and villains, and a mask would have screwed that up. So the best I could do was try to blend in and hope that I came across as maybe a fangirl at best, a psychotic fan at worst. And I had plenty of both. If nothing else, superheroes fighting supervillains made for good reality television. Leaving a wet trail of steps behind me, I strode into the café, tugging my fingers through my ragged ponytail to give it at least an air of respectability. At least I hadn’t landed so far into the water that I smelled like a drunk. The shop had a handful of customers inside, two lovebirds cooing to each other over lattes and a senior citizen dissecting the daily paper while pontificating to no one in general about what was wrong with the economy. Another young man, probably a university student, was hunched over his laptop doing a twofinger tap dance on the keyboard. I looked up at the menu as I dug in my pocket, wondering if I had enough for a coffee. We’d never worried about taking money or identification out of the suite; we just didn’t. After all, we were superheroes. “What can I get you?” The blonde waitress smiled from behind the counter. “Ah…” A five dollar bill appeared in my hand from where it had been hidden in the deepest darkest recesses of my front pockets. “Just a small coffee, please.” I glanced at the television set mounted behind her. “Anything big happening?” She didn’t look up, pouring the coffee into a ceramic mug. “Other than the alien invasion, you mean?” “Yeah, that.” I grabbed the sugar dispenser and dumped an obscene amount into the mug. “Cream, please.” “Sure.” The waitress shoved a small metal pitcher towards me, gesturing at the television set. “Word is that they set off a bomb in New York. Killed a hundred people.” I choked on the coffee. She spun around. “You okay, sweetie?”

16

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“Yeah.” I coughed. “Down the wrong windpipe.” My free hand waved in the air. “Did they kill the alien?” “Not a chance.” She shook her head. “Bruiser came out on top, floating there like he hadn’t a care in the world. Flew back into the ship and now they’re just sitting there. Got another one over Washington. The President’s evacuated to some bunker somewhere, and she’s giving a news conference later on this morning. Up in Ottawa they’re hiding out somewhere waiting for someone to save them.” Her forehead furrowed as she looked at me. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” “I’m always getting that. Got one of those familiar faces.” I smiled, ignoring the jagged pain shooting through my heart. Mike hadn’t done anything but make the situation worse, if that were possible. The woman tapped the button on the remote. “CNN’s got the best coverage right now.” She let out a sigh. “Not looking good.” The bleary-eyed reporter stared at the screen from behind the news desk, her expression rotating from confused to distraught to exhausted. “Reports are coming in about these ships appearing all over the world over major cities and a single…man coming out. Despite repeated team attacks by superheroes and supervillains from around the world, none of these alien invaders have retreated. And many lives have been lost.” A series of pictures flashed behind him. “Ace, Arachnia, Heavy Harry, Tan, Desperado…” For a second I saw a flash of my own press shot, smiling at the camera. “Many others are missing in action.” I closed my eyes as the list went on and on. Some I knew, some I didn’t. “Metal Mike, Davie Lyon…” The words punched me in the chest, stopping my breath. “You okay?” I looked up to see the waitress watching me carefully. “You look like you’re about to faint.” “Yeah, well…” My hands gripped the mug tightly. “A lot to take in, you know?” “You’re telling me.” She leaned back on the counter, staring at the images as they continued the morbid roll call. “Always thought they’d be tough enough to defend the planet. I mean, they’re super, right? That’s why they call them supers.” “Right.” A throbbing began right behind my left eye, threatening to return the coffee with interest. I’d always been prone to migraines, but since my injury and the activation of my powers I was more susceptible than ever. It usually started up when I overstretched myself in a fight and pushed my limits. Nothing some good drugs couldn’t take care of. “Here’s your change. Don’t get too many American tourists in this part of town.” The woman stacked a pile of coins by my cup. “Just be careful. Where you from, anyway?” I forced my head up, trying to swallow the pain. “Niagara Falls.” It wasn’t a total lie. “Good thing it’s not New York City.” She jerked a thumb at the screen that was now showing the crater Mike had caused and the ship hovering nearby. “Not a good time to be abroad.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

17

Sheryl Nantus

“No.” My headache exploded into a full-blown migraine. Grabbing hold of the cup, I took another deep swallow of the super-sweet drink. I didn’t have any identification, no passport…hell, I had nothing. And if I flew back to the penthouse suite, the Agency would be there and they’d want to know about Mike and… I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to stave off the pain enough to think. “We’re receiving reports that there has also been a series of concentrated individual attacks on supers. Ann Kowalski has the story.” The screen shifted to show a blonde woman with long curly hair standing in front of a hospital. The listing named it as being in Washington, D.C. “Tom, I’m here at Mercy of Angels hospital where there has been a startling development in the attack on the United States and across the world. Superheroes are dying both in and out of battle with the aliens; possibly from some sort of psychic attack.” Ace’s picture returned to the screen, the warm smile and blue eyes reminding me of why he had been so popular. “While we’ve seen some of our greatest heroes struck down in the prime of their lives in this epic battle with the invaders, other heroes have been seen dying even as they rushed to the fight.” Now I really felt nauseous. Putting down what I hoped was a reasonable tip from the fiver, I headed for the door. Behind me I heard someone, probably the old man, mutter something about “Damned illegal aliens.” If I hadn’t been working so hard not to throw up, I would have laughed. As it was, the cool morning air helped settle my stomach but did nothing for the aching behind my eye. And the fear growing in my gut. Reaching around to the back of my neck, I felt the plug there, waiting. Just waiting. And the clock had started. I looked for the nearest bus stop, digging out the last of my coins. It’d barely be enough to get me to where I needed to get, the only place I might be able to survive the dangers from outside and inside until I had a chance to figure out what to do. The streetcar was crowded and hot, the morning rush of students, businessmen and plain old hardworking people filling almost every available space. I managed to grab a single seat by the window, forcing the window open to enjoy the cool breeze and help keep the coffee down. A young man bumped into me with a thick knapsack, almost taking my head off. “Sorry,” he mumbled, eyes on the ground. Then he glanced at me, a bit more focused. “Say, aren’t you…?” “Nope.” The smile was forced through the throbbing in my eye and the rumbling of my stomach. “I look a lot like her, don’t I? I get that all the time from my friends, and they say that I ought to use it to get into clubs and all that…” I chirped, fluttering my fingers in the air. “I mean, it’d be so cool to be her and all, don’t you think?” The rambling went on for two more blocks until the fellow shuffled away from me with a curt goodbye, and the rest of the passengers studiously tried to ignore me.

18

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

Leaning my head against the coolness of the pseudo-glass, I took a deep breath. The last thing I needed right now was to be recognized. Mike had loved it. He would preen himself like a fancy peacock before we went out for dinner, the rare time that I convinced him that I was going to go stir-crazy if I had to cook one more time or have food delivered. He’d get into these tight jeans and shave off that day-old stubble that he seemed to have all the time, never enough for a full beard… I slammed my head against the window, enough to garner an angry glare from the other passengers. Couldn’t afford to spend time there, I had to get back in the game. Except right now I was racing the game itself. Sweat ran down my back as I fought my way to the back doors, jostling a few kids a bit harder than I should have but I was beginning to get a wee bit claustrophobic—not only from the people but also the electromagnetic waves overlapping and crashing into each other when I tried to focus through and past the headache. The Bookworm’s Hideout was more or less as I remembered it, a small hole-in-the-wall used bookstore sitting on Queen Street West squashed between a specialty condom shop and a fancy chocolate store. Of course when I had been the manager they had been a used CD store and an electronic surplus outlet, but you can’t have everything. The light blue paint was still peeling off in strips that tempted you to rip them off, and people had and did. I stopped to look at the bargain bin in the front out of routine, finding the usual obscure titles. All down to a dollar, and if I knew David Tierney, he’d give them away by the bucketful if you made him a good offer. A sudden tapping on the window caught my attention, causing me to step back a pace and nearly into a crowd of giggling schoolgirls racing along the sidewalk, too busy staring at their cell phones to notice the vagabond in their path. David smiled at me through the glass and motioned me to come inside. “My girl!” The elderly man enveloped me in a bear hug. “I was so worried about you.” He hustled me towards the back past shelves and shelves of books, practically carrying me. “You must need a good cup of tea.” The back of the store had been set up as a small sitting area years ago, an ancient coffeemaker spurting out what passed for coffee for anyone in the store. The rickety old table also held not only a small hotplate with a classic kettle usually full of water, but an old Brown Betty teapot, the fat body still keeping its shiny coating despite being used and abused for years. David gently pushed me down in one of the overstuffed armchairs and rushed to turn the burner on. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you in trouble?” “Yes. No. And a definite yes.” I slumped into the cushions. “David, I screwed up. Big time.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

19

Sheryl Nantus

“Bah.” The white-haired man waved a hand in my direction as he pulled out a pair of teabags from a battered Tetley’s Tea canister. “You’re here and you’re alive and that’s all that matters.” “Mike’s dead.” He paused, his attention on the teapot. “Yes. I know.” Sinking deeper into the paisley fabric, I shook my head. “I fucked up.” He glared at me, his face a scarlet red. “Don’t say that.” His arms flew around me in another tight hug, and suddenly I realized that he was crying, had been crying since he had started heating the water. “All I could think of when I was watching that fight was where were you and what were you doing and if you were already dead…” Burying my face in the well-worn brown cardigan, I began to sob as well, finally breaking down. The soft wool accepted my tears without comment until I forced myself out of the warmth and back into the chair. “Kettle’s boiling.” I sniffled, giving us both a dignified exit. “Yes.” David turned back to the Brown Betty, filling it with the hot water. Dabbing at his eyes with a faded white handkerchief, he cleared his throat. “Now, what brings you back home? I tell you, we had an awful fright here when you disappeared like that. And then suddenly you’re on the telly and we’re seeing you beat down the bad guys…” A grin touched his wrinkled face. “And couldn’t you have gotten into something with less clothing, more leather? Now, that Dominatrix chick, she…” I chuckled, crossing my legs as he prepared the small tray. “Believe me, you don’t want to be around her when she’s in a good mood or in a bad one. She’s…” The words caught in my throat as I remembered the scrolling list from the café. “She’s dead.” “Yes, yes she is.” He pressed the mug into my hand. “Still two sugars and cream, yes?” My chest felt tight as if David’s hug had never ended. “You still got that nephew who does computer hacks?” David tilted his head to one side. “Technically, he does computer security. Anything else would be illegal.” One eyebrow rose slightly. “And why would you be thinking of him after all this time?” “Because I need him to save my life.”

20

www.samhainpublishing.com

Chapter Three

“Jessie’s working for Alliance Electronics.” David walked back towards the front of the store. “Here, let me close things up, give us some privacy.” Flipping the sign over, he looked out onto the street before returning, picking his way through the dusty piles of books. “Not a good day anyway.” “Never was.” I couldn’t help smiling as the warm tea began to settle in my stomach, helped by a shortbread cookie from the stack set out for visitors. “I used to wonder how you could afford to pay me.” “I kept you on because I needed a sexy woman at the front to lure in the boys.” He laughed. “When you worked here, I never thought of you possibly flying around and beating up supervillains. Quite a shock, as you can imagine.” Shaking his head, he sat down in the armchair opposite me, cradling his own mug of tea. “I’ll put in a call to Jessie, see if he can come on over.” “Do you keep in touch?” The tea was getting lukewarm. I reached over and refreshed it with a dash of fresh tea from the Brown Betty. “We chat. He’s come a long way since you left; you’d hardly recognize the kid. Wandered for a bit on the wild side and then figured out that he’d make more money enforcing the laws than waiting to get caught.” He winced, shifting his weight from side to side. “Bad hip,” David offered by way of explanation. “Been on the waiting list for a replacement for months.” “I’m sorry.” The last of the shortbread cookies disappeared into my mouth. “You should have called me. I could have used my connections…” “Bah.” He waved a hand in the air. “You were busy being a superhero. That’s what you do. No time for the civilians.” “David…” I gripped the mug with whitened knuckles. “It’s all a game.” He frowned, an air of confusion around him. “What do you mean?” “It’s all fixed, David.” The weight on my chest lifted just a bit. “The fights, the battles, it’s all arranged. Think of that fake wrestling, taken to a new extreme.” His dark eyes scanned my face, probably searching to see if I was joking. “You’re serious.” “Totally.” I drained my mug. “It was all set up, everything from the start.” “No.” David shifted again in the seat, cursing under his breath. “That’s not possible. We watched you and the others…” He stopped, studying a tear in the ancient carpet under us. A small niggling thought finally broke free at the back of my head, charging through the headache pain and to the forefront. “Oh, my God.” A piece of the puzzle fell into place. The fights between the

Sheryl Nantus

superheroes and supervillains ranked high in the television ratings. Every station raced to cover us, tossing everything off the air to beam our battles around the globe. If you had a television or a computer you could see the constant fighting between good and evil, super versus super. I knew they were all prearranged. David didn’t. Anyone not on the inside wouldn’t know. And if I were from another planet, another world, what would I think if I looked towards our little green and blue globe and tuned into the local news? “What?” David studied my face. “Are you okay? You seem so pale.” “Do you have any painkillers?” I tapped the side of my head. “I know it sounds clichéd, but I just flew in from NYC and boy, am I tired.” Chuckling, he got to his feet. “Got a bottle back here. Might actually be yours.” As he shuffled away into the back room I leaned forward and put my head between my legs, just in case I fainted before he got back. It wasn’t likely, but with the revelation bursting around the pain I was definitely in need of something, and I knew David didn’t keep booze on the premises. “Here you go.” A hand appeared under my face, clutching a pair of white tablets. “Are you okay, Jo?” “Not really.” Dry-swallowing the pair, I reached for the Brown Betty and poured the last few dribbles into my mug. “David, what’s been going on with the aliens?” He stared at me, his forehead furrowed as he settled back into the chair. “What? You were there. You know what happened.” “Yes, but I want to know what you saw.” I tapped the side of my head. “Humor me, please.” The edges of my vision began to clear. “Well, the ship arrived and this one guy got out. Cleaned the clocks of the heroes who went to take him on, took out the villains who showed up…took out Metal Mike.” He glanced at me, shaking his head. “I liked him. You made a good team.” “Yes, yes we did.” I tamped down the pain. “Then what?” “Then it happened all over the world.” One hand gestured at the ceiling where the exposed ductwork and thick wooden timbers were still visible. “Big fat green oranges dropping down over Paris, Moscow…” David scowled. “I think they’re still the bad guys, right? The Russians?” “Depends on the day.” The pain had begun to diminish, now only a dull thudding behind my eyes. “And everyone sent out their best, right?” “Sure.” The elderly man sounded surprised. “The EU sent out Lovely Liv and Maggie Red.” Lowering his head, he continued. “They didn’t last long. Then Erik the Viking showed up and Tunnel Tim.” “And they all went down.” I glanced over at a stack of hardcover art books waiting to be filed, the daily paper sitting atop the mess. Grabbing it, I began to flip through the pages, studying the pseudoanalysis being tossed out by all and sundry. “Nothing here at all.” The crackpot conspiracies were all over

22

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

the place, from the alien invaders being part of the New-World-Order to the idea that the aliens were our ancient ancestors reclaiming their homeland. And, of course, nothing that came close to what I feared was the truth. “Ah!” David’s cry brought me back out of the paper. He held up a cell phone. “Jessie’s on his way. Says he’d love to meet the famous Surf and see what he can do for her.” David laughed. “He’s still the same smartass you remember. Never forgave you for not coming back when you made it big, you know.” I winced. The last thing I wanted to hear was my stage name. “Just call me Jo, okay?” He held up his hands. “Hey, I never liked that one for you, really. Not very sexy, you know?” My eyes were aching as I put the paper back down and rubbed my fingers on my jeans to get rid of the black newsprint. “I’m sorry, I’m just…” My attention went to the empty tray. “I don’t mean to be a bad guest, but is there a chance of getting anything else to eat? I could barely afford to get the streetcar here.” The elderly man got to his feet so fast I worried that he’d break his hip in front of me. “What sort of manners do I have. Let me go in the back and see if I have anything in the mini-fridge—or would you like some pizza?” My mouth began to water. “Isn’t it a bit early?” “Pshaw! The Two-For-One three doors down have their ovens going already. And they love an early order to justify warming them up.” He pointed at the near-empty teapot. “You get a second pot going and I’ll put in the order. Double pepperoni and mushrooms, yes?” I nodded, relishing the welcoming embrace of the cushions. As David disappeared into the rear of the store, I refilled the kettle with some bottled water and set it on the hot plate. Coming home hadn’t been part of the plan. Any plan. Not in my wildest dreams had I ever envisioned returning to Toronto, not as a super and not as a regular person. I had kissed all that off when a mugger had slammed a brick into the side of my head one late night on my way home. I must have closed my eyes and drifted off for a few minutes because the next thing I knew the kettle was whistling for attention. Before I could get it David had grabbed it off the hot plate. “You are tired. Let’s get you stretched out here for a few minutes.” A short fat footstool materialized from out of one of the aisles, along with a crocheted afghan in southwestern colors, of all things. One went under my feet and the other tucked around my shoulders in seconds, almost as fast as Lightning Jack would have done it. “Pizza will be here in ten minutes. You rest. You’ve had one hell of a day.” I opened my mouth to dispute it and then stopped. “Yeah, I have.” Shifting to one side, I tucked the afghan in around me. “Please don’t let anyone know I’m here.” David let out a huff of indignation. “As if. This was your home before; it’s your home now.” He looked upward. “Apartment’s still there if you need it.” “Hmm.” My eyes were heavy. “I’ll think about it.” Right after I figured out how I was going to save the world and my own life.

www.samhainpublishing.com

23

Sheryl Nantus

I must have dozed off again because the next thing I remember was having my senses assaulted with the delicious scent of melted cheese and dough. Struggling to sit up straight in the chair, I took the paper plate, which was bending under the weight of two huge slices of pizza, from David. A refreshed mug of tea sat on the table beside me. “Jessie’s almost here. Be another ten minutes. He’s looking for some decent parking.” “Downtown?” I mumbled through a thick pepperoni slice. “He’s a fool.” “As usual. But you know him, always looking to save a dime.” He daintily chewed on a crust. “So, how’s he going to help you out?” “Hopefully by doing some of that computer magic he’s so good at.” The pizza tasted better than the pizza in New York that Mike had had delivered whenever he had a craving for what he called “real” pizza. “I’ll explain it when he gets here.” “Good idea. Now eat.” One aged hand pointed at the large cardboard box on the floor. “I’m an old man and I can’t eat all of this by myself.” He watched me intently as I grabbed another slice and maneuvered it onto the damp plate. “I saw some more news at the pizza place. Everyone’s got a television up for people to watch while they wait.” I froze, a long string of melted cheese stretching from my mouth to the plate. “How bad?” “Well…” David leaned back, rubbing his chin. “Right now it’s at a sort of standstill. The United Nations has called a special meeting to get everyone together—that is whoever doesn’t mind meeting under the shadow of that huge fat ship. There’s been no fighting for a few hours.” “Nothing?” “Well, the U.S. military lobbed a few shells at the one sitting over Seattle and they bounced off, doing more damage when they fell back to the ground than the aliens did. A few strafing runs by aircraft, but it doesn’t look like anyone is really doing more than just posturing for the press. Not after seeing so many heroes fall.” He took another sip of the cooling tea. “Funny thing is the alien guys, they’re not advancing. Not attacking the cities, not attacking the airplanes, no demands, no nothing. The fellows went back inside the ships after the fighting stopped—which is a good thing, I guess.” “Yeah.” I nodded. “Explains a lot.” The man slumped into his chair. “You going to explain this all?” “I’ve got a theory. But first I have to get Jessie working on something, otherwise it’s not going to matter what I think.” As if on cue a rapping came at the front door of the bookstore, bringing us both to our feet. David pointed at my chair, shaking his head. “I’ll get it. Best not to tempt fate by having too many people see you.” I responded by finishing off the pizza slice in my hand as he walked out of sight.

24

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

Out of curiosity I raised my free hand and collected a few of the waves floating around—the books, the table, even the Brown Betty. Clenching my teeth, I focused the electrical energy onto my fingertips, a new trick I had been working on with Mike’s direction. “But I like the gloves,” I had protested, stealing the Sunday comics from his side of the table. “Sure, they make it easier to do stuff if you’ve got them on.” He glanced over the business section. “But what if you don’t have them on?” “Like when?” I snorted. “We’re always given time to suit up before a performance.” “Yeah. But what if…” His dark chocolate hand reached around the paper to grab the last croissant off the plate, showing off his wristband. “I’m just saying.” I felt a shiver down my spine, staring at the thin metal band, the recessed number pad and button almost out of sight. Mike never made a threat, never mentioned it, but it hung between us like a warped Damocles’ sword. My eyes narrowed. “You know something I don’t know?” He lowered the paper an inch, meeting my stare. “I know lots of things you don’t know, girl. I’m your Guardian.” His tone was low and serious. “Don’t forget that.” The paper made a shuffling sound as he raised it up again, hiding his face. “Just think about it. Be a nice trick for the audience, hmm?” A blue spark leapt from my index finger to my thumb. Only a small one, hardly enough to do much more than shock a person with the intensity of someone shuffling his feet along the carpet, but it was a start. “Jo?” A man appeared in the narrow hallway. “Jo Tanis?” He stretched out his hand as I got to my feet and tossed the afghan to one side. “Jessie?” When I had last seen Jessie Kellup he had been a gangly young man just starting into adulthood, falling over himself as he tried to figure out girls and computers and why they weren’t more alike. Now he was a tall strapping man in his twenties, ten years younger than me, with a flaming head of red hair that women would die to run their fingers through. I didn’t know I had been holding my breath until he smiled, his hand still hanging in the air. “You okay?” “Yes, yes I am.” I grinned, discovering that he, indeed, had a fine manly grip. “I’m sorry to drag you away from work.” “Nah. Nothing going on there that I can’t do at home anyway.” He sat in the empty chair beside the tea set, placing his knapsack on the ground. After loosening his dark blue silk tie, he shuffled off his blazer. “Besides, a day out of the office is something I never pass up.” “Thanks for coming.” I pulled the scrunchie from my hair, letting it fall loose. “Don’t mind me, have a bit of a killer headache.” I wrinkled my nose. “Not exactly ready for my photo shoot.” “I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through.” Jessie nodded. “I’m just glad you’re still alive.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

25

Sheryl Nantus

“Yeah. So am I.” I glanced at David. “Can we use the upstairs? I’d rather you open the shop back up again and go about your day as normal. Don’t want to seem suspicious.” “Sure.” David frowned. “Should I be preparing for trouble?” “Maybe.” I got to my feet, finished off the tea and replaced the mug on the tray. “Let’s just say that the way things are right now I don’t want anyone to know I’m here. And you’re one of the only links to me, so…” “Got it.” The elderly man tapped the side of his nose. “The stairs are where they always were and the room’s yours. Didn’t change a thing.” “You figured I’d be back?” I shot over my shoulder as I walked towards the rickety old steps, Jessie a few paces behind. “Be prepared,” David replied. “You were never a Boy Scout.” The stairs were as noisy as I remembered them to be, a great security feature. Keep your fancy alarm systems. Give me a good set of creaking wood planks that’ll be impossible to stop from making noise. “I always wanted to come up here.” Jessie chuckled as he followed me into the small apartment. “He never rented it out after you left, you know. Kept it until we saw you that first time on the television, then joked about making it into a museum. Charge admission to see where the famous Surf started out.” I shook my head. “Wouldn’t have gotten much.” The stairs led out onto a single large room that would have passed for a loft in better circumstances but had been divided up by bookshelves that there hadn’t been room for downstairs. True to his word, David hadn’t changed much, leaving a pair of wooden chairs, a desk and a ratty old couch in dark forest colors taking up much of the open area. The kitchenette, for lack of a name, consisted of a single small sink barely large enough to wash plates in and a few cupboards in the corner. Another room held the washroom and shower stall. All in all, a classy pad if you wanted to live cheaply. And when I had been here I hadn’t any money, and David had offered to let me work in the bookstore and live here with a bit of spending money on the side. In retrospect it had probably been the best time of my life, pre-super. “So, what’s going on?” Jamie settled himself at the desk and pulled out a laptop from his black backpack. “David wouldn’t say much other than that you needed my help.” His chest puffed out a fraction. “And who am I to say no to the great Surf?” “Please don’t call me that. Jo is just fine.” He opened his mouth as if to ask, then closed it. “Sure.” He tapped the screen with a long, slender finger. “So what can I do for you?” “I need you to defuse a bomb.”

26

www.samhainpublishing.com

Chapter Four

Jessie jerked back in the chair. “What?” “Here.” I tapped the back of my neck. “I need you to either deactivate the plug or figure out a way to cut it off from receiving transmissions.” I locked eyes with him. “Otherwise the Surf is going to be nothing more than a headless body on the floor here.” Jessie drew a shaky breath, glancing at the laptop screen. A collage of pictures flashed across it, holiday pics of him skiing somewhere. Maybe up at Horseshoe Valley, maybe Aspen. I wasn’t into winter sports. “Okay, let’s take this from the top.” Jessie cleared his throat. “What’s a plug?” “This.” Taking his left hand, I pressed it to the back of my neck, letting him feel the scarred skin. His fingers trembled under my touch. “It’s a device that’s implanted within minutes of a super arriving at the Agency. It’s got a GPS inside it along with a nice little explosive.” I watched his eyes widen. “Don’t worry, not enough to kill you or anyone else in the area. Just enough to take my head off if my Guardian decides that I’m being too ornery or disobeying the Agency’s directives.” He pulled his hand back and slumped in the chair as if I’d smashed a fist into his chest. “Wow.” “Yeah. Wow.” I pointed at the laptop. “What I need you to do is shut off that GPS and/or block anything coming in.” “Like an activation code.” Jessie exhaled. “Like an activation code.” My head began to throb again. “Look, I know it’s a lot to take in, but I don’t have anyone else right now to help out with this…” Jessie pulled the chair up to the desk and sat down, cracking his knuckles. He shot a sly grin my way as his fingers began dancing on the keyboard. “We can do that.” He repeated it like a mantra. “If I can’t, I know who can.” A series of windows opened up on the screen. “Thank God for wireless connections. The coffee shop doesn’t know they’ve got theirs set up for way too large an area. Probably got half the block riding their WiFi for free.” He bit down on his lower lip, making himself even cuter than before—if I were a cougar. “The GPS shouldn’t be much of a problem to start with. I can easily rig up a jammer for that.” He glanced at me. “Unless we can remove it…” I shrugged. “Don’t know. Never tried. Never told that it couldn’t be done, but I don’t think I want anyone poking around with a scalpel, you know?”

Sheryl Nantus

He blanched. “Yeah, you’re right.” Turning his attention back to the screen, he grinned as a series of numbers and letters appeared on the open windows, scrolling along at a great speed. “Looks like blocking the signal won’t be too hard to do.” “Legally?” I couldn’t help smiling. “Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.” Jessie beamed with a smile that had probably wooed a hundred women into bed. “But the removal or killing the signal permanently, well…” he let out a low whistle, “…that’s a whole other problem.” “Which is why I wanted David to contact you.” I rocked back on the chair, jeopardizing the fragile legs. “I don’t think I need to tell you that this is sort of a secret.” “Sort of.” He chuckled. “So what’s going on? I didn’t think they had to wire you guys to get you to take on the baddies.” I rubbed my temples. The migraine was threatening to return and bring the rest of the family. I just couldn’t find the words to put the truth about my life out there in any other way. “In a nutshell, it’s all fixed, okay? All of it.” The snap in my voice brought him around as if I’d slapped him in the face. “Wow.” His eyes widened. “Wow.” “Look, can we just focus on this right now?” I lifted my right hand, seeing the sparks begin to gather on one finger. “I promise to give you the whole story once we get this little thing settled.” “Sure.” He put one hand on my shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “Why don’t you go lie down over there and rest? No offense, but you look like crap.” He wrinkled his nose. “Or maybe take a shower. You’re sort of ripe, if you don’t mind me saying so.” I couldn’t dispute his statement. Brawling in NYC and then dragging my feet through Lake Ontario had left me smelling a bit funky, to say the least. “And you’re not going to be able to help me, anyway. It could take a few minutes or a few hours for me to connect with the right people and get this going, depending on where they are and what they’re up to.” Jessie grinned. “Not much of a spectator sport.” I felt like crying again. “Yeah. That’s a good idea.” Getting up from the chair, I headed for the small washroom. “Just call me if you need me.” The shower stall held a small bar of wrapped hotel soap, obviously purloined from one of the finer establishments. The towels were clean and smelt faintly of lavender. Being the main washroom for the bookstore, David kept it looking respectable, even if it was only for a few special customers and him. My leather jacket was still in pretty good condition, a few singe marks from the fight here and there, but that was all. The black T-shirt hid any stains from my sloppy eating, if there were any. My socks were still a bit damp, along with my shoes, but they’d dry out soon enough. I made a neat pile in the corner,

28

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

setting my jeans on top. They weren’t that smelly, but a shower would help take the worst of the stink out, mainly from me. I was too tired to wash my hair, settling for a quick once-over with the thin soap wafer before it dissolved completely. The towels were soft and fluffy, making it hard to put my old clothes back on. I hadn’t been able to come back to the store to retrieve any of my old clothing and wasn’t prepared to start asking David where he had put them. Besides, pulling out musty old shirts to see if they still fit didn’t appeal to me. I’d suffer for a bit longer in my work gear. Stifling a yawn, I walked over to the small bed behind one of the half-empty bookshelves. David really had kept it just the way I had left it, right down to the stuffed teddy bear in the corner on the pillow. I tapped the surface a few times to dislodge the dust, seeing it rise from the ancient dark red comforter like a smoke cloud. Pulling up the quilt, I gave it a quick shake then I curled up atop the soft material, clutching the old eyeless bear in my arms. Pressing the threadbare fur to my face, I closed my eyes and tried not to think. About the bomb waiting to go off. “I promise, I won’t trigger it unless necessary.” Mike rolled away from me, taking most of the sheets. “We’ve gone over this before.” “Yeah, and every time you manage to piss me off right after getting me off.” I propped myself up against the headboard. “All I’m asking is that you just let me know if and when you’re going to set it off so I can prepare myself. You know, like pray or something.” He tossed the sheets off, covering me in a tangled mess as he got up from the bed. “You know I can’t do that.” “Why not?” I scrambled to grab a clean T-shirt and panties from the floor. “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be sleeping with me, either.” He shrugged, his skin glistening with sweat. “That’s not the point.” “No, that is the point.” I motioned at the wristband on his left wrist. “You’ve got the ability to kill me at any time, and forgive me if I’d like a bit of notice first.” A large hand sliced through the air. “We’re done with this conversation.” He strode from the bedroom, pausing in the doorway. “You know the day I have to do that a bit of me will die with you, right?” All I could do was nod, a sudden lump in my throat. “Just don’t fuck up, girl,” Mike said softly. “And don’t even try to pull the plug.” I woke up gasping, my cheeks wet with tears. David appeared over me, a concerned look on his face as he came into focus. “Just relax, you’re safe.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, he took both my hands in his. “You’re safe here.” He made a clucking noise at the back of his throat. “You’re safe, Jo.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

29

Sheryl Nantus

All I could do was nod, choking back the tears. “I made us up some sandwiches and got some juice. Can’t have Jessie fainting from lack of food.” He nodded towards his nephew still working at the desk. “What time is it?” I looked around. I didn’t even have a watch. “About three in the afternoon. You were in a deep sleep; I didn’t want to wake you,” David said. “I didn’t think it was wise.” Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I moved to sit on the side of the bed. “Good idea. I’m still processing all this, I think.” “Yeah, well…” Jessie growled, the low voice rolling through the bookcases. “Hard to live a lie I guess.” I looked at David while pulling my hair back into a ponytail, snapping the scrunchie tight again. He shrugged. “He’s still pretty pissed. He used to idolize you, don’t you know. His special hero, he used to say to the boys.” Jessie’s angry grunt reached my ears. “I don’t understand. What the fuck were they thinking?” Getting to my feet, I walked around the bookcase barrier, grabbed one of the sandwiches and bit down into the peanut butter and grape jelly. “Believe me, it wasn’t my decision. Or choice.” “Maybe you better take it from the top.” David joined me, motioning me towards the couch. “Slowly, for an old man.” He smiled with that grandfatherly look that had won my heart years ago. “Okay.” I finished the mouthful of food and washed it down with the apple juice carton as I settled on the cushions. “First, I want you both to know that I really appreciate your help. I don’t have anyone else to turn to and I can’t think of anyone else who I would trust with this.” Jessie walked over, took the other half of the PB&J from the tray and nibbled on it as he watched me. David nodded, gesturing me to continue. My chest ached, but at least my head was clear. “Okay.” I drew a deep breath. “I was mugged not too far from here one night. Punk slammed a brick into the side of my head ’cause I wasn’t fast enough with my purse.” “I saw you in the hospital, looked in through the window of your room. They wouldn’t let me in, said I wasn’t family.” He gave an angry snort. “As if they know what family is,” David added. “You looked a bit shook up, but I didn’t think you were badly hurt.” “I wasn’t. Technically.” Lifting one hand, I gathered the waves from around the bodies, the table and couch, even the sandwiches, and forced them onto my index finger. The static built up as I kept talking. “When they released me, I walked out the front door and ended up being grabbed by a group that I’d learn was called the Agency.” The blue spark on my finger began to grow. “It’s a long story but to cut to the quick—I had developed some sort of powers with that smash to the head. And the Agency has one mandate, to get everyone and anyone like that under their control.”

30

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

Jessie snorted. “That’s illegal. You can’t just grab people off the street and make them into supers.” I raised my finger, the neon aura now rolling around my nail like an angry sparkler. “They didn’t make me into this. There have been dozens, hundreds of accidents like this all over the world. Some trauma to the body that releases some sort of latent ability. I can’t tell you how it happens because they didn’t tell me.” David stroked his chin. “But they taught you how to use it, yes?” “Yes.” Reaching out with my other hand, I let the spark jump between the two palms, a small lightning bolt. “My trick is that I can see electromagnetic waves and use them.” The elderly man frowned. “Doesn’t that mean you have to be near a magnet?” “Not really.” I made a circle in the air with my hands. “Everything has a field. From the chair, to you, to the sandwiches. What I do is tap into it and store it up like a capacitor.” The blank look on Jessie’s face made me groan. “A capacitor. Stores energy. Old school.” “Ah.” The light went on behind his eyes. “So then you shoot this out from your hands.” David mimicked me, targeting his palms outward. “Well, if I use these gloves.” Pulling out the pair from my back pocket, I showed them to the two men. “There’s hundreds of small metal fibers woven in to help me channel and focus the blast. It’s like tasering someone. It’s an electric shock delivered at whatever level I need to win the fight.” “Except you’re not wearing them now.” David nodded towards the black fabric. “And you’re still doing that…thing?” “I don’t have to use them. But it’s a lot harder if I don’t. Takes more concentration to get charged up and focus, which I usually don’t have when I’m in a fight.” “Which were fixed,” Jessie said in a low voice. “Which were fixed.” I couldn’t help dropping my gaze to the ground. “I’m sorry.” “You should be.” Jessie’s harsh tone grated on my ears. “We thought it was real, we thought you were out there fighting the bad guys.” He paused. “Who are…who were the villains?” “When we arrived at the training facility we were given a choice—to be heroes or villains.” My smile appeared, despite the mood. “Couldn’t pass up the chance to be a star.” “Who would decide to be a villain?” David pressed his lips together tightly as he helped himself to one of the sandwich triangles. I shrugged. “People with issues. People who didn’t want to play nice. It was a whole psychological thing, I didn’t ask.” My hand went to the back of my neck, to the scar tissue. “Long story made short, the Agency controlled us with this. Gave the power to our Guardians to blow our heads off if we started getting ornery or if we tried to run away.” “Your Guardian?” both Jessie and David asked at the same time.

www.samhainpublishing.com

31

Sheryl Nantus

“Mike.” A dull ache started in my chest as I spoke. “He was my Guardian. Had a special wristband that could set this thing off.” “But he’s…” David paused, probably out of concern for my feelings. “He’s dead.” The words sounded flat to my ears. “I know. But the Agency can still activate it longdistance, which is why I need you to turn this damned thing off. The bastards thought of everything—well, except for this, obviously.” “Right.” Jessie walked back to the computer. He rested his elbows on the desk, smirking. “We’ve got the GPS figured out. Jammer is on the way courtesy of a friend of mine.” He threw me a saucy wink. “Used to work in a chop shop. Until you find the chip to toss it out you have to jam it.” “Don’t tell me too much.” I chuckled. “And the plug itself?” His face went solemn. “Well, that’s another whole different ball of wax. I’ve got some ideas, but let me check out some things before I present them to you. Don’t have that many surgeons on my list, but I’ve got the word out.” Jessie’s voice dropped an octave. “Do you think they’d really kill you?” “They’ve already been popping heads today.” I nodded towards David. “I saw the news reports of heroes and villains dying without even getting into the fight. That’s not from the aliens, that’s the Agency.” David frowned, biting down on his lower lip. “Why would they do that?” “Because no one wants to fight a battle you’re going to lose. Even the villains aren’t that stupid.” The mental image of Tan, lying there gasping his last breath, came to the forefront of my mind’s eye. “They must have said no and their Guardians pulled it. You refuse to fight, you get your plug pulled.” I waved a hand in the air. “And don’t get any ideas about us being patriotic or anything like that. It’s one thing to go into a fixed battle and another to go to what looks like certain death.” My throat felt tight. “If I had known what was going on before we left, I might have tried to talk Mike out of it.” “Then he would have killed you,” Jessie growled. “Maybe. Guess I’ll never know now.” I closed my eyes, trying not to think about the hundreds of times I had run that scenario through my mind. “That’s murder, no matter how you explain it away,” David said in a low, sad tone. “Especially when this Agency is supposed to be helping us fight these aliens. Killing supers who won’t fight is just…” He fell silent, unable to find the words. “Which is another whole problem.” I gestured towards the laptop. “Everyone thought that our arranged fights were real, right?” I continued without waiting for the two men to respond. “So what if someone or something monitoring our transmissions thought the same thing?” The redhead at the desk shrugged. “Probably think that you were the hot stuff like we all did.” He blushed, his attention on the computer screen. “So they figured that they’d take you on and win.” David rocked back and forth on the couch. “But then why stop?”

32

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

I blinked. “What?” “Why stop? I mean, they’ve retreated back into their ships and are just hovering there, waiting.” He smacked his lips together. “Not a wise move if you want to invade a planet. Take out the top defenders and start moving your ground troops in, get the boots on the ground. Instead they’re just sitting there. Not a very good military position to take.” “Thank goodness for that much.” Jessie hummed under his breath. “There should be a parcel at the front door in a few minutes.” David got to his feet. “I’m assuming I don’t need to sign for it.” “Better if you don’t.” Jessie chuckled. “Just bring it right up here and we’ll kick it into gear.” I shifted my position on the thin cushions. “Think this is going to work?” “Of course.” The smug tone in his voice had me laughing. “Thank your buddies for me.” Getting to my feet, I stretched out my arms, shaking the sleep out of them. The snap, crackle and pop as I arched my back startled me, reminding me that I was off my routine. Big time. Mike had always been keen on our daily exercises. He’d be pissed I’d forsaken them for a nap. Course we’d never talked about keeping up a routine in the middle of an alien invasion. Jessie stared at the screen, chewing on the inside of his mouth before speaking. “You ever want to quit?” “Every day,” I whispered. “Every fucking day.” The silence hung in the air between us, the sudden tightening in my chest reminding me that I had a lot to make up for. “It’s here.” David’s excited voice reverberated up the stairs. Jessie smiled as I walked to the steps and reached down to help the elderly man up. “You should tell your friends to have better manners.” He wagged a finger at Jessie before tossing him the small box wrapped in plain brown paper. “Bike messenger drove up and threw it at me. Left without even saying a word.” He sat on the couch. “I’ll make a note.” Jessie ripped the paper off the box and tore the flaps open. “This should at least keep you off the radar for the time being.” The small black box was no more than three inches by two inches, the size of a cigarette pack with nothing more than a switch at one end. He toggled the metal stick and passed it to me. “Now you’re good.” I looked at it. “Seriously?” Turning it over and over, I weighed it in my hand. “Pretty light.” “Have to be. You’ll need to keep that within thirty feet of your transmitter to maintain the cloaking.” Jessie beamed, putting his feet up on the empty chair and rocking back, hands behind his head. “Don’t get too smug. If we’re lucky, the Agency hasn’t caught their collective breath and no one knows I’m here.” I tucked the box into the pocket of my leather jacket, over my heart. Good place for it. “Now, what about the plug?”

www.samhainpublishing.com

33

Sheryl Nantus

“That…” he waved a finger in the air, “…can be dealt with.” His attention turned back to the laptop screen. “The problem here is that we don’t know the frequency it runs on. A GPS is one thing—we can get that info easy. But this, this is a bit more complicated.” A weak smile appeared on his face. “But they’re working on it. And by they I mean medical professionals looking to get a paper out of it at some point, so don’t be too shy.” I shrugged. “If we survive this, they can get a whole damned manual out of it. Right now I’m running on borrowed time.” My right hand tapped the plastic case in my pocket. “And this is going to help convince them of that.” “Good.” David reached for one of the juice cartons. “Now, what are you going to do?” I drew a deep breath. “What I’m supposed to do. I’m going to save the world.”

34

www.samhainpublishing.com

Chapter Five

“Did you hit your head on an asteroid or something on the way here?” Jessie spun around in his chair, turning it so he could rest his arms across the wooden back. “Not to mention it’s likely that when the Agency finds out you’re alive they’ll kill you.” David took one of my hands in his. “I don’t want to watch you die. My heart almost stopped, watching you in New York City.” “I don’t want you to watch me die either. But I can’t sit back and let this invasion continue.” “Except they’re not attacking anymore.” David squeezed my hand. “That’s not really a good reason.” I sighed. “I’ve missed you, David, but I can’t hide up here in the attic and hope that they all go away and I can start working the counter again.” “What’s your plan?” Jessie divided his attention between the two of us and the flashing smaller windows on the computer screen. Row after row of letters and numbers scrolled by so quickly I had no idea how he was reading them, if he even was. “This.” I tapped my jaw, and then my ear. “There’s a small transmitter set in the bone, a receiver just inside my ear. Allows me to talk to Mike without having to scream.” “Okay.” Jessie stared at me. “And?” “It’s a transmitter. Which means I can transmit.” David was the first to catch on, increasing his grip on my hand. “No, no, no.” “What?” Jessie frowned. “She wants to send out a message.” David scowled at me. “They’ll track you back here. The Agency, I mean.” “Yes. And no.” My index finger ran along my cheek, stopping at the little bump. “I know that it hooks into other links when I’m in the area. That’s how we coordinate fights, team battles. Lets us set up the big finales.” Jessie nodded slowly, a thoughtful look in his eyes that showed his internal wheels were spinning. “How’s the distance?” I shook my head. “Not much—maybe forty, fifty feet at the most.” The blank stare encouraged a chuckle. “Let’s say thirty meters. I’ve been in the Imperial system for too long.” “So you need a huge transmitter dish.” The young man turned the chair around and got back to his laptop, opening yet another window on the screen.

Sheryl Nantus

My jaw made a popping noise as I rotated it, and I winced at the sound. “If I can get some long-range power, I can send out a message to any heroes, villains and Guardians who are still alive. Get them here and see what we can organize in the way of a resistance.” David released my hand. “You’re talking pretty big, considering you just walked in here this morning with nothing.” Getting to his feet, he marched over to the single window in the loft and looked out onto Queen Street West, his voice rising with each word. “And who’s going to answer? If they’re not dead, then they’ll be in hiding, like you.” David clasped his hands behind his back, slouching slightly as he stared down at the pedestrians walking by. “What makes you think they’re going to answer, that they even care?” “I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I have to at least try to do something. I can’t just let this go on.” “Why not?” Jessie didn’t take his eyes off the screen. “You just told us that you’re no superhero. Now you want to be one?” It felt like a slap in the face. Except he was right. I’d spent two years pretending to be a hero. Now I was going to try and be one? “I used to have your poster up in my bedroom.” Jessie didn’t look at me, fingers flying across the keyboard. I winced inwardly, knowing exactly which one he was talking about. The Agency decided that they wanted to target the young male demographic big time, and Promotions slapped me into a tight leather outfit with a huge honking blade (read: phallic symbol) tagged onto my wrist for one of the photo shoots. It was all fine until I went to scratch an itch and almost disemboweled Mike and three cameramen. Since then the blade had stayed in the closet, the outfit not so much. The long slender digits paused. “Didn’t care much for Metal Mike, if you don’t mind me saying so.” “He was a good man.” Jessie’s back muscles tensed under the white dress shirt. “He was your Guardian. The guy who could have blown your head off at any time.” “Yeah.” The ache in my chest returned. “And a good friend.” He gave an annoyed huff, still not looking at me. “And you were sleeping with him?” “No. Yes. Sort of.” I waved my hands in the air. “It was…complicated.” “And it was your private business.” David cut me off with a sideways swipe of his hand. “Jessie, you know better than that.” “Yes, Uncle,” he mumbled in response, a scarlet flush rising on his cheeks. “You focus on getting her what she needs right now.” The senior turned his attention back on me. “While I can’t tell you I think this is a good idea, I can’t tell you not to do it. Because those ships aren’t leaving until someone does something.” He rubbed his chin. “Whatever you do, you’ll have to do it at

36

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

night. I can’t see anyone not noticing you if you fly up to the top of the CN Tower and use their antenna to send your message in the middle of the day.” “The CN Tower?” I smacked myself lightly on the forehead. “I hadn’t even thought about that.” David smiled. “You’ve been hanging out in Niagara Falls too much, sweetie. That’s my first thought, but I’m sure Jessie can find something along those lines that you can go to and hook in somehow.” He studied his watch, an ancient wind-up that had been around probably longer than I had been alive. “Give it a few more hours and then we’ll see what we can do to get your message out.” Tapping his nephew on the shoulder, he looked around the room. “There’s an old television set downstairs, come help me move it up here. Might as well make this as comfortable as possible. And that old chair from the back, no one’s going to be sitting there drinking tea and stealing my cookies for awhile.” Jessie opened his mouth as if to object, then decided it would be better to just comply, making a last set of keyboard attacks before getting up from the chair. “You sit and rest.” David’s tone was grandfatherly with a touch of military discipline tossed in. “You’re dealing with a lot right now, and I don’t think you’re rested enough yet.” “Yes, Dad.” Rolling my eyes, I curled back up on the small single bed, clutching the teddy bear. As the two men walked down the stairs, I glanced over at the scrolling messages on the computer screen. “Mind if I check the news online?” I shouted. “Sure, but don’t close any windows,” the shout came back up. “And don’t answer anyone if they offer to chat.” “As if.” I snorted, settling into the chair. The main news sites had the attacks in all their glory, huge cyber headlines that filled the screen and detailed each and every movement of the military as they searched for a way to remove the alien ships. There had been no attempt by the aliens to send ground troops down to take possession of the cities they hovered over, making the evacuation of the civilians a lot easier. Didn’t matter where in the world they had arrived, no one had been able to even scratch the ships. After a few ill-advised artillery shells had been lobbed by the Chinese—obviously not taking their cue from the American forces—an unseen shield on the alien craft bounced them back into the waiting troops, and no one had taken the attacks further. Instead the nations had decided to just clear the cities over which the ships hovered, a mighty task at the best of times with a panicky population envisioning every alien-attack movie in their minds. Massive migrations were going on, evacuations of major cities with people streaming out to what they hoped would be relative safety far away from the skyscrapers and towers that seemed to be a magnet for these warriors. No one wanted to even hazard a guess at the number of deaths. And the list of dead supers. Oh, the list… My vision blurred as I scanned down the roll call of friends and enemies, people I had fought beside and against and many who I had never met. The Russians had Night Witch listed as MIA, as the Chinese

www.samhainpublishing.com

37

Sheryl Nantus

did with Dragon Lily—no surprise there. They never liked losing, even when it’d been prearranged. The EU at least admitted casualties. And in North America we had lost CanaDragon in Ottawa and all those in New York City. Including Mike. The United Nations was having meeting after meeting, everyone chattering about sending out ambassadors and the like. The U.S. President had decided to take a “wait and see” with the ships hovering over Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, NYC, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, among others. All of them waiting to see what the Agency was going to recommend. The Agency wasn’t international—only North America. Other countries used different names, but the game was the same. Mike had hinted more than once that other nations had their own way of keeping their supers under control, one way or another. Some even more radical than the plug. I reached up and back to the scarred tissue. It had itched like a bastard for a month after they put it in, taunting me every time I brushed my hair or hopped in the shower. “Don’t mess with it.” Mike sat across from me in the cafeteria, nudging my tray with his own. I glared at him. “Fuck off.” “Nice mouth for a lady.” He dug into the cream corn with a plastic fork. “You kiss your momma with that?” “Fuck off, sir.” The dark chocolate hand advanced on my tray, blocking my attack on what I thought was meatloaf. “Michael Pratt.” “Yeah.” I ignored his offer, moving around to hack at the slab. “I’m going to be your Guardian.” The hand retreated to pick up a piece of cornbread. “Pleased to meet you.” “I’m not.” The meatloaf tasted good, for once. Must have been the spicy tomato sauce. “Look, you can make this hard or you can make this easy.” I chuckled, pushing the peas around with my fork. “Wow, like that’s not a cliché.” Suddenly there was a large hand around my wrist, straining it slightly until I dropped the fork. “Look at me.” I met his eyes. “Okay, you’re a tough guy. So?” They were startling in their depth, deep blue and soft. “I like it easy.” The fingers curved around until we were shaking hands. “Mike Pratt,” he repeated, waiting for my response. “Jo Tanis. But you know that already.” Slowly pulling my fingers free, I picked up the fork and returned to the peas. “So you’re the lucky guy who gets stuck with me.”

38

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“I don’t like to think of it as that,” he whispered in a low voice. “I’d rather be your partner than your enemy.” “A partner with the power to blow my head off.” I gestured towards the wristband on his left arm, the small keyboard and screen waiting to be used. “Look, I don’t want to ever have to use this.” Mike raised his hand. “But it’s the rules. For both of us.” I drew in a deep breath, calming myself and trying to focus the waves circling around us. “That’s good. Control is good.” He smiled. “For what it’s worth you get to watch me get fitted for a big robot suit.” My look of astonishment garnered a chuckle from the huge African American. “I didn’t think Guardians could fight.” “We can, it just depends on if we want to.” He pulled his fingers into a tight fist. “Ex-military, if you’re curious. And I don’t like to be left on the sidelines.” “Aren’t you a little old to be playing with dolls?” I smirked, seeing the forty-something man flinch. “Only five years older than you, sweetheart.” His bright white teeth shone in the fluorescent lighting. “And we’re going to save the world.” I jolted awake, grabbing the edges of the desk with both hands. Only a few minutes had passed during my brief nap. The screen was still filled with chat screens, code names and phrases scrolling by faster than I could read them. Closing the news feed, I stood as Jessie grunted his way up the steps with a television set, David close behind with another lamp. “Can’t let you lose your eyesight squinting at a small screen. And you can never have too much light.” He placed the ancient device on the small table by the bed and plugged it in. Jessie wrestled the fifteen-inch color set into a corner, placing it on the floor. As he stood up he groaned, both hands on the small of his back. “Oh, stifle it. You’re too young to have back problems,” David groused before Jessie could say anything. “Any news?” He turned his attention to me as I moved back onto the couch. “All bad.” I shook my head. “At least I don’t have to worry about my head popping off anytime soon.” Rubbing the back of my neck, I propped myself up against the cushions. “What’s the word from your friends?” “Give me a second, ’kay?” He sat in the chair, scanning the different windows as fast as he could switch back and forth between them. “Okay, the good news is that there are other supers still alive out there—people report seeing them around, ducking in and out of the shadows. Even had a few robberies that can be directly connected to

www.samhainpublishing.com

39

Sheryl Nantus

them. Bad news is that they’re not the top teams—mostly the villains and the B-listers, like you.” Jessie glanced at me, a light blush on his cheeks. “No offense intended.” “None taken.” I nodded. “Only makes sense. They would have sent in the big guns to start with. Mike and I were only called up when it became obvious that Ace wasn’t going to be able to cut it, and they wanted to get as many Guardians as they could to the site to take command.” My voice sounded flat and emotionless. “What’s up with my idea to send out a transmission on our internal link?” He scratched the back of his head. “Actually, Uncle had the best idea here. Head up to the tower and then wire yourself into one of the antennas and broadcast that way.” He pointed at the screen. “The only problem, frankly, is getting you hooked up. I assume you don’t have a jack in your mouth that’ll connect to the antenna.” I chuckled. “No, not that I know of.” “Then come here.” He motioned me closer. “Point at the transmitter.” I got up from the couch and walked across the room, taking his hand and placing it on my jaw. “Here. You can feel the lump.” He winced as he felt the small bulge. “Nasty. But I’ve got an idea. Work with me here.” A finger waved in the air. “Your ability is to see and control electromagnetic waves, right?” I nodded, frowning as Jessie began to smile. “That transmitter is a bit different than the plug—it only transmits when you want it to, but receives whenever a transmission comes in. Which means that you could, if you tried, probably see the specific frequency as it sends out the signal. You probably don’t notice it normally because it’s sort of at the edge of your vision where it’s implanted. You’ll have to use your peripheral vision, or feel it if you can.” “What about the plug?” “That’s a bit of an issue. I’m going to have to use this frequency generator.” He gestured at a nondescript beige box that had two large black and silver dials on it that reminded me of an old TV set. “And keep running through different frequencies until I get a signal back from your plug.” I stared at him, resisting the urge to scratch. “Won’t that set it off?” “No. If it were that sensitive to you just pinging the frequency, you’d be dead by now—any microwave oven or cell phone or wireless laptop could have popped it.” He grinned. “But that’s not how it works. So what we need to do is find the frequency and then we’ll work on blocking it.” My head was spinning. “And my transmission?” “Once you have the frequency, what you can do when you get to the top of the tower is roll your power over the radio waves and use them to extend your range. But not for long. It’ll be caught by the networks if you hang on the air. And I don’t think you want this making headline news.” “Definitely not.” Stifling a yawn, I walked over to the window. “As soon as you get it I have to fly. Literally.”

40

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“Let’s get started then.” Jessie pulled the frequency sweep device over and started playing with the dials. Several hours later I was standing at the bottom of the CN Tower, shivering in the cool night air. I had left instructions with Jessie to go home and rest up. We had gotten pretty close to locating the actual frequency with the plug, but I had just been too tired to continue—not surprising considering what I had gone through over the past few days. Still, it was a start. David had busied himself with setting up the small apartment as if I had never left it, running to the local grocery store to stock up on diet soda and bottled water. Now the bar fridge looked like we were preparing for a siege, fresh fruit and veggies jostling for room with granola bars and plenty of bottled water. The CN Tower, the tallest free-standing building in the world a few decades ago, stood near the big sports stadium and a stone’s throw away from the bars that serve the locals and make a bundle off the fans heading either to the baseball games or tourists heading up to the top of the tower. But there weren’t any games going on tonight and it was almost midnight, too late for most visitors looking for that great view out over to Buffalo on the observation deck. It was quiet but still dangerous—the restaurant at the top of the tower was sure to be busy, and I didn’t want to advertise that I had come home so soon. I exhaled slowly, pulling gently on the waves that emanated from the concrete in front of me. Flying had become second nature to me, but I had to concentrate otherwise gravity would come back with her full fury at being thwarted. A brief push off the ground and I was ascending, the backpack Jessie had slid over my shoulders throwing me a bit off-balance at first. It took only a few seconds to make adjustments for the extra weight and I was on my way. The cool cement flashed by me as I flew up the side of the tower as quickly as possible, trying to keep away from the glass elevator that carried the tourists and the restaurant patrons up. Last thing I needed was to terrify some poor kid or senior citizen out for a nice night on the town. Fortunately the restaurant was half-empty, and I zipped past the windows so fast that if anyone had seen me they probably would have put it down to an illusion. As I approached the antenna at the top I couldn’t help shaking a bit—this was the break point. Once I sent out that message I’d not only let the other supers know I was still alive but also anyone monitoring the frequency, like the Agency. It only took a few minutes to hook up Jessie’s jury-rigged box to the control panel, the multicolored wires and fancy computer chips laid out just like he had said they would be. I didn’t ask how he knew that. “Hello…” My voice faltered for a second, then returned. “This is Jo Tanis, codename Surf. I’m calling any supers who are still alive to come to Toronto, Canada to form a group to…” The cliché stuck in my throat. “I want to get us together to take on these invaders as a single, unified force away from the Agency. Away from the Guardians. Just us.” I glanced at my watch. “I’ll meet you at dusk here at the base

www.samhainpublishing.com

41

Sheryl Nantus

of the CN Tower for the next three days. I’ll understand if you decide not to come.” A deep breath. “As my Guardian Mike would say…would have said—time to save the world, kids.” I snapped the connection, ripping the wires free. Then I sat atop one of the highest free-standing structures in the world, wondering if I could really see Buffalo in the darkness and New York City just beyond. And if I could fly there just on good thoughts and intentions. It was just before dawn when I settled on the ground in an alleyway not far from the bookstore, landing as much in the shadows as I could. At this time of the morning it was unlikely that anyone would see me, but I wasn’t about to take too many chances. I didn’t want to come out in the open, not just yet, and have people start asking questions that I couldn’t or wouldn’t answer. Of course I landed in a puddle of dirty water, soaking what had been a pretty decent pair of sneakers a day or so ago. “Hey, girlie…” The soft call snapped me around like a rubber band. A tall man moved out of the darkness, a knife waving back and forth in the dim moonlight. “Give me your wallet.” I smiled, pulling together the power and concentrating it into the palms of my gloves. “Sure…” The thin hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I reveled in the familiar feeling. “Come on closer and I’ll toss it to you…”

42

www.samhainpublishing.com

Chapter Six

I resisted the urge to kick the unconscious man in the stomach just because I could. It really wasn’t the hero thing to do. Instead I rolled him onto his side, checked his breathing and emptied his pockets of about fifty dollars. My conscience didn’t give me much grief about taking the money. I still had no identification or cash, and while I wasn’t that worried about being stopped for ID, I was definitely going to need some cash in the future. Jessie and David could only do so much. Thankfully there was already some pedestrian traffic as I walked out onto Queen Street, looking as inconspicuous as possible. I had taken off my jacket and let my hair fly free. My gloves were stuffed back into my jacket pockets, giving me a bit more freedom with my hands but a little less ability to channel my power. A thick-set heavy man bumped into me as I strode along the sidewalk. “Sorry.” His words were slurred, though he didn’t smell of alcohol. “Sorry,” he repeated. “It’s okay.” I inwardly flinched as he lifted his hand towards my arm then dropped it again. “I’m tired.” He smiled at me, sending a shiver up my spine—the sort you get when you meet the neighborhood’s dirty old man at your open house. “I think I need to get a coffee.” A fat thumb jabbed towards the coffee shop. “Buy me a drink?” I put on my best “you’ve got to be kidding me” face. “Sorry, buddy, I’ve already got a breakfast date.” The short, overweight man leaned in closer, his undersized T-shirt exposing a few more inches of hairy skin than I was comfortable with. “I really think you should have a drink with me.” He stretched out a hand to a paper cup sitting haphazardly on the newspaper box next to us. It melted under his touch, curling into a small flaming pile of cardboard. He slapped it down with his hand, putting it out. “You wanna talk now?” The coffee was strong, some sort of Columbian brand that the shop was featuring in their daily push to caffeine addicts. The super took a deep swallow from his own mug, grimacing at the taste. “Crap. Should have gotten the espresso.” He put the mug down. “So you’re Surf.” I winced at the name. “Just call me Jo. I don’t think we really need to use those now.” “Sure.” A beam of morning sunlight bounced off his nearly bald head. “Name’s Harris Limox. Codename Meltdown.”

Sheryl Nantus

I must have given myself away with the gasp. He chuckled, grabbing a few packets of sugar and dumping them in his cup. “Yeah, yeah, I know. A bad guy. Never came up against you in rotation, but I’d heard of you and Mike. One helluva team.” “Thanks.” The half and half had taken the edge off but the coffee still could use some sweetness. “How did you make it here so fast?” I frowned. “And how’d you find me? I said I’d go back to the tower in twenty-four hours.” Limox nodded towards the busy street outside. “I was down in Detroit when the crap hit the wall. Hiked across the border in Windsor and grabbed a bus, first to Ottawa, but hopped off here when I got your message.” One meaty finger touched his jaw. “Scared the hell out of me when I heard you. I was half asleep on the bus and thought I was totally losing it. We got into Toronto about dawn and I headed for the tower.” He stabbed a finger into the sky. “Not hard to see that from anywhere downtown. I spotted you flying away and followed you, keeping quiet.” “Why?” He played with his cup a minute before responding. “I thought it might be a trap. Wouldn’t put it past the Agency. When I saw there wasn’t anyone hanging around, I decided to follow you for a bit, just to be sure.” He laughed. “Watched you take that guy out. Nice work.” I lowered my head, trying to hide my embarrassed blush. “Why were you heading for Ottawa?” “Asking for refugee status. Asylum.” He grinned, showing off a set of rotted teeth that both startled and depressed me. “Figured I’d take advantage of my freedom to get the hell out of the States.” “Except that I’m Canadian and we signed off on the North American Super Act.” My knuckles rapped the top of the table. “You’d have gotten nowhere with that. There’s no country in the world that offers asylum to supers.” The shocked look on his face said it all. “Damn. Must have slept through that part of the briefing.” I couldn’t help smiling as I took another sip of coffee. “Was part of the orientation.” “So you’re putting together a team to fight the bad guys.” He said it so loudly that I winced. “What, you think they care?” Limox jerked a thumb at the milling people grabbing their morning coffee and rushing off to parts unknown. “You think they give a shit about us?” He leaned in. “So why should we give a shit about them?” I moved in close, trying not to inhale the smell of sweat and a few days without a shower. “Because we’re supers and it’s what we do.” My eyes narrowed. “So if you’re not interested in helping them, then why are you here?” “I want to stay alive.” The angry whisper matched the deadness in his eyes. “Tell me you figured out how to get this out.” His fat index finger tapped the back of his neck. “’Cause I’m willing to bet you wouldn’t be trying to be the hero if you were afraid they’d pop you like a zit.”

44

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

I leaned back in the chair. “Really. So you’re only going to help if I keep you alive.” “It works for me.” Limox took another sip of coffee. “I’m a bad guy, remember? I chose that for a reason.” A gaggle of schoolgirls paused at the corner, waiting for the light to change, and his concentration snapped from the coffee to the barely-covering-vital-parts skirts they were wearing. I sighed. Now I remembered the briefing on Meltdown. It was part of a general know-your-enemy ramble just in case we had to fill in for an A-lister. “Where’s your Guardian?” I glanced around in a fit of paranoia. No one seemed to be paying attention to us, grabbing their daily or hourly cup of caffeine and heading out the door. We were just another pair of strange people sitting in a coffee shop rambling on about nothing. Limox looked down at the small rickety wooden table between us, picking up one of the flimsy brown napkins and folding it over and over in some sort of odd pattern. “He died. Like yours, I figure.” A rush of sympathy came over me for a second before I tamped it down again, remembering who this was. “I see.” The thin paper bent back and forth, finally emerging as a weak-winged origami crane. “Joseph was a good guy. Didn’t want to fight, a sort of a pacifist.” He laughed softly. “Funny, hmm?” The paper creation moved to sit between us. “He was a wimp. Always trying to convince me to swing back to the other side.” Two thick fingers tried to bend one of the faux wings back, failed. “He never even got out of the gate. What do they call it, collateral damage?” He looked up, meeting my eyes. “Building we were in fell down around us. Whole support team dead. I melted my way out.” I nodded. “I’ll give you a chance to avenge them.” “Not them.” The harsh tone startled me, his index finger shooting into the air. “Just Joseph. I don’t give a shit about the rest of them. He was a good guy.” “Noted.” I finished off the last of the cooling coffee. “Let’s go. I’ve got a base of operations already.” The words sounded rather grandiose coming out of my mouth. “As long as you understand.” The recycled paper cup crumpled in his hand. “I’m not doing this for you or for the government. Nothing here but revenge.” “I can live with that.” “And for you making sure the Agency doesn’t kill me for not racing off to get whacked like a fly on the wall.” A weary smile appeared on the overweight man’s face. “Just like you.” “Just like me.” I returned the grin, getting to my feet. “Just try not to show off.” He pouted, his lower lip jutting out so far I could have set my empty cup on it. “Spoilsport.” It was a short walk back to the bookstore. As I opened the front door David jumped up from behind the counter.

www.samhainpublishing.com

45

Sheryl Nantus

“Thank goodness you’re back. We were getting worried about you…” His voice trailed off as he stared at Limox. “Hello.” “This is Harris Limox.” I gave David what I hoped was a positive nod. “He’s going to be joining me for the time being.” “Good. Good.” Stepping forward, the elderly man took Limox’s hand, pumping it up and down. “Good to meet you.” “Glad to meet you too.” Limox’s confused expression had me chuckling inside. It was unlikely he’d ever had such a reaction from a civilian, not lately. He glanced around the store—the books stacked from floor to ceiling and sprawled across the floor in haphazard piles that threatened to overwhelm anyone not athletic enough to dance out of the way. “You’re setting up shop here?” “Upstairs.” I jerked a thumb at the ceiling. “The stairs are at the back. Grab anything you want to read along the way.” As the super picked and poked his way towards the back of the store I leaned in to talk to David. “He’s been one of the villains up until now.” David’s eyes went wide. “And you want him to help?” “He’s the first I’ve had turn up.” I put the backpack of equipment up on the counter. “And I’m not going to turn him down because he’s been playing the bad guy up until now.” “Why do they become villains?” David looked towards the stairs as if he expected Limox, who was still making his way up the steps, to sprout horns and wings. I shrugged. “It’s a whole psychological thing. They run us through tests and suggest what’s most appropriate for us.” The overweight man disappeared from sight. “His deal was, or is, that he’s basically a dirty old man. Loves his porn. Especially the young girls.” David gave off a noise, something between a grunt and a sigh. “Ah. The failings of man.” He nodded towards the ceiling. “Jessie’s up there installing a set of monitors and servers to help you coordinate things.” My eyes must have been the size of saucers, encouraging a reply from David before I could speak. “Don’t freak, he borrowed a lot of it from friends.” The dingy dark brown cardigan shifted on his shoulders. “Sort of. I actually didn’t pursue it much further than that.” “Well, we’re going to have to figure out how to keep Limox from surfing porn sites and getting us into trouble. Last thing I need is the Mounties smashing down the door because he’s been talking with new friends from Thailand.” I sighed. David’s wan smile startled me. “I’ll take care of that. You just focus on what you need to do.” “Yeah.” I slumped onto a stool that was strangely empty of books. “That I’m still not sure about. I’ll know in a few hours if anyone else is showing up or if I’m just blowing smoke.”

46

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed lightly. “You do what you have to do, Jo. No one is going to blame you for this.” “No, I blame us for this.” I rubbed my temples. “If the Agency hadn’t set up all those fights, if we hadn’t played the game, then these aliens wouldn’t have thought they were real. Maybe they wouldn’t have even attacked, or at least we would have been more prepared if we had been real heroes instead of fakes.” “You are no fake.” The stern tone took me aback. “And now you have to believe it or you will fail.” David headed towards the back of the bookstore. “Don’t forget to lock the door and flip the sign. I was just waiting for you to return.” I shifted my weight back and forth on the stool as he disappeared, probably to make sure Limox didn’t start breaking into porn sites before Jessie had a chance to set up a firewall. According to my watch I had another nine, ten hours before heading back to the tower and seeing if anyone was going to answer my call. And if no one showed up? I shook my head. I couldn’t afford to start thinking that way. Mike wouldn’t have let me. I walked to the front door and turned the deadbolt, listening to make sure it slid home cleanly. It must have been oiled sometime in the past two years—the bugger was impossible to turn when I worked there. As I walked up the stairs I heard Limox’s raised voice, which sent a shiver of fear down my spine. If he decided to attack Jessie and David… A man’s groan startled me, enough that I grabbed a handful of waves and began to concentrate them into my gloved hands, balling the energy up. It wouldn’t be lethal or really even much more than a mild shock, but it’d have to do. Jumping up the last few steps, I took a deep breath and charged into the loft, prepared for anything. Except what I saw.

www.samhainpublishing.com

47

Chapter Seven

David looked up from the table, his cheeks turning scarlet as he handed another album of pictures to Limox, who was leaning over the collection of photographs with a wide grin. Jessie was down on his hands and knees under a bookcase at the far end of the large room, entangled in wires. “Oh, Jo…” David swallowed loudly. “I thought that, er, well…” He glanced at the super beside him. “I thought Mr. Limox would like to see some of my…special collection.” Letting the charges slowly dissipate from my gloves, I couldn’t help smiling as I advanced on the two men. David’s blush darkened even as Limox’s grin expanded, a look of rapture on his face. “I, ah…” David stood up. “I thought I’d display my collection of antique lithographs and postcards.” I glanced at the images. “Nice…lithographs.” The heat rose in my cheeks despite my smile. “I didn’t know you were into collecting such…rarities.” Mild by current standards, the sketches showed women in various states of undress provocatively eyeing the artist. Of course, this was back when a bare ankle was considered to be risqué. “This is great.” Limox jabbed a finger at one postcard carefully preserved under a protective film. “This is from the Second World War and in mint condition.” Leaving the super to gawk at the naughty pictures, David waved me over to the small kitchenette. “I thought that I’d give him something that’d keep him off the computer. Give Jessie less of a heart attack.” His flushed face matched his sheepish look. “Hey.” I raised both gloved hands. “You don’t have to explain anything to me, David. And if it keeps him happy, then you can give him buckets of the stuff for all I care.” “That’s good. I mean it’s fine.” He pulled out a cream-colored handkerchief and began wiping his face. “I mean…” “It’s fine.” I grinned. “Mike had a collection of photos along those lines. Except it included a few supers.” His eyebrows rose towards the ceiling, his lips moving without any sound coming out. “Let’s just say that Dominatrix…well, was.” Leaving the flustered man, I walked over to Jessie, who was still under the table, plugging something into something into something else. “What’s all this?” “Your command center,” he mumbled through a mouthful of white plastic zip ties. “If you’re going to have a command center, you need to do it right.”

Blaze of Glory

I sat on the office chair, pulling it as close to the mess as I dared. “You’ve wanted to do this ever since you were a little kid, right?” Now it was his turn to blush. “Just don’t give us anything we can’t handle.” I glanced towards Limox, who was still chortling over the faded and yellowed pictures. “And plenty of firewalls. Last thing we need is Meltdown causing all this to melt down by downloading some nasty virus.” “Roger that.” He studiously kept his eyes on a series of jacks he was attempting to plug in. “Well, at least you got one response so far.” “Yeah.” I nodded. “Didn’t expect him, to be honest.” Jessie looked up at me through a tree of wires. “Can you work with them? Villains, I mean?” “Going to have to.” The smile was forced. “I’ll let you get back to wiring up the Hall of Justice, or whatever we’re going to call it.” I couldn’t blame Jessie for being confused about how the good guys could work with the bad. The conversation I’d had with Mike at the start of our training pretty well covered it. “So evil isn’t really evil.” I stared down at the clipboard in front of me, scanning the names of our upcoming opponents. “But why would you want to be a supervillain?” “Because it’s more fun, in a way.” Mike pointed at the images coming up on the screen, scrolling through mug shots. I looked back and forth, matching faces to the names on the pages. “Who doesn’t like to twirl a long moustache and cackle as you tie a screaming woman to the train tracks?” “Ugh.” I flipped through the inch-thick stack. “Looks like a lot of mental problems, if you ask me.” The sigh startled me. “Well, yeah. The Agency has to put them somewhere, so the villain program is their last option.” “Or you pull the plug.” He stiffened as if I’d actually landed one of those futile punches from our workout. “Let’s move onto allies and teamwork.” Plucking the clipboard from my fingers, he tossed it to one side. “You don’t fight alone. You fight as part of a team.” His words echoed in my ears as I looked around the loft. I was pretty sure this wasn’t anything like what Mike had envisioned. Limox was still engrossed in the erotic art display, a thoughtful look on his face as he studied each image. David appeared at my elbow, obviously recovered from our previous conversation. “I’ve got a pot of tea going. Shall I pour you a cup?” “That…would be great.” I walked over to the kitchenette with him. I leaned back with my elbows on the narrow counter as he poured out two cups. “I’ll go back this evening and see who else shows up. If anyone.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

49

Sheryl Nantus

“There’ll be others.” After adding a dash of milk, he put the container back into the mini fridge and passed me the cup. “There’s others who think like you.” “I hope so.” I glanced at the supervillain previously known as Meltdown. “Just…watch him. You can’t stop him if he decides to do anything, but…” “We’ll be fine. He’s still a good guy, under it all.” He patted my arm. “Oh, here.” I pulled a few dollars from my pocket. “Put it towards the groceries. You’re not making any money keeping the store closed.” The older man paused before pocketing the money. “I’m not going to ask.” “Don’t. I may be a good girl but we still have to eat.” I couldn’t help giggling. “Besides, I like to think of it as a contribution.” Leaving Limox with his photo collection, I curled up on the single bed for yet another nap, feeling the weariness in my bones. Well, that and shock. Mike was dead. Along with every other aspect of that life. I rubbed my eyes, determined not to break down in front of Limox or Jessie. That was not going to help if I wanted to lead this team. Closing my eyes, I forced myself to relax using some old meditation techniques Mike had forced on me back at the Agency when we were still in training together. “When the fuck would you use this?” I opened one eye, glaring at him as he sat, cross-legged, directly opposite me. “Sometimes you need to take the tension off.” He kept his eyes closed. “I’m ex-military. Trust me, this is better than a bar brawl for relaxation.” “I can think of better ways to relax.” The edge of his mouth twitched upwards as I openly smirked. “That’s your business. Mine is helping you win fights and control your power.” Without opening his eyes he reached over and lightly smacked the side of my head. “So shut the fuck up already.” I woke up to the smell of burning wood and rubber. My jaw dropped open when I looked at my watch. It’d been eight hours. My nap had been a full-fledged deep sleep. Scrambling to my feet, I moved around the pseudo-wall constructed of an ancient faux Japanese paper screen to see Limox down on the floor with Jessie. They were both concentrating on a series of wires, oblivious to my reaction. “There. That one, please.” Jessie tapped a series of wires leading to a terminal. A thick pudgy finger moved in, rubbing over the thin silver wire, prompting it to melt and drip exactly where Jessie had directed. “Great!” He continued to direct Limox back and forth along the floor, the two men slithering on their backs like a pair of bears with mange trying to find relief. “Don’t even ask.” David appeared at my side with a cup of coffee. He handed it to me. “Figured we’d channel that energy into something useful.” “Why did you let me sleep so long?” I chastised David. The coffee was sweet and hot.

50

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

He shrugged. “Wasn’t any reason to wake you up. Mr. Limox caught a few hours on the couch, and I’ve been napping in my chair while Jessie minded the shop. Things are going well and I figured you needed your beauty sleep.” “Ouch.” I dramatically winced. I glanced at my watch. “It’s early, but I feel like stretching my legs. So to speak. Besides, looks like you’ve got things under control here.” I smiled at David. “Put up or shut up time.” “Bah. They’ll be there.” He waved a hand in the air. “Go out the back, door’ll lock automatically. And just be careful, we don’t need you on the midnight news yet. You may think you’re all that and a bag of chips, but you’re still human.” The small black plastic box was still sitting in the pocket of my leather jacket that hung on the coat rack by the stairs. I didn’t remember putting it there. David must have picked it up from the bed when I had lain down. “Jessie?” Pulling the jacket down, I pointed at the bulge in my pocket. “We’re going to need more of these.” “Already taken care of.” He lifted his head from the floor. “Installed another one here that’ll block you all while here. And I’ve got orders in for more portable ones.” Limox let out a sigh. “I’d totally forgotten about that.” “Of course.” Jessie jerked a thumb at me. “That’s why she’s in charge.” I smiled at the confidence in his voice. “I’m off to the tower. Do a bit of a walkabout, make sure there’s no one lying in wait for us.” “Good luck,” Limox groused from his awkward position. “Don’t let the bed plugs bite.” I strode towards the stairs, hopefully with an air of command in my step. Last thing I needed from the start was Limox trying to take over. The streets had begun to fill with the evening rush-hour traffic—taxis doing impossible maneuvers in and out of the slow-moving lanes and exhausted businessmen and women struggling to fight their way to the mass transit system to catch their bus or train or streetcar out of the city. I hadn’t kept up with how many people commuted into Toronto to work, but it’d gone up since I left two years ago. Queen Street West was a glorious mixture of shops selling everything from alligator cowboy boots to chic fashion to comic books. I’d missed the pleasure of just strolling down the street and taking in the sights, too busy playing the game. The street vendors offering tie-dyed scarves and shirts, handmade jewelry and incense holders in the shape of dragons lying on their backs. The row of motorcycles outside a bar with a line of limousines double-parked beside them. The buskers playing guitars, wooden flutes, a classical cellist performing with an open case at her feet. And, despite an alien invasion, people were still going to work and having fun and making love in the small apartments over the stores. Some things never change.

www.samhainpublishing.com

51

Sheryl Nantus

The afternoon paper showed a front-page shot of the fat avocado hovering over Times Square with some glib comment over the image. Since the attacks had stopped there were a plethora of opinions being bandied around, from running up the white flag and just giving them the planet, to tossing atomic bombs at them and sacrificing the cities. Some had begun to wrap conspiracy theories around reality, claiming it was all a stunt by the supers to try and take over the world. Except for the bodies they were digging out of the rubble, that is. The sun had set by the time I had walked down to Spadina and the fashion district, hopping down to King Street and the fancy financial buildings that refused to take a day off for anything, even alien invasions. A few people looked at me askance but didn’t say anything—either they figured I wasn’t who they thought I was or they quietly accepted me back home. Either way I wasn’t going to launch into an explanation. I grabbed a hot dog from one of the street vendors and wandered towards the tower, which was easy to spot from almost everywhere in the downtown core. The large domed stadium beside it was empty—no game tonight again. Most major cities had decided against having massive events due to the imminent dangers—which didn’t mean they weren’t happening, they had just been rerouted to smaller towns and the networks were broadcasting even more sports events. Thank goodness, I really didn’t relish the idea of trying to find a super in the middle of a crowd of rabid fans. The streetlights had kicked on, neon rushing to fill the gaps left by the setting sun. Sitting down on a park bench not far from the tower, I stared up into the sky, seeing the first stars begin to fight their way through the smog clouds. “What am I doing, Mike?” I said out loud. “What am I doing?” An elderly woman walking nearby gave me an odd look, wrapping her shawl around her a bit tighter as she passed me by. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and sighed. “Weight on your shoulders, dearie?” The senior who had passed me by earlier had seated herself next to me, pulled out a bag of bread and was tossing it in hunks and chunks, signaling a feeding frenzy for the ever-present pigeons. “Oh, just a bad day.” The crowd of birds at our feet began to grow and spread out, covering the white concrete up to the road. “We all have those,” the white-haired woman replied, the dark brown shawl loose on her shoulders. “But we just have to fight through it.” Turning towards me, she smiled, her lips pressed together. “Don’t we?” Her mouth never moved, but the words echoed in my mind all the same.

52

www.samhainpublishing.com

Chapter Eight

I stared at her for a second, hoping I had just imagined the words had popped into my head. Just imagined that the old woman feeding bread to the herds of pigeons had to be a super. “No, you’re not imagining it.” A young man sat beside me, his long leather trench coat brushing against my left leg. “May, you know that’s not how we agreed to do it.” His tone held a hint of reprimand. The woman puffed out her cheeks with an annoyed huff. “You don’t know how to deal with women, Hunter. That’s why you’re still not married.” The words bounced around my mind, the tone reminding me of a mother chastising her bachelor son. I put my hand up to my mouth, hiding the smile. Hunter responded by leaning forward, taking a hunk of bread from May’s bag and tossing it into the crowd. A thick band of metal on his wrist sparkled in the evening lights, sending a chill through my bones. Guardian. Here. Leaping to my feet, I backed away from the couple, charging up my gloves even as I shuffled through the pigeons. Feathers flew everywhere as the birds protested. “Now you’re scaring her. I told you to hide that damned thing.” The admonishment reverberated in my head. My attention shot back and forth between the white-haired lady sitting on the bench still feeding the pigeons and the Guardian sitting calmly near her with one hand running through his blond hair. I clenched my fists, grabbing as much power as I could, my heart hammering almost uncontrollably. “I’m sorry, I forgot. Shut her down, May.” The Guardian got to his feet. “She’s panicking.” A burst of voices shot into my mind’s eye, yelling and screaming and whispering and mumbling and crying and… The sidewalk was cool under my cheek, solid and unforgiving as I lay there gasping for air. “Okay, May—give me a minute.” Hunter materialized in front of me, lifting my head to cradle it in his lap. “Damned woman. She never listens.” My mouth opened and closed, no sound coming out. “Give it a minute.” He glanced towards the park bench. “It’s a bit overwhelming when Mayday gets going.”

Sheryl Nantus

I stared at the metal band on his wrist as he brushed some hair from my face. He frowned and followed where my eyes led. “Oh. Damn.” He pulled down the sleeve of his coat. “No, I’m not going to kill you.” “Are you scaring her, Hunter?” May’s voice carried to where we were laying. “Probably.” A weak smile showed on his boyish face. “Sorry, Surf. Didn’t mean to meet you like this.” I regained control of my voice, my balance returning soon after. According to my watch it had only been a minute since the initial attack, but it felt like hours to me. In the back of my mind I could hear Mike yelling at me for being such an idiot. “Just breathe.” Hunter looked up, probably at the tower. “Takes everyone a different amount of time to recover from May’s mind blast.” He sighed. “Guess this is a pretty awkward way to answer your call, hmm?” I must have smiled back because he continued. “Name’s Hunter Dillon. And yes, I’m May’s Guardian.” His light blue eyes held a trace of tears. “And before you ask—I couldn’t send her into that. I saw what was happening to you and the others and I couldn’t.” The words dropped to a whisper. “I couldn’t do that to her. So we cut and ran.” “Ran,” I whispered. “Yeah. Just don’t kill me when you recover, please?” His tone was light, but I knew he was serious. If he was a Guardian, he knew what I could do. I eased the charge away, releasing it back into the air, the ground, anywhere it wanted to go. Last thing I needed right now was to have an accident—that hadn’t happened in over a year, and Mike had never passed up the chance to point out the electrical scars along the living-room wall. “Good. Now I’m going to help you sit up. Please don’t throw up on me.” Hunter chuckled, a soft trill. “I don’t have any other clothes than what I’ve got on.” He pushed me upwards. Putting one gloved hand to my right temple, I tried to massage away the throbbing with little success. May tossed out the last hunk of bread and patted the bench beside her. “Come over here, dear. Time to talk.” Hunter helped me to my feet, and I limped over. May smiled. The Guardian sat beside me, putting me in the middle. “I’m sorry, dear,” she said in a sing-song voice I recognized from the noise in my mind. “Didn’t mean to cause any trouble.” “No problem.” A few deep breaths helped to clear the fuzz from my head. “So, let’s take this from the top. Obviously, you know who I am. But I’m at a bit of a loss.” “Maybelline Andrews.” Her hand reached out from under the thick sweater, pale and small, to shake mine. “This is my Guardian, Hunter Dillon.”

54

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

My attention turned to the man. “We’ve met.” He nodded. “I've heard of you. Cool skills. Mayday here has the ability to dump static into people’s minds. Not enough to put her on the main list, but enough to keep her around for the tag-team matches.” My eyes narrowed as I ran through the mental list of supers. “I think I remember you… You’ll have to forgive me, my mind’s still pretty fuzzy.” “That’s my fault.” She sounded almost proud of the fact. “Yes, well…to make a long story short, we’re here to help.” Hunter’s hand landed on my knee, sparking a rush of heat that startled me. “And we’ve got to talk about the Agency.” “Right.” I looked at my watch, trying to ignore the inferno in my leg. “Let’s give it another hour in case someone else shows up and we’ll go back to my place.” “That sounds good.” May pointed up at the tower. “Why don’t you tell me all about this thing while we wait? It’s quite the lovely building, it is.” For the next hour we sat there and I found out how the two of them had traveled on the bus from Minneapolis, Hunter insisting they come here after receiving my message. I listened as May detailed her interesting riding companions and the few she had to smite because they were either impolite or possibly dangerous to them. She twirled a snow-white curly lock of hair around her index finger as she continued to talk about the weather and the change in temperature and how Canada wasn’t as cold as she thought it was going to be and could we stop for coffee on the way back because she really would appreciate that. Finally Hunter put his hand on her arm. “That’s enough, May.” He smiled at me. “It’s been over an hour. Think it’s time to go?” “For tonight,” I admitted, feeling a bit downcast despite our meeting. Getting to my feet, I let out a sigh. “I’ll come back tomorrow night.” “Give them a chance.” May stood up, brushing crumbs from her dark blue slacks. “Besides, we’re here.” “Yes, yes you are.” Stifling a yawn, I gestured towards the street. “We can catch a bus back home.” May oohed and aahed about the streetcar ride, settling into the hard plastic seat with all the enthusiasm of a child on her first outing into the big city. Hunter stood beside her, keeping guard. His eyes flashed around the inside of the carriage scanning everyone and everything as if he expected another Guardian to leap out at any second and start blowing our heads off. Or to chastise him for still being alive. Or something between the two extremes. As it was I wasn’t comfortable with his presence. The slim shiny wristband flashed every now and then in the fluorescent lights before he would hide it again. We hopped off the streetcar, May impressed again with the evening crowds of clubbers rushing to either get to another club or to an open restaurant. I led them into the alley that ran behind the bookstore, embarrassed by the soggy cardboard pizza boxes stacked in the narrow lane and the smell of urine. The back door screamed in squeaking agony as I opened it, sending an arc of pain through my ears.

www.samhainpublishing.com

55

Sheryl Nantus

“A bookstore. Wonderful!” May walked in behind me, chirping her words. “I hope I can read some of them.” “Why, of course.” David appeared out of an aisle, beaming as he saw us. Bending down, he grabbed May’s hand. Bringing it up, he kissed the back of the pale, delicate skin lightly. “David Tierney, at your service.” “Oh, my.” May blushed as Hunter rolled his eyes and I stifled a laugh. “Jo didn’t say that you were so polite.” David grinned. “Well, if you’re looking for something to read, let me take you on a tour of the shop.” Offering his arm to the older woman, he looked back at the two of us. “We’ll be upstairs in a second. Jessie’s finished hooking up the surveillance cameras and managed to wrangle a few more jammers for personal use.” He nodded to May. “I'll give you one as soon as we get upstairs. Mr. Limox already has his.” “Jammers?” Hunter asked as he walked behind me up the stairs. “For the GPS locaters in the plug.” I tapped the back of my neck. “We’ve got a main one here but we need smaller, personal ones to travel outside the area.” “Ah.” He tapped his temple with a finger. “Darned smart. Can I see one of them?” “Sure. Ask Jessie for one. Just don’t take it apart. I don’t know how many we’ll need to have on hand.” We reached the top of the stairs. “So, here it is.” “Wow.” Putting his hands on his hips, he looked around the loft. I had to admit I was pretty impressed myself, given the changes that had been wrought while I had been out. The single computer desk had morphed into a huge bank of monitors and computer screens which displayed a series of shots from outside the bookstore—the aforementioned surveillance cameras. Another set ran a local news channel, another an international television station, and three computer screens showed an impressive number of chat screens and programs. The living area had been spruced up with a second couch, albeit definitely used and abused, along with a few armchairs and a long coffee table that had deep scratches and gouges in the redwood. The single bed was now surrounded by sleeping bags and loose pillows, making me wince with the mental image of sleeping anywhere near Limox. But the kitchen had me smiling with the addition of a microwave oven, a coffee maker and from the empty grocery bags on the floor, a full pantry and cupboard. “Nice.” Hunter let out a low whistle as he hung up his jacket on the coat rack not too far from the top of the stairs. I followed suit, leaving my jammer in the pocket. “Yeah.” I was in shock seeing the drab and dreary apartment transformed into something that looked like a professional base of operations. Jessie appeared from behind the row of monitors, waving a screwdriver. “Hey.” His eyes narrowed as he saw Hunter. “Who’s he?” “Hunter Dillon.” I paused. “A Guardian.”

56

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

Jessie’s hand hovered in the air where he had started to extend it in a handshake. “Aren’t they the bad guys?” I glanced at Hunter, noting the sheepish look on his face as he waited for me to answer. “Not as bad as the aliens.” “Ah.” Jessie dropped his hand, rubbing it on his faded jeans. “Okay then.” He disappeared behind the monitors. “Be finished soon enough, then we’re getting some pizza.” “Where’s Limox?” I spun, not seeing the paunchy, overweight man. “Downstairs.” The muffled words came through the gaps on the rack. As if on cue Hunter’s head snapped around. “Oh Lord…” He sprinted towards the stairs, his white dress shirt threatening to pull free of his jeans with the sudden movement. I followed, nearly tripping down the steps. Hunter dashed between the rows of books, ducking in and out of sight as I tried to catch him. “May!” he roared at the top of his lungs, startling me. “He’s not very nice.” The gentle voice came from the next aisle over. I stumbled into the narrow space to see Limox, a bemused look on his face as he drooled onto the hardwood floor, eyes unfocused and wide. David was leaning against the Current Events shelf with May standing beside him, her lips pressed tightly together. “He needs to learn some manners,” she announced. She turned to David. “Can I please have a cup of tea?” “Certainly.” He offered his arm again with an uneasy smile. “Shall we go upstairs and relax there?” “That would be nice.” May followed, carefully stepping over the confused man. David glared at me before leading her away. Hunter dropped down beside Limox. “Sorry, man. You must have pushed her buttons.” “You think?” I knelt, noting Limox’s glazed expression. “So what the hell is wrong with her?” “I’m willing to bet that he”—Hunter pointed at the super—“made a rude comment about her. Not a good idea.” “I guessed that.” Sliding down to sit on the floor beside the twitching man, I wiped my forehead with one hand. “So, do I have to worry about her going off like this all the time?” “No. Only if you act like an ass.” Slapping Limox on the shoulder, Hunter stood back up. “She’s a bit old-fashioned when it comes to how men should treat women. Ignore that at your own peril.” He reached down towards me. “And we still have to talk.” I glared at Limox. He blinked with a mixture of fear and loathing in his eyes. “He’ll be fine. She zapped him with less than she gave you.” The blond man grinned. “Think of it as a lesson in civility.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

57

Sheryl Nantus

Getting to my feet with Hunter’s help, I smiled at the man still lying on the floor. “Don’t mess with her, Meltdown. She’ll fry your brain next time.” I followed Hunter upstairs where May was settling down at the small kitchen table with David, excitedly talking about her obsession with Nora Roberts books and asking if he could track down the latest release. Hunter waved me over to the couch, grabbing a cup of coffee on the way. “Let’s chat.” “Yeah.” I caught David’s eye, getting a nod of support before he returned his attention to the chattering super. Sinking into the dark purple cushions, I rubbed my eyes with the palms of both hands, trying to pull it together. Hunter leaned forward, entwining his fingers and resting his elbows on his knees. “You’re not happy to see me.” “Understatement.” I stared at him. “If it weren’t for the fact that May seems sort of attached to you, I’d have clocked you and dumped your body somewhere.” He grimaced. “I don’t think so. I know you, Surf.” “Don’t call me that.” My teeth ground together. “My name is Jo.” He held up his hands. “Got it. Okay.” Leaning forward again, he lowered his voice. “Look, I told you why I couldn’t send May into battle. Which makes me a rogue, which makes me on your side.” Hunter glanced towards the table where May was deep in an animated conversation with David and now Jessie, her hands flying in the air as she described something. “You know she wouldn’t have lasted a minute in there.” “I can’t believe they would have sent her in.” I scratched the tip of my nose. “I mean, she’s not exactly a fighter, if you don’t mind me saying so.” “She’s not. The Agency saw her as more of a tag-team member, usually with one of the heavy brawlers. She’d nail the big guy with her mental scrambling and then the flashy super would take ’em out.” Hunter looked towards the table. “We got the call and I just couldn’t send her to certain death. Didn’t even tell her, to be honest—I told her to get dressed and we headed for the bus station.” His hands rubbed together as if they were cold. “Went to a casino first, saw the fight there on the big screens. The bookies were actually taking bets on it, if you can believe it, at least until they figured out this wasn’t just some stupid publicity stunt. She was upset but she’s not stupid—she knows this level of fighting is far, far above what she can do and contribute to.” Hunter paused. “I saw you and Metal Mike. I’m sorry.” “Yeah.” The word was thick in my throat. Clearing it with a cough, I harrumphed my way back. “So now that you’re here, what can you help us with?” “Saving your life.” He tapped the back of his head. “You may be able to block the plug right now, but that’s not going to last.” “We’re working on it.” My attention darted to Jessie, who was sitting opposite May, his eyes bright and enchanted by the elderly lady.

58

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“Whatever you’re doing, it won’t be enough.” Hunter bit down on his lower lip. “I’ll be honest with you. There’s a failsafe that the Agency has to deal with something like this.” “Like this?” A sheepish smile touched his lips. “Well, sort of. In case of some sort of major super rebellion there’s an automated process that starts up—it’s locked into the system. A special detonation code that’ll activate all the plugs at once no matter where you are or what sort of tech you’re playing with.” He looked towards the command center, his voice dropping to a low whisper. “He may be a damned good tech, but you know he can’t match what the Agency has. We’ve been at this for years; he just found out in the last day or so that you were a fake. You really think he and his hacker friends can beat out the resources the Agency has at their command?” I felt a surge of nausea, the burning in the back of my throat threatening to overwhelm me. “You’ve probably got…” he studied his watch, “…just under fifteen hours to get into the Agency’s network and disable that program, otherwise it’s not going to make a difference who you are or where you are. Or what little toys your technical buddy comes up with.” “Murderer.” The word was coarse and rough. Hunter’s gaze dropped to the ground and he slowly nodded. “You’re right. But look at it from our point of view. We had to have some sort of back-up plan. And this is what they decided on. If it’s worth anything, I didn’t get a vote on it. Neither did Mike.” He let out a low whisper as he exhaled, as if slowly releasing the air from a balloon. “And that’s not the worst of it.” “You’ve got to be kidding me.” A bubble of nausea popped, forcing an angry burp up my throat. “Seriously.” He took a deep breath and continued. “Look, you ever wonder how we knew where you supers were? How we found you every time just after you manifested your powers? How we were there in the right place at the right time?” I didn’t say anything. “There’s a pre-cog at the Agency, has been for years. She’s the one who sees supers being created, and we send out a team to pick them up before they can run.” His fingers rubbed against each other, twisting and intertwining and opening up again. “She actually saw this attack coming.” I blinked. Once. Twice. Then I leapt at the man, grabbing him by his white pristine shirt collar and tossing him to the floor.

www.samhainpublishing.com

59

Chapter Nine

“What?” I roared into his face, straddling his hips and pinning him to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Mayday getting to her feet, her mouth open in astonishment. “No, don’t.” Hunter looked to the side, waving her off. “Don’t interfere.” He stared at my hands, now tight on his shirt, the angry sparks starting to leap from bare finger to bare finger. “Look, Jenny didn’t see all of this. She saw some of it, a fragment, but she thought it was years down the road. Which is why we had to keep recruiting more supers, get them ready.” My grip didn’t lessen. “Jo, you have to listen to me—we didn’t know this was going to happen now. We thought it would be years, maybe decades. We knew they were coming and that they’d chew up the military, all of those people. Jenny helped us build an army of supers to save the world.” He wheezed, his eyes growing wide as the electric static began to build in my hands. The chest hairs visible through his unbuttoned shirt started to stand on end. “But she might be able to see how this ends. Jenny could see how to beat them.” The panic in his eyes was growing. “I can get you in there. I can help…” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I have to help save May.” I paused, the charge holding steady on my palms. May stood there, David’s hand clamped on her forearm. I knew how fast I could fry the man under me. But I didn’t know how fast she could fry my mind. “Fuck!” I slammed my hands onto the floor on each side of his head, discharging them as best I could. Rolling off Hunter, I stayed on my knees, closed my eyes and wished I had the ability to travel in time. To just go back a few days and talk to Mike, to figure out what was going on… I heard Limox roar from the bottom of the stairs. “Anyone got an aspirin? I’ve got a splitting headache…” His gaze darted across the scene as he entered the room. “Am I late for the orgy?” May glared at him. “Just kidding, kidding.” He scurried over to an empty chair, hands in front of him. “I’ll be over here if anyone wants me. Don’t worry about the aspirin.” I pressed my face to the cool hardwood floor, wondering if any of the classic comic-book heroes had ever had such troubles. A few minutes later I was back on the sofa, holding a huge cup of tea in one hand and a blueberry scone in the other, courtesy of David. He sat next to me on the couch, Hunter sat on the other side, May next to him in the cramped space. Limox cowered in the chair at the far end of the room. Jessie sat on the

Blaze of Glory

floor at the coffee table, eagerly digging into the chocolate chip cookies and scones next to the silver tea service. Whatever David’s hobbies were away from work, the man had a sense of flair when it came to conducting a meeting. “So…” David pointed into the air, glancing around to make sure he had our attention. “We need to get you guys to the Agency base to take out this master command computer.” “Right.” Hunter nodded, his own mug of tea in hand. “The good news is that it won’t be that hard to get in—if they haven’t revoked my security codes yet. We can only hope they’re too busy trying to figure out who’s alive and who’s not.” He looked at May. “Everyone’s still in shock. I’m willing to bet they haven’t established communications with most of their operatives. If they can find them, that is.” An image popped into my mind’s eye, of Mike’s body trapped under tons of concrete, his lifeless eyes staring up into the darkness. Alone in the cold and the dark. Alone… “Jo? You okay?” Jessie moved towards me, tapping me on the shin. “Jo?” “I’m fine.” A cough covered up the trembling in my voice. “So where’s the bunker? If I recall correctly there’s plenty of training facilities all over the continent—where’s this pre-cog stationed?” “That’s where we get lucky.” Hunter leaned over the table, moving the tea set aside and drawing his finger over the glass surface. “The Agency established only a few training bases for supers across North America. They’re all identically designed and the staff rotates around from one to the other, keeping the new supers off-kilter in case there’s some attempt at escape or revolt.” He smeared a drop of tea across the transparent surface. “Jenny goes along as well, from one base to the other. She never goes anywhere that’s not under Agency control.” He looked at me. “You trained out on the East Coast, not far from Washington, D.C.” His attention went to Limox. “You were out West, San Francisco if I recall correctly. And believe it or not, there’s one just across the border in Buffalo.” He grinned, seeing the astonished looks on our faces. “No, not in a major city. Not in a secret base out in the Atlantic. A small farmhouse sitting just off the highway.” The index finger tapped hard on the glass. “And right now Jenny’s there. Oracle. And the master code to shut down the plugs.” Limox emerged from his self-imposed silence. “So you want us to walk right back into an Agency base and do what? As soon as they see us coming they’ll blow our heads off. And what’s to stop them from just reactivating the plugs?” “I can help Jessie come up with something to totally frag the system. Deactivate the sequence.” Hunter’s voice was low and soft as if he were instructing a wayward student on safety procedures. “It’ll crash the entire plug system until it gets reset—which is going to take a team of programmers weeks to do. If they can do it at all, that is.” “What’s this detonation code there for anyway?” The furrows on my forehead must have been deep enough to hide a car. In the back of my mind I could hear Mike advising caution.

www.samhainpublishing.com

61

Sheryl Nantus

Hunter leaned back with a weary shrug. “A safety procedure, just in case. Can’t afford to lose all the supers to some whack job running amuck in the Agency, or foreign sabotage.” He looked at each of us in turn. “Look, I know you’re not prone to believing anything I’m telling you. But you’ve got to trust me on this. Why would I lie?” “To hand us back to the Agency,” Limox growled from his chair, his hands gripping the arms so tight I saw his knuckles whiten. “I’m not going to hand my life back to those bastards.” He glanced at May, his expression changing to a softer, less aggressive look. “Apologies for the language.” She nodded, saying nothing. “Look, I’m not here to help you. I’m here to help her.” Hunter put his hand on May’s forearm, squeezing lightly through the thin light blue blouse. “She’s suffered enough, hasn’t she?” “How the fuck did you ever get to be a Guardian?” Limox snorted, obviously forgetting his previous apology. “Aren’t you supposed to be kicking our asses?” Hunter laughed, a sudden break of tension in the room. “Dude, whoever worked with you must have been quite the asshole.” “He was. He was a good guy. He’s dead.” Meltdown crossed his arms in front of him, his face turning stoic again. “And now you’re asking us to get ourselves killed on your word.” “I trust him.” The words were out of my mouth before I had a chance to think. “We’re going to go see Oracle and shut down these plugs before they go nuclear.” I ran my right hand along the back of my neck. “We owe it to all the others out there who are in hiding. We can’t just let them all die, and I sure as hell can’t supply them all with jammers.” My eyes locked with Hunter’s. “And we’re going to ask Jenny what the hell is going to happen with this invasion crap. I’m as eager as the next guy to throw them the hell off our planet, but if she’s calling it for the avocado crew, then we’ll have to reevaluate the situation.” “So you’re in charge?” Limox exhaled the words under his breath. “Thought this was a democracy.” “No.” I shook my head. “We’re not playing that game. I set this place up, I sent out the call and you came here. You can leave anytime, Limox.” I gave a sharp nod towards the window. “You want to be a villain for real? Get out there and find a good place to lie down and die because if we don’t shut down the plugs, we’ll all have our heads pop off. And if we don’t stop those aliens, we’re all going to die—super and human alike. This détente isn’t going to last.” The pudgy face went scarlet as his mouth opened and closed, no sound coming out for a few minutes. His eyes went across the different faces in the room, finally landing on the floor. “Your call, Surf.” “Yeah. It is.” I turned my attention to Hunter. “Starting problem is that we’ve got to get across the border. I’ve got no identification and I’m pretty sure that they’re tightening up on traffic racing back and forth right now.” “You can fly.” Hunter smiled. “No problem.”

62

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

I blinked wildly, wondering if I had heard him correctly. “Well, yes…but I’ve never carried more than one person.” “But you can.” He gave me an encouraging glance. “I’ve seen your records. You can do it.” “And you all jump on my back? No thanks.” Putting up my hand, I smiled. “No offense, but that’s a little too kinky, even for me.” “Well, it’ll save time.” Hunter beamed. “Better and faster than driving. Less chance of being seen as well.” David tilted his head to one side, giving me a wistful smile. “You have to go as quickly as possible, Jo. This is not something you can wait on.” Which explains why, three hours later, I was standing on the roof of the bookstore looking down on the bright lights of Queen Street West and wondering if I had, finally, lost my mind. “This is insane,” Meltdown mumbled behind me. “Shut. Up.” I spoke through clenched teeth, trying to focus on the waves around us. It’s one of the stranger things about our world—everything has an electromagnetic field. Everything. From humans to rocks to grass to streetlights to water. And it had become my trick to be able to manipulate them. Except I was now trying to not only surf myself, but three fully grown adults. One of whom, May informed me at the last minute, couldn’t swim. The cold night air drifted over me, carrying a bit of the spray from Niagara Falls with it. I looked down, enjoying the light show along with the rest of the tourists. “Eyes here. You see that show most every night,” Mike called. “You can do this, Jo. I know you can.” He stood next to me on the roof of our building, the speakers amplifying his voice. “Just spread it out over me. Stretch it like you’re making a pizza.” “I don’t cook.” My fingers flexed outwards, grabbing the almost-invisible bubble I had created around me. “Look, you create an opposing charge to the fields around you. That’s how you surf.” Mike knelt beside me, the metal suit sparkling in the moonlight. “Just extend it over me.” The shimmering circle moved outwards, touching the cool metal and expanding over the surface. “There ya go.” His voice was calm and confident. That made one of us. “Now when you’re ready, lift us up.” As soon as the aura covered us both I pushed off from the rough gravel, holding my breath as we rose one foot, two feet… And crashed back down, so hard I swear I heard rivets pop from Mike’s suit. “It’s okay, it’s okay.” His mellow chuckles calmed me as I lay flat on my back, staring up into a romantic full moon. “We’ll work on it.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

63

Sheryl Nantus

Except we never had. The full moon rose over me again, but I was hundreds of miles from Niagara Falls and without Mike’s comforting words. I swallowed hard, pushing down the ball of fear rolling around in my stomach. “I just don’t want to kill anyone.” “Understood.” Hunter appeared at my right side. He had changed out of his white dress shirt into a dark blue turtleneck which, combined with his jeans and leather trench coat, made him almost invisible. His light blond hair was gone, covered with a cheap black hair dye. May had demanded that David take her on a brief shopping trip before the mission. She seemed enthusiastic enough, but I had no idea how much until she returned with a bag filled with the cosmetics, prattling about increasing our camouflage by removing anything light-colored. Including Hunter’s blondness. Limox had chortled himself silly, watching as the Guardian had handed himself over to his super’s tender ministrations in silence. I just prayed that she didn’t think of camo paint and start coating our faces. As it was, I’d barely dodged the woman’s attack on my own blonde locks, claiming that I was allergic to hair dye. “You’ll be fine.” Hunter took hold of my right hand, nodding as May clutched my left so tightly I began to worry about circulation. She wasn’t going to hold onto anything but me. Behind me Limox let out a harrumph of annoyance as he grabbed a nylon loop on the special harness we had rigged up for me to wear. It was nothing more than a nylon cord coiled around me and tied off in spots, but it was better than having him clutching my sweater and belt. I just hoped it worked. “Damned silly,” he grumbled under his breath. “Shut. Up.” I ground my teeth together, concentrating on building the field around me. Slowly it began to move outwards like a large transparent bubble, swallowing us all up in a light blue aura. “Looking good.” The whisper wasn’t meant for anyone else to hear, but I saw Hunter’s nod. I raised my voice, forcing out the shakiness. “Okay, everyone, hold on. Hunter, as soon as we get out over the water you can start briefing us—I’ll need the distraction.” “Right.” The Guardian let out a low huff of air as we began to rise off the black asphalt shingles, his running shoes dangling in the air. May’s fingers tightened around mine. I sped up a bit, letting Limox move out to the full extent of the loop, away from literally riding my back. As we rose into the air over Queen Street West I looked out over the city, spotting the Tower to our left and a faint light on the far horizon signaling the approach of dawn. “This is…nice.” May grinned, activating her internal mike. “Yeah, I’m loving this,” Limox growled with a bit of fear in his voice. I couldn’t help smiling at his discomfort. “Jo? Can you hear me?” “Jessie?”

64

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“Yeah, sorry. Didn’t mean to disturb you. Everything okay?” “Sure, sure. We’re good.” Turning slowly onto my stomach, I leveled off at what I saw was a good altitude and headed out over Lake Ontario. May’s grip tightened, if that were possible. “We’re getting news about the aliens, David thought you should hear it. We’re patching you in. We don’t know how long we’ll be able to communicate with you.” “Didn’t know you could.” Hunter’s chuckle brought a smile to my face. Jessie’s soft laugh echoed in my ear. “We’re just full of surprises.” A small burst of static snapped through the air, dissolving into a calm announcer’s tones. “…alien announcement was broadcast on all major networks just a few minutes ago in English, French and Spanish simultaneously. There was no visual image supplied. Let me repeat the exact words.” He cleared his throat. “We demand the resumption of hostilities with the best fighters your planet has—the superpowered humans we have come to fight. Not your military or civilian forces. As an incentive for you to send your people out we shall attack one of your cities to encourage this reaction. The city you call Pittsburgh shall be destroyed tomorrow morning, starting at what you would designate as six o’clock, unless we meet and fight the best you have at the area where the rivers meet. This is not…” The transmission faded as we zipped along the surface of Lake Ontario, twenty feet above the cold water. “What the fuck?” Limox’s growled response startled me. “What’s going on?” “Sounds like they came to fight only the supers,” Hunter mused as we turned in a slow arc. I had spotted some silhouettes not too far in front of us and didn’t feel like buzzing some pleasure boats in the dark. “What’s the Agency going to do?” I pulled us up to a higher altitude, feeling a shiver run over my bare skin as the temperature dropped. Thank goodness it was only September and not January. “I have no idea.” Hunter’s hand twitched around mine. “Jenny didn’t see this. They might not activate the plugs. They might want to wait and see what happens. Who turns up to the fight, who stays in hiding. But whatever happens we can’t leave it up to them to turn your lives on and off.” “Obviously,” Limox barked. “They didn’t see much else other than how to fuck things up, it seems.” “True,” the Guardian admitted. “But maybe it’s better that we look forward instead of back right now.” A low hum began in my head, a sort of mental static. “May…” Hunter spoke slowly and calmly. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” I turned my head to one side, seeing the panicky expression on her face. “May, it’s good. We’re just fine.” The elderly woman swallowed so loudly it sounded like a gunshot. “I know. It’s just awfully dark out here.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

65

Sheryl Nantus

“It’s night,” Limox whispered, almost apologetic. “We’re just fine,” I repeated, pushing us up to a higher altitude. “I’ve got you and we’re going to be over land pretty soon.” The static in my head diminished just a tad, the edge rubbing off. “It’s sort of nice up here, really,” Limox mumbled. “Sort of.” May’s voice was soft but edging towards cheerful. “Lovely night.” “See the lights to our right?” Hunter interjected. “That’s pretty.” The mundane conversation went on for the better part of the trip, keeping May calm and collected. Even Limox did a good job with a few colorful jokes that skirted the edge of decency. My stomach gave an angry growl, sending us down a few feet as I adjusted to the sudden ache. I ended up leveling us out a good thirty feet above the lake water. May’s grip, which had lessened slightly as the flight went on, tightened even more. “Hungry?” Hunter responded in my ear. “I guess so.” The empty feeling continued to chew at the edges of my focus. “Thought I’d eaten enough before we left. Those omelets David made were plenty stuffed.” “Burning up too much energy.” His hand twitched in mine. “I thought you might have something like this happen.” Hunter started twisting, maneuvering around and under me, his right hand digging in one pocket. “What’s going on?” Limox shifted back and forth. “I can’t see anything. What’s going on?” “Just a little midair refueling.” Hunter winked at me as he withdrew a nutrition bar from a pocket in his jacket. He ripped it open with his teeth, then reached up and put the chewy granola slab to my lips. I took a bite, savoring the taste as my stomach gave another lurch. Chewing the delicious nuts and oat mouthful, I felt the aura around us grow stronger and more intense. “There you go.” Hunter looked to the side, catching May’s attention. “See, nothing to worry about.” “Nothing.” Limox sighed. “Nothing to see here, folks, just move along.” Leaning down, I grabbed another mouthful, talking around the food. “Thanks.” “Always be prepared.” Hunter grinned. “Think it’ll take a long time for this hair dye to wash out?” “Oh, yeah,” I mumbled. “Besides, you make a good brunet.” “Thanks. I think.” His fingers brushed my lips as he positioned the last bite of the bar. The sudden heat flaring up from his touch sent a shiver along my spine. Without thinking, my tongue shot out, licking the last of the chocolate from his hand. His eyes went wide, a playful smile on his face. Pulling away, he twisted back up beside me, still holding onto my hand. “Okay.” His voice was steady and calm. “This is how we’re going to do this…”

66

www.samhainpublishing.com

Chapter Ten

I could tell you that we came in with a picture-perfect landing like the cover of a thousand comic books, touching down with the gentle whiff of a butterfly’s wing. I would be lying. “It’s pretty flat,” Hunter had said a few minutes earlier, squinting as he stared into the darkness. “Keep as low to the treetops as you can. Without killing us, that is.” I grunted, too busy to snark back at him. The small trees were still in full flower, making it hard to see where the sky ended and they began until my feet literally began to drag across them. “Hey!” Limox roared in my ear. “Shut up. You’re just fine,” I growled through the link. A nasty branch tangled around my ankle, forcing me to suddenly lose altitude. May’s terrified squeak lasted as long as it took for me to yank my foot free, sending us into a strange spiral spin up into the night. “Jo…” Hunter’s low, calming voice filled my ears. “There’s a clearing just to our left. Head for that.” Without arguing I shifted our bubble down towards the small grassy spot, no bigger than maybe twenty feet wide in an odd rectangle shape. I eased back on the imaginary throttle, knowing this wasn’t going to be anything to tell the tabloids about. We landed, a writhing mass of arms and legs atop each other, tangled up in a pile of bushes a good mile from what Hunter said was the entrance to the Agency. As I extracted myself from the stack I could have sworn I heard someone chuckling. “If I’ve broken anything, I’m going to sue you,” Limox grumbled, brushing twigs and dirt from the front of his black sweatshirt. “Stuff it. I thought you liked being on top.” I turned to May who was busy shaking her head back and forth, trying to dislodge a handful of colorful leaves that had taken root. “Are you okay?” “Just fine.” Her cheerful voice was a welcome distraction. “That was great.” She beamed at Hunter. He shook his head, carefully plucking the last of the leaves from her hair. “Glad you like it. Going to have to do it again to get back home.” Hunter looked at Limox, then at me. “Ready to go?” “Do I get a vote?” Limox asked, lifting one chubby hand into the air.

Sheryl Nantus

“No,” both Hunter and I responded at the same time. Mayday let out a giggle behind one hand. I heard Limox cursing under his breath behind me and considered telling May about it but thought the better of it— we still needed his powers to get through this. The barn and farmhouse were easily visible in the early light of dawn. Hunter looked up at the rising sun as we trod down the dirt road. “Not bad time-wise.” He glanced at his watch. “Going to make it right at shift change.” “And that’s a good thing?” Limox asked. “Sort of,” Hunter said. “There’s always a bit of confusion during a shift change, people not being exactly where they should be, a loss of communication for a few minutes. Enough to take advantage of, if you know how.” “And twice the people to deal with,” Limox shot back. “And this is your great plan?” “It’s as good as it gets,” Hunter replied. “If you’ve got anything else, you should have spoken up before.” Limox spat on the ground. “I sure as hell didn’t think we’d be walking into a nest of trouble.” The static began in my mind, a low rumble. “Limox, shut up. We all agreed to this before we even left Toronto, so just shut the hell up.” I turned to May. “It’ll be fine. You know Hunter’s a smart guy.” “The smartest.” She smiled back. “And he looks good as a brunet, don’t you think?” I grinned. “So do you.” Hunter pointed at the barn. “That’s where the main facility is, according to what I remember. Farmhouse is for the security people, mostly. They actually run the farm.” “Any external alarms?” I tried to see as far as I could in the dim light, wishing I had been gifted with night vision as well. “Nope. They’re not afraid of being attacked. They know where every super is, right?” Hunter reached out and tapped the jammer unit still tucked inside my jacket. “And that hides all of you.” “As long as we stay close,” Limox grumbled again. “Which is why Jessie gave each of you your own,” Hunter shot back. “Or didn’t you bother to bring yours along?” Out of the corner of my eye I saw the super raise his hands, fingers extended in what could be a possible attack. “Enough,” I growled at the two men. “Save it for the Agency thugs. ’Cause you know they’re not going to let us walk in, pop this computer program and walk out.” My own gloved hands moved up. “And if I have to shock the two of you and leave your bodies here while May and I do it, I will.” Limox’s hands fell back to his sides with an annoyed grunt in the darkness. Hunter remained silent. “Right.” I nodded towards May. “As soon as you can, start doing that thing you do.” May looked at Hunter, lifting her hands. “How much?”

68

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

The Guardian raised his thumb and index finger, placing them an inch or so apart. “Knockout much, May. And a bit of a headache afterwards. They’re not really nice guys.” He paused. “Be careful. They may be pretty tough.” She shot him a smile that belonged on a much younger woman. “Buster, they ain’t seen nothing yet.” The low buzz in my brain jumped in intensity, finally stopping with an abrupt mental snap. A few seconds later she grinned. “All done,” May announced as if she’d just won the pie-making competition at the county fair. “Should be good for close to a half hour, maybe.” “Maybe?” Limox squeaked, slapping his right ear with his hand. “And, for your information, I’ve got a heck of a ringing here.” “Should have been nicer to her.” Hunter waved us towards the barn. “My code should at least get us in the front door. After that, well…” “Three floors down, the computers. Four floors down, Jenny,” I repeated from our briefing back at the apartment. I still couldn’t call it a base. “And the first two are filled with security as the welcoming committee. Wonderful.” “What’s under the girl? Any treasure vaults?” Limox muttered as we advanced on the two red barn doors. There were no screaming alarms, no tripwires activating death beams, no land mines shooting up to disembody us in a microsecond. Nothing but dirt and stone under our shuffling feet. “Training and discipline facility,” Hunter said, an almost-sorrowful tone in his voice. “Been empty for years.” “Good.” I reached the door first, gloves fully charged up. “I think we have enemies enough, don’t you?” The small keypad was hidden behind a loose plank of wood, the peeling red paint running off in long strips. Hunter tapped in a nine-digit code and held his breath. After what seemed like an eternity the small light flickered from red to green, and the sound of a deadbolt being unlocked was loud and very noticeable. I took a deep breath, thinking of Mike. “Time to rock and shock, people.” Lifting my hands, I motioned for Hunter to open the door. Contrary to what people might think, Guardians aren’t equipped with guns. And Hunter had made it very plain to me that he refused to carry one even if we had managed to get one for him. So my surprise when he charged through the open door, yelling like a banshee, was genuine. And totally wasted when we found ourselves on the first floor with an unconscious security guard slumped over the desk, the monitors revealing a slew of similar scenes all through the complex. Limox stared at May, a sudden burst of respect in his voice. “You did them pretty good.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

69

Sheryl Nantus

Judging from the expression on her face, it was a surprise to May as well. She glanced at Hunter, who just nodded his approval with a touch of a smile on his lips. The elevator doors opened quietly—no mellow music to accompany us down to the third level. Hunter tilted his head close to me, holding the nightstick and taser he had liberated from the first guard. “Don’t get cocky. This isn’t going to be that easy.” “Don’t get cocky.” Mike’s voice echoed in my ears as we swooped down on the first supervillain, another newbie called Danny Pulse. He stood there in the middle of the park with his hands on his hips, looking rather smug in yellow spandex with a goofy grin. “Just don’t let him…” Mike’s words died away as the kid with the long red mullet lifted his fists towards me, firing off a pulse wave that not only rippled along the ground under me, tearing up the grass, but also blasted me out of the air, shattering my control. I smashed into the oak tree behind me and slid down to the ground in an embarrassing heap of arms and legs. Metal Mike landed behind the punk who was too busy laughing, bent over and clutching his stomach at my confusion. “That is why you don’t get cocky,” Mike rumbled as he slammed one metal fist into the side of Danny Pulse. “Now get to your feet and do your job.” The elevator doors slid open, Hunter and myself taking point. A guard slumped behind his desk, a line of drool running out of his mouth. Hunter stopped to pick up the taser from the guard’s belt and then looked down the corridor. “No idea which door it is. Better split up.” I gestured to Mayday and Meltdown. “Go hunting for anything that looks important enough computer-wise.” Limox scoffed. “Well, that’s specific enough.” “How about anything that looks like it’ll blow your head off?” I snapped back. “We’ve only got a few minutes before they wake up, and I’d rather not fight my way back out, okay?” Hunter lifted his hands. “It’s going to have a map screen of all the supers and where they’re located, recording the GPS signals as they come in. Look for something that’s really, really impressive.” He studied May’s face. “Be careful,” he said in a low tone. “These men are not playing.” “I’ll be fine.” She strode down the corridor, heading for the first door. “I’ve been in tougher spots before.” I couldn’t help glancing at Hunter. “Yes, she has.” He grinned. “But that’s another story.” Limox muttered something as he passed the two of them, moving towards another door and leaving me the last door at the far end. It would have been nice if we had gotten lucky on the first door, but as it was we ended up regrouping in the middle of the hallway a few minutes later.

70

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

Limox was chewing on a chocolate bar. “What?” he responded to my stare. “I was hungry. And I didn’t have any change for the machine.” “Whatever.” I focused on May and Hunter. “No luck either?” “Guess it wasn’t going to be that easy.” Hunter’s smile was forced, the worry lines on his forehead deepening. “Stairs.” I pointed at the clearly marked door. “One by one until we get it done.” Sparks leapt from my fingers as I flung open the door and led the team down the stairwell. “Time is not on our side.” Hunter tapped his watch. “Maybe another ten minutes before they raise the alarm, max. And that’s if they don’t answer their check-in call from the nearest Agency center, probably in Buffalo.” “Pretty lax security,” Limox groused, moving past me into the empty hallway. “I wouldn’t hire these guys to watch my plants.” “Not really,” Hunter replied. “They’re not expecting an attack so they’ll take a few minutes to realize what’s going on. And we’re not standing in the front daring them to take us on. Still, less chat more splat would be good.” A very girly shriek from Limox signaled the end of the plan. We burst through the door, spotting him at the business end of a taser, staring down at the electrodes imbedded in his chest as the electrical shock ran through his body. The guard holding the business end looked at us as if we had appeared out of nowhere, his mouth dropping open at the sight. “No.” I slammed him back against the wall with a double blast, knocking him and his weapon out. May knelt by the semiconscious super, cradling his head in her lap. Limox was drooling, his eyes unfocused and his fingers twitching every few seconds. I knew what a taser would do to a normal person— hell, I was a taser—but Limox wasn’t normal. For all I knew he was about to go into a seizure that could kill him or turn his powers on and melt us all into goo. “Take care of him.” I sprinted towards the first door and tossed it open. “Get him up and moving as fast as you can.” I skidded to a stop just inside the darkened room, my senses on overload from the amount of electrical energy snapping around me. As my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting I saw what we had been looking for, no doubt. And it was fucking scary. The transparent map hung on the wall, different red and blue lights spotting all over the continent. Some faded in and out, some were steady colors—probably the attempt of other supers to block the GPS locators. There couldn’t have been more than forty, maybe fifty at the most on the map. Last time I had gotten a straight answer out of Mike he had claimed there were more than five hundred supers in North America.

www.samhainpublishing.com

71

Sheryl Nantus

The computer screens were littered with code sprawling back and forth, across, up and down. A few unconscious technicians lay on the floor. After making sure they didn’t have any weapons I sat down at the nearest terminal and pulled out the flash drive Jessie had given me. “This should shut down the system.” He had plucked the small black oval box free from the USB port on the computer and handed it to me. “I’ve programmed in a virus that’ll not only delete the detonation sequence but also scramble your codes to the point that no one will ever be able to use them again.” He eyeballed Hunter, who was sitting on the couch with May as she expounded on how nice he would look with black hair. “Better warn him that he won’t be able to threaten her anymore.” “Like he ever has.” I smiled as the younger man laid his hand on her arm, reacting to something the senior said. “Makes you wonder who’s really in charge.” “Yeah, well…guess they don’t check Guardians as much as they should, eh?” Jessie stopped, seeing the pained expression on my face. “Sorry about Mike, again.” “Yeah.” I slipped the flash drive into my pocket. “Just keep an eye on the skies.” The flash drive slid cleanly into the USB port and started doing its thing without me prompting it, sending a spiral of words and letters and numbers across the first screen in front of me and then spreading to the other monitors in the room. The map began to flash and shift, the red dots flickering with the blue ones disappearing totally. Finally the entire map went blank, nothing left at all. “It can’t be that easy.” I let my breath out slowly, feeling a familiar ache in the pit of my stomach. “It can’t be that easy.” “It’s not.” The unfamiliar voice had me spinning around in my chair, palms raised. A woman stood in the doorway, her long white hair falling down past her waist. She shuffled towards me using a walker, the floral print on her dress faded and worn, the hem dragging on the floor. Her face had a cheerful look about it as if she had just won the church bingo without spending too much money on the cards. But there was an air of relief as well. “There’s a backup system one floor down that you’ll have to physically destroy.” One shriveled hand waved towards the hallway. “Your friend can do that much while we talk.” “Who are…?” I lowered my hands. “Jenny?” The whisper caught in my throat. “Are you Jenny?” She smiled a faint wispy smile that faded away before I had even registered it in my mind. “Welcome to the Agency, Jo. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” Hunter came out of the darkness and skidded to a stop behind her, breathless. “Limox is okay,” he choked out as he stared at the woman. “Jenny?” The word was tinged with more than a little shock and fear. “Hunter.” She nodded at him and then gestured past him down the hallway with one pale finger. “May and Harris can get down to the next floor without any trouble. The guards are all unconscious. Just tell them to be careful and not to blow up too much stuff. There’s always a chance something’s going to give

72

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

them a bigger blast than they can handle.” She gave Hunter a pat on the shoulder as the startled man stood there. “Been a long time, Hunt. You’ve gained weight.” “Yeah,” he whispered. Then he turned around and shouted behind him, “One more floor down. Destroy the computer banks.” Hunter looked at the woman in front of him. “Will that do it? Will that take out all the plugs?” He exhaled as if he’d been running a marathon. “For now. You go keep an eye on the kids, Jo and I need to have a talk.” She shooed him out the door as if he were a wayward child seeking a cookie before dinner. He hesitated only a second, glancing back at me before disappearing into the hallway. In the distance I heard him berating Limox for setting fire to something and May’s voice calming him down even as she repeated her earlier diatribe to Limox about his language. “So. You’re the one causing all the fuss, I hear.” She took hold of the rolling office chair I pushed towards her and settled into the black cushions. “These make my back hurt so. Darned people. Make it hard for an old woman to get around. And they took away my wheelchair a month ago, so…” I couldn’t help smiling. “Glad I’m making a pain in the ass of myself.” “Oh, yes. You will be. Or you are. I’m never quite sure how to say these things. One of the problems with being a precog, it all gets messed up.” Pushing the walker to one side, she pursed her lips, the faint hint of lipstick still on the faded skin. “So, I guess you want to know a few things.” “I guess.” My mind was a total blank, all of the questions I had so meticulously prepared gone in a haze of confusion and battle fatigue. Mike would be furious. She cocked her head to one side as if listening to something or someone and smiled. “You’ve got a few minutes to spare for me then?” “You’re one of the reasons we came here. Well, that and shutting down the plugs. Not that you didn’t know that already. I mean, about me. And the plugs,” I stammered, suddenly very self-aware. “I guess I have to ask you, I mean, what was, I think, ah…” My mind was more scrambled than a dozen dropped eggs. She reached over and patted one gloved hand. “I have that effect on people. Not as dramatic as May, but still it tends to make people unfocused. So let me make this easier for you.” Jenny placed her hands in her lap and sat up ramrod straight. “You’ll win over enemies. You’ll lose some allies. And someone you care about is going to die.” I moved closer, my voice an angry whisper. “Can you be a bit more specific?” A stabbing pain began behind my left eye, signaling the onset of yet another migraine. The woman leaned forward until our foreheads were touching, her cool skin a startling contrast to my own. “Do you want me to be?”

www.samhainpublishing.com

73

Chapter Eleven

“I’d like it.” I felt as if I’d fallen down the rabbit hole yet again. Jenny bent away from me, wincing as she settled back into the chair. “These things aren’t really built for comfort. Those sneaky salesmen may say so, but it’s not true. Always something to get you to shell out the cash without giving you anything of value. And then it breaks if you turn the wrong way or push it too hard.” Her deep blue eyes met mine again. “Sorry, I tend to babble.” “Understandable under the circumstances.” I squeaked like a teenage boy on his first date. “We’ve found the room.” May’s voice intruded on the surreal scene, the link transmitting the words from underneath us. “Mr. Limox is doing his thing with the burning and the fire and stuff.” A series of lights flashed on and off on a panel near us, and a siren went off somewhere in the distance in short, measured beeps and bursts of panic. Jenny smiled. “That’s the backup system they just destroyed. Just to be sure.” “Just to be sure,” I echoed her, a low buzzing in the back of my mind. Maybe it was May being nervous, maybe not—but it wasn’t helping at all. I tried to sound casual. “So, who dies?” She let out a soft giggle, so faint I thought I had imagined it for a second. “I can’t tell you that. Those are the rules.” Now at this point I have to confess that I have always tried to be polite, sometimes to the point of excess. My mother raised me to say please, thank you and to be nice no matter what the circumstances. Heck, she taught me which fork to use in case I was ever invited to have tea with the Queen. She was probably cursing me in Heaven when I jumped to my feet, screaming at the old lady in front of me. “What the fuck are you jerking me around for? I’m trying to save you, May and all the other supers out there from getting their damned heads blown off, not to mention stop an alien invasion, and you’re jacking me off with some story about rules?” The sweat on my forehead started trickling down my nose, causing it to itch something horrible. “I don’t care about the rules—the rules are what got me into this mess. Got all of us into this mess.” The static began building both in my head and in my hands as I roared at the top of my lungs. “You’re the one who got us fucked up, telling the Agency where to find us.” Jenny didn’t move an inch, just sat and watched me. I slumped to the ground, kneeling not far from her chair, the tears pouring down my face and mixing with the sweat. I looked up at her, my voice almost gone. “What do I need to do?”

Blaze of Glory

“What you’re doing is what you’re going to do.” She smiled as if I hadn’t had a nervous breakdown right in front of her. “And Mike would be proud of you.” It was like a string snapped inside of me, releasing all that anger and pain that had been forced into a small box. Mike, the fight, everything. I buried my face in my hands, feeling the waves cover me like a warm blanket. “I did screw up.” The small voice came to me from a long way away. “I didn’t think it would happen for years yet. Plenty of time to train you, get you ready. Maybe even a second generation.” A note of sadness crept into the words. “It would have been nice to see children here. Not those teenagers who figure they know it all. Young ’uns.” She sighed. “I could tell you I’ve felt every death, every scream and moan of those who’ve died. But that doesn’t matter now, does it?” I shook my head, afraid to open my eyes. “What you’re doing is exactly what the Agency hoped would happen—a super taking charge. Declaring their independence and throwing off the chains of slavery we forced you into. They just didn’t think it’d happen for years and years yet. Give you all a chance to really become comfortable with what and who you are. Maybe even get married and see if the powers passed down to your children.” Her voice took on a dreamy tone. “That would be something to see.” “How did all this get started?” It shouldn’t have been a priority in my mind, but it was. “How the hell did we get here?” The white-haired senior rocked from side to side, a pained look on her face. “I could lie to you, but there’s no time for that.” She paused for a second before continuing. “It was about ten years ago. My husband, Harry, and I were driving back from our anniversary dinner. We didn’t drink at all, we worried about driving drunk.” She let out a sigh. “Unfortunately the fellow who smashed into us wasn’t so considerate. I woke up a widow. And I could tell the nurses what they had to worry about, which patients were likely to code in the next day or so. That’s when the government got involved.” “And they created the Agency.” I exhaled the words. “And they created the Agency,” Jenny repeated. “But don’t be too hard on them, dear…I told them about the attacks and they freaked, for loss of a better word.” “Hrmph,” I snorted. “So you told them where to find us, all of us?” “One by one.” She nodded. “There’s other precogs, of course, all around the world. And the governments all had the same problem, how to recruit you supers to the cause without causing a worldwide panic or having you refuse. It wasn’t really an option.” “Whatever.” I waved my hand in the air, cutting her off. “Tell me about the aliens. Tell me something I need to know now.” I sniffled, still wrapped in my cocoon. “You’re right—they’re here to fight us. They’re all…as you would say, fucked up as well. Go to Pittsburgh and save the city and you’ll see what I’m talking about.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

75

Sheryl Nantus

“Jo?” Hunter’s voice intruded, soft and low. “We’re on our way back up. Are you okay?” “I’m fine.” Pushing myself to my feet, I groaned. Mentally and physically, I was a wreck. I stared at the old woman still sitting in her chair. “Tell May to be ready to send another psychic blast out if we need it. We’re cutting it close with these guards, and I don’t really want to keep knocking them out unless we have to.” “Right. Be there in a minute. Tell Jenny to get ready to leave.” She gave a sharp shake of her head, one hand reaching for her walker. “Thank you, but no thanks.” Her finger tapped the side of her face. “I have a destiny as well.” “But you can’t stay here.” I glanced around the room, the monitors now spraying gibberish in row on row of code. “They’ll blame you for all this. They’ll know you helped us. And I don’t know how kindly they’re going to take to anything right now. Besides, we could use you.” “I’m sure you could.” The white-haired woman grinned. “But that’s not what happens.” “I wish you’d pick a tense and stick with it.” “Me too, dear.” She laughed, moving out of the chair and back to the walker, shuffling her feet along the floor. “Me too.” Following her into the dimly lit corridor, I watched her slowly walk away from me. “I don’t understand.” “That computer bay you just destroyed? That’s also the self-destruct sequence.” Jenny turned to face me. “Don’t blame Hunter, he didn’t know. You’ve got about five minutes to evacuate.” “Five minutes!” Limox appeared behind me, breathless and red in the face. “It’ll take us longer than that to get out of here.” “Guess you better figure something out, then.” She winked at me then made her way down the hallway. “What’s with the fruitcake?” he growled as May and Hunter came through the stairwell door. “Nothing. Everything.” I studied my gloves, seeing the charge emanating off them. “Limox, get on my back and grab that harness, wrap it up over your forearms and keep your hands free. Same with you two. Get in close and grab on.” “What are you going to do?” Hunter grabbed my right hand as May clutched at my left, a worried look marring the usually peaceful face. “Rocket out of here.” I glanced over at the woman disappearing into the distance with her slow gait. “Limox, get those hands over my head and give it all you’ve got.” “Roger.” The firm voice coincided with a burst of heat, so hot I swore I smelled hair burning. I felt him press up against my back—a feeling that would usually have me kicking back like a mad mule, but right now there was nothing about it other than business. “We’re going up, straight up, and there’s no doovers.”

76

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“May, curl up here.” Hunter stood in front of me and wrapped his arms around my waist. Opening up one hand, he pulled May in closer, a grim smile on his face. “Keep your head down.” “Ready,” Meltdown announced with a confidence I didn’t know he had. We rose slowly at first until his palms hit the ceiling above us, dissolving the thin panels and thrusting up into the concrete layer. “Go!” he screamed in my ear. “Go, go, go!” We shot through the remaining floors as if they weren’t even there, the melted metal and cement falling around us in chunks and hunks, rebar screaming as the metal shattered. One spar came dangerously close to dinging May in the head, prompting her to burrow even closer into Hunter’s chest. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t envy her just a wee bit. We exploded through the top of the barn just as the detonation started, the heat singeing the bottom of my sneakers as we kept rising into the air. Finally I got enough control to turn and burn for an empty field not too far from where we had crashed originally, spiraling around to land much like a helicopter would. Limox gave out a moan as we settled, unwrapping his arms from the harness. “Thanks for the ride, dear, but next time—let’s take our clothes off.” I felt too good at our escaping certain death to slap him. Right then, at least. Instead I busied myself with extracting May from the death grip she had on both me and Hunter. Prying her free from my left hand, I helped Hunter pull himself away. His thick turtleneck sweater was dotted with minute tears where her nails had gone through to bare skin. The sound of sirens rose in the distance, near the farm. Hunter nodded. “That’s not good. Usually the Agency doesn’t like to have outsiders anywhere near the property, even if it’s on fire.” “Well, ain’t no one left alive to complain now, is there?” Limox crossed his arms, looking a bit too smug and more like the supervillain he had portrayed. “Except for the innocents.” I forced the whirlwind of emotions going around in my mind back into the box. “They didn’t deserve to die.” May nodded, burying her face in Hunter’s shoulder. “Let’s take a minute to get it together and then we’ve got to get back to base.” The sun was beginning to peak over our heads. “Hopefully we’ve got reinforcements back home.” “Because…” Limox prompted, shaking his arms in the air. “Because we’re going to Pittsburgh next. And kicking alien butt.” I rolled my shoulders, pulling energy from the ground. “We’re not going to let them win.” The flight back was quiet, more from exhaustion than from a lack of things to say. Limox kept silent as he maintained a healthy distance from me. May mumbled to herself, but stayed calm. Hunter said nothing, sneaking glances at May every now and then. We managed to get back to Toronto without my

www.samhainpublishing.com

77

Sheryl Nantus

stomach announcing another midair crisis, which was just as well. I didn’t think I could deal with anything else. Unfortunately we couldn’t take advantage of the darkness so I had to bring us in low and fast, so much so that we skimmed the water on the way in, landing not too far from where I had originally washed up on the lakeshore. May laughed, shaking the water from her pant legs while Limox grumbled about sand in his shoes, and I wondered yet again what I was going to do to save Pittsburgh. Not that it wasn’t a nice city and all, but most of the Alphas had died in New York City, and here I was about to take this crew into battle. The Agency wouldn’t have even put us on a marquee at third billing. “David? Jessie? We’re back on friendly ground.” I looked up into the morning sky. “Everyone safe and sound.” “Glad to have you back.” David’s voice was soft and reassuring in my ear. “I assume that mess on the other side of the border was your doing.” “Maybe.” I didn’t bother hiding a wide smile, knowing it wouldn’t be seen. “What’s the news calling it?” “Meth lab explosion. Sad thing.” His neutral tone continued. “Strange what you’ll find out there in the farmlands.” “Horrible.” Walking up the sandy beach, I tapped my ear. “Anyone show up?” “Well…sort of.” Hunter looked at me, I looked at May and she looked at Limox, who was busy hopping along with one shoe off, trying to knock out the sand. “We’ll be there as soon as we can grab a streetcar.” I turned around, trying not to appear sheepish. “Anyone got spare change?” The ride back was as quiet as the flight. May slumped against Limox, who didn’t seem to mind her company and kept his hands to himself. Hunter sat next to me. “Jenny didn’t have to stay behind,” I said in a quiet whisper so that the two behind us couldn’t hear. “But she did.” Hunter scratched his neck. “Remind me to remind May to cut her nails. She’s got a killer grip.” “She could have come with us. We could have taken her.” I jostled the harness inside my jacket, the mass of nylon cord hidden from plain view. “We had room for one more. And she was light, no more than a hundred pounds, if that. I could have done it.” A small voice in the back of my mind noted that I was rambling and repeating myself but I didn’t pay attention. “We could have carried her here. She wasn’t that heavy. I would have been fine.” “Yep.” He looked at me with deep, sorrowful eyes that startled me. “But she knew it wasn’t supposed to be that way. She knew the way it was supposed to play out.”

78

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

I shook my head. “Don’t you start that crap,” I snapped, not caring if the pair behind us heard. “I’m not in the mood for this sort of shit. If she really wanted to help us, she would have told me how to beat these aliens down and who the fuck was coming to help us.” “That’s not how she works. Worked.” Hunter turned away, staring out at the downtown streets as we slowly edged along the tracks. People ran between stopped cars to get to the streetcar doors while others pushed their way off the Red Rocket. “I only met her a few times but she had a way of…of getting inside your mind.” “That’s true,” I admitted, giving an inward shiver at the memory. His left leg pushed against mine suddenly, bringing me around to face him. “Do you want me to go to Pittsburgh?” “No.” There wasn’t any way to sugarcoat it. “You’re a liability. No offense, but I don’t think I want to put May under the extra pressure of having to worry about you.” “Too bad I don’t have a suit like Mike, you mean.” Ouch. He looked out the window, away from me. “Hey, there were plenty of Guardians playing sidekicks. Why didn’t you apply?” He jerked a thumb back at the woman behind him and lowered his voice. “Do you know how she got into the program?” Not waiting for my response, Hunter continued. “Her husband was terminal, brain cancer. Decided to both go out in a suicide pact, he put the car in the garage and left it running. Carbon monoxide poisoning. Except she didn’t die.” His voice went even lower, down to a whisper. “She woke up able to do what she does, scramble minds. I was the first agent she saw, and she latched onto me like a mother bear on a lost cub. How could I go into battle alongside her and risk breaking her heart again?” My mouth opened and closed like I was one of those many goldfish I’d had as a child, at least until the tank turned slimy and green and they’d visited the toilet bowl. “So while some of you might like having the Guardians fight beside you, don’t forget there are plenty others who either got killed accidentally, on purpose or just plain old refused to get into the game like me.” He returned his gaze to the window. “Our stop’s coming up.” I put my hand atop his as I got to my feet. “I’m sorry. I’m still a little raw here.” Hunter nodded. “Mike always thought you had a lot of potential just waiting to come out.” We shuffled through the crowd to the back doors, waiting for the streetcar to come to a slow, swaying stop. “Mike said a lot of things,” I replied. “I wish he had said a lot more.” “He did care a lot for you, you know,” Hunter said in a low whisper. “He told me so.” My head snapped around so quickly I was sure I heard something snap. “Yeah. He was a good guy. He took care of me.” “You realize this is all it is, right?” Mike rolled away from me and got up, grabbing his track pants. I enjoyed the view for a few seconds before responding, pulling the sheets and blankets back to my side of the bed.

www.samhainpublishing.com

79

Sheryl Nantus

“Just tell me it’s not something the Agency has you doing, part of your official duties.” I tried to make it sound light and pithy, but we both knew the question had to be asked. He spun around, returning to sit on the mattress beside me. “That’s a funny question to ask.” “Look…” I swallowed hard, the lethargy in my bones threatening to shut me down before I got this out. “I get that it’s your job to keep me happy, and if that means giving me a quickie every now and then, I can deal with that. But just let me know if I should be leaving a tip on the nightstand or if it’s—” His body-crushing hug cut off any other words before I could get them out. “Sure it’s my job to keep you happy—I won’t lie to you about that,” he whispered in my ear, rocking back and forth. “But I do care about you, Jo. I don’t think I can call it love, and I don’t want to make promises to you that I can’t keep, but let’s just run with what we have now, ’kay?” I closed my eyes tightly, wishing once again that I had turned left instead of right on that night, so long ago, and had avoided that punk with the brick. “I need a beer.” Limox brushed past me through the bookstore front door, pushing through a few startled customers who were digging in the bargain bin. “Hope they’ve got something upstairs stronger than milk.” May’s face brightened as soon as she spotted David standing behind the counter. She made her way around the barrier and walked into his comforting hug, burying her face in his thick brown cardigan. I heard something between a sigh and a sob break free from May and turned away, giving them as much privacy as I could. “I’ll be upstairs as well.” Hunter smiled. “Let me see what I can scrounge up for something resembling brunch.” He walked by the nonfiction section, grabbing a hardcover on the Second World War on the way. “Ooh, John Keegan.” “Jessie’s upstairs with our new friend,” David murmured. “We’ll be up soon.” He began to rub May’s back, whispering to her. I nodded, leaving the two seniors alone. The steps seemed a lot longer than they had been only a few hours ago. “Hey.” Jessie nodded towards me, turning slightly in the chair. His fingers never left the keyboard, still tapping out a regular rhythm. “He’s on the couch. Or she is. I’m not sure which.” The white cat sprawling on the couch opened one lazy eye, the long tail twitching as the feline stared at me. I looked at Jessie who shrugged and turned back to the monitor. “It showed up with a note attached that said for you to talk to her. Him. It.” He passed over the piece of paper. “Cat scratched at the front door, David let it in. Damned thing sheds like a mother, however.” The note was written with a black marker, the ink bleeding through to the other side of the thin paper. There were only two sentences, but that was all it took. Talk to the cat. Tell me who you are.

80

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

There had to be an easier way to make a living. And save the world.

www.samhainpublishing.com

81

Chapter Twelve

I sat beside the white feline who reacted to my presence by stretching its paws and toes then getting up and walking into my lap. It leaned forward, almost touching its petite nose to mine before settling down with a loud growly purr. “Right.” I drew a deep breath. “I’m Jo Tanis, nicknamed Surf.” The trill got louder. “I’ve got more supers here, you might have heard of them. Mayday, she’s a woman, and Meltdown— he’s one of the villains. We really can’t be fussy right now. Oh, and a Guardian. But he’s cool; he’s on our side. He came with May.” The cat raised one velvet paw and began to wash her ear. “We just got back from one of the Agency’s bases, made sure they can’t pull our plugs. So that’s a good thing.” I smiled, feeling less foolish. “So no matter what we’ll be safe. You’ll be safe.” A voice came up the steps. “Thank you.” I got to my feet. The white cat sprang away and down the stairway into the bookstore. The young man stopped at the top of the stairs. I recognized him from the group of customers in front of the store, the ones we had walked through on our return. He was scrawny for his size, standing barely five feet high in his black runners. The flaming red hair reminded me of a much younger Jessie. Dark circles under his eyes showed the lack of sleep over the past few days. He jammed his hands into a dark green track jacket, shivering as he climbed up onto the loft floor. He couldn’t have been more than twenty years old, if that. “I’m Peter Boyos,” he said in a whisper. “They called me Ani-Man.” Then his eyes rolled upwards, revealing full whites before he collapsed in a heap on the varnished wooden floor. “Well, that’s a dramatic way to make an entrance.” Hunter walked out from around the corner where the kitchenette was located, holding a near-empty bag of bread in one hand. “Quite.” I walked over to the young man. Kneeling, I put my fingers to his throat. “I think he’s okay, got a strong pulse. Probably just exhausted. Look at the poor kid.” “I can believe it. Last time I checked Peter was supposed to be down in Harrisburg.” Hunter tossed the bag onto the counter and knelt beside me. Between the two of us we pulled the young man to his feet and effortlessly maneuvered him onto the couch.

Blaze of Glory

“You know him?” I walked into the small bedroom, grabbing one of the thin blankets. Returning to the living room, I spread it across Peter. “Sort of. He can communicate with animals,” Hunter replied. “I met him and his Guardian once at the Agency.” May scurried up into the loft, her hands flying to her mouth as she spotted the unconscious super. “Oh, my.” With the unerring homing instinct of a mother hen, she swooped down to sit beside him and bumped Hunter away. “He looks exhausted.” “I’m not surprised. He must have hustled to get up here so quickly.” The Guardian stood up. “And he’s alone.” The edges of his mouth tweaked into a frown. “That’s not good.” “Another dead Guardian? Seems like a plus to me.” Limox poked his head out from the washroom. “Shut up,” I snapped as May put a finger to her lips, hushing Limox. He took the hint, disappearing back into the washroom. Peter opened his eyes slowly, focusing in on the elderly woman hovering over him. “Ah…” “Hi, dearie.” May beamed at him. “How are you feeling?” “A bit hungry,” he confessed, a small pink tongue flicking out to wet his lips. “I’ve been traveling for a bit.” Her attention snapped to Hunter, who immediately ran for the kitchen and returned with a stack of sandwiches on a chipped plate. “Hope peanut butter and jelly works for you. We’re a bit low on supplies.” He caught my curious eye. “That’s what I was working on before he arrived.” Peter picked up one triangle and began to nibble on it, moving up to sit more comfortably on the couch. “Thanks.” He looked at me. “Sorry for the entire espionage thing, but I was afraid of getting trapped.” “Totally understandable.” I sat down opposite him. “Sorry we’ve never met before.” “Well, you were a bit out of my range.” Peter grinned. May patted his shoulder. “Let me get you some milk.” Without waiting for an answer she got up and went to the kitchen. “Is she always like that?” He finished off the first triangle and reached for a second. Jessie let out a laugh from where he sat, still at the computer. “Oh you’ll learn. Just don’t ever stop eating around her.” I took one of the sandwiches myself, discovering a healthy appetite as I bit into it and was rewarded with a loud growl from my stomach. “How did you get across the border?” “Snuck across on a truck. The pigs didn’t tell.” He wrinkled his nose. “Did you know they’re cleaner than most humans?” “I can believe that.” I glanced towards the bathroom where Limox was doing his best to destroy the ancient plumbing. “What happened to your Guardian? Is he here with you?”

www.samhainpublishing.com

83

Sheryl Nantus

“Alan didn’t…” The young man closed his eyes for a second, and then opened them, staring at the hardwood floor. “We went to Philadelphia first, like the Agency wanted.” The pain in his face was evident. “I wanted to go to New York City. I told him that we had to go, that they could hold the line in Philly without us. They had enough Alphas, they didn’t need us.” May sat back down beside Peter, handing him a tall cold glass of milk. “They told us to stay in Philly.” Peter studied the milk. My heart started to race, the pulse thudding in my ears. “What happened?” Peter didn’t look up. “It took only a few minutes for the building to collapse around us. Alan was on top, trying to coordinate the attack while I grabbed an eagle-eye view to help out.” He dropped his head down, holding it in both hands. “The dogs dug me out. By the time they reached Alan, it was too late.” May reached over and patted Peter’s knee. “The important thing is that you’re here and you’re safe. I’m sure he would have wanted you to be alive and well.” His lower lip trembled, and it didn’t take a shrink to see he was breaking down. She pulled him closer, almost into her lap, rocking him back and forth. Peter began sobbing quietly, burying his face in her black sweater. I had to give it to the old woman. She had just gotten back from her first flight, raided an Agency base and escaped death, not to mention dealing with Limox, and here she was giving comfort to a young man who had just arrived. I could only hope to be half as caring when I got to her age. Hunter got up from the sofa and walked towards the monitors, gesturing me to do the same and leave the two alone. He bent in close to me as Jessie studiously stared at the computer screen. “Just so you know—Alan Moyer was more than just a friend. Sort of like you and Mike.” I stared at him blankly for a long minute before catching on. Mike and I were partners, lovers… “Ah.” It was all I could think of at the moment. “Damn.” I shook my head, shooting a glance over at where the two supers sat on the couch. “This is getting worse and worse.” “And we’ve got Pittsburgh in…” Hunter checked his watch. “About eighteen hours, give or take a few minutes. Any ideas on that?” The throbbing behind my left eye began, the sharp pain jabbing right through my mind. “Why do you think I’ve got the answers?” He tilted his head to one side with a sheepish smile. “Because you’re out to save the world, girl.” I moaned, palming both hands over my eyes. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…” Instinctively I kept my voice down, not wanting to incur the wrath of May. “Well, the first thing we’ve got to do is secure some sort of transportation.” The migraine held off just long enough for me to force a coherent thought out. “I can sort of carry four people, maybe, but we’re not flying all the way to Pittsburgh and then getting into a brawl. I’ll be too exhausted. Not to mention I’m not sure if I can even do it.” Jessie swiveled around. “Not meaning to eavesdrop…”

84

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“And yet, you are,” Hunter shot back with a wide grin. “But I may have a solution.” He tapped the screen. “One of my buddies is willing to fly you guys out of Toronto Island Airport in his small plane if you need it.” “And what does he want for this service?” A note of sarcasm crept into my voice. “First YouTube rights?” “Possibly.” Jessie grinned. “Believe it or not there’s a lot of people rooting for you.” Hunter looked at me, a wistful smile on his face. “Time to step up. Again.” “Again.” I rubbed my temples. “Tell him we’ll be at the airport in fifteen hours. Flight should take us no more than two, three hours at the most, and we’re not going to land.” Jessie flinched as if I’d punched him in the shoulder. “You’re going to jump?” “I can probably glide us down.” My eyes felt like they were about to pop out of my head. “There’s no way he’s going to get clearance to land, I’m sure of that. Tell him to make sure he’s got plenty of fuel or an alternative landing spot picked out. I am going to get some drugs for my head and then lie down for a few hours. Call me when there’s another crisis. Hunt, you’re in charge.” Without waiting for a response I turned on one heel, leaving them both behind. I walked towards the sleeping space, past Peter still sniffling as he softly spoke to May who continued to stuff him with the remainder of the sandwiches. Limox poked his head out from the bathroom. “Hey, any of you supes got righteous plumbing skills?” I dry-swallowed a pair of pills from the bottle sitting on the night table by the bed and pulled the blankets up over my head. In my drug-addled haze I heard Hunter’s raised voice telling Limox that maybe he needed more fiber in his diet and May’s static beginning to rise at the back of my consciousness. Jessie popped in with an offer to show Peter some new video games, and David announced he was leaving to pick up some fresh rye bread and deli meats, his soothing voice droning over the sometimes-panicky responses from my team. “Well, you could do a lot worse than these guys.” Mike sat on the edge of the bed. He was wearing his favorite sweatshirt with a U.S. Marines insignia on it and the jeans that had rips in all the right places. “You serious?” I waved my hand towards the cloudy edges of the room. “They’re all dangerous, and not only to the aliens. May coughs and our heads explode. Limox just loves to melt crap, and I don’t even want to start to think about what to do with Peter. And they’re not exactly what I’d toss up against an alien fleet.” “Sure, they’re no Ace, no Tan and Black.” He rubbed his bald head. “But they’re dead. So you make do with what you’ve got. You did pretty well there at the end on the farm.” “Luck. Blind luck.” I gathered up the teddy bear, hugging it tight.

www.samhainpublishing.com

85

Sheryl Nantus

He shook his head. “Nah, you just thought on your feet. You improvised. Which is surprising, considering we tried to beat that out of all of you. The Agency only wanted you to do what they said, what they wanted. You’re going off in ways they never imagined.” “Glad to hear it,” I replied dryly. “So now what?” “Now you get your ass to Pittsburgh and save that city. Then take the bastards down.” He got to his feet, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I’m mighty proud of you, Jo. You’re doing great.” The tears began to run down my face. “I’m scared, Mike. I don’t know what to do half the time and I know they’ll figure out that I’m just faking it.” He grinned, showing off a perfect set of ivory teeth. “Girl, I know you never faked it. And you’re not going to start now. Roll with your gut and you’ll be just fine.” Mike began to fade away, his ghostly image merging with the wall as I reached out for him. “Hey.” Hunter’s face came into focus. “You okay?” “Yeah.” I cleared my throat, pushing the stuffed animal to one side. “Sure.” Lifting one hand, he brushed away still-wet tears on my cheek. “But it’s going to be okay. It’s going to be just fine.” I pulled him into a hug. Hunter relaxed, wrapping his arms around me. He rocked back and forth as I pressed my face into his shoulder. “It’ll be fine. I promise,” he mumbled. “Since when can you guarantee that?” I sniffled, fingers brushing against the cold metal band on his wrist. “Trust me.” He flinched when I tugged on the wristband. “That won’t come off without a saw or a file or something like that.” Hunter’s grip tightened. “We were prisoners as much as you were, Jo.” “That’s why we fight together.” I sighed, releasing my grip on his sweater. “Mike said never to fight alone, always as a team.” He smiled. “I’ve got your back.” The words sent warmth through my soul, damping down the fear and apprehension. “Of that, I have no doubt.” My stomach growled as we pulled apart. “What’s up?” I wiped my face with both hands, feeling the burn on my cheeks. He nodded towards the main room. “Time for dinner. You can’t go into battle on an empty stomach.” “That’s for sure.” An answering growl of approval from my stomach had me smiling despite myself. “Any news? Anyone else coming?” He paused before speaking, his brow furrowed with concern. “There’s talk of some other supers showing up in Pittsburgh to fight as well, take on the aliens. Jessie’s gotten it mostly through the underground. No one’s coming out and saying anything. The Agency’s too disrupted between losing so

86

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

many and the raid on the farm that I don’t think you’ll have to deal with them for now, if at all. But that means no one’s really running the show for this round.” I pinched the bridge of my nose between two fingers, taking a deep breath that rattled my lungs. “An unstructured attack is almost more dangerous than not attacking at all.” “Been reading your history books, now?” Hunter leaned forward, clasping his hands together. “It’s only a rumor so don’t get caught up in the idea. Personally, I think that any survivors who haven’t come here are pretty well long gone.” “How could they do that? It’s our fault the aliens attacked.” I realized suddenly that I was leaning against Hunter, my head on his shoulder. He shrugged. “Not everyone’s as conscientious as you are. Can’t blame them.” Hunter sighed. “I’m surprised you got as many as you did, Jo. We did you wrong and I don’t blame those supers who cut and ran. Hell, I’m surprised Limox came in. Of all the villains, I figured he’d be the last to consider standing his ground.” “What if we don’t win?” The words burned my lips. “Then we give a hell of a good show on the way out. And I told you, I’ve got your back.” He placed a soft kiss on my temple and got to his feet. “Now let’s go eat before Limox decides that he wants to totally destroy all the plumbing in this building.” I watched him walk out, right through the space Mike had been standing in. Pulling myself up from the bed, I stumbled back into the main living area. Jessie, as usual, was at the computer terminal with yet another small stack of empty soda cans surrounding his feet. I made a mental note to discuss with him the imminent purchase of a trash can specifically for that area. At least he had been thoughtful enough to push them into a pseudo-pyramid. “Right.” He spun around to face us, mumbling through a mouthful of rye, mustard and salami. “Josh is going to be at the airport in an hour. He says that right now there’s so many people freaking out that the airport’s not letting anyone go up other than the big airlines, but he’s managed to bribe us a space. I told him that we were good for it.” He dabbed at the edge of his mouth and licked the yellow sauce from his finger. “Flight corridors are all fucked up thanks to the alien ships, and most planes are staying on the ground so it’s a good bet that you won’t have any company. Maybe military, but they’ve got bigger things to worry about than a small plane probably trying to get some rich cats out of town.” “Right. Everyone, pay attention. This is our battle plan. We’re going to jump about here.” I unrolled a map on the coffee table, narrowly missing knocking over two more empty cans of soda. “Sorry it’s not more precise, but we’re lucky we’re not dealing with a globe.” My finger traced the probable flight route. “I don’t want to put our pilot in any danger so we’re going to leave as soon as we get close enough for us to glide down.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

87

Sheryl Nantus

“Ah…” Peter put up his hand. He had changed out of the torn sweatshirt and battered track jacket into an old grey dress shirt that must have come out of David’s closet. “Glide?” I picked up the nylon harness from the side of the couch. “We used this last time.” The thin loops hung in the air. “I can carry two on my back if need be and two holding hands, max.” An idea popped into my head. “Can I ask you to put out a call for help when we land?” Peter replied, “I can do that, definitely.” He continued when I nodded, urging him on. “Most of them are going to be pretty scared, as you can guess. Domestic pets probably being left behind and wild ones just freaking out. If nothing else, I can try and calm them down enough to keep them from attacking anyone. And ask them if they want to help us out.” “What’s your gig again?” Limox reached down to scratch his crotch, stopping himself at the last minute due to a scathing glare from May. Peter shifted on the sofa, putting his hands under his knees. “I can talk to the animals, basically. I can’t order them around, but I can ask them for help.” “And this is a superpower?” Limox swiveled around to stare at me. “Seriously?” “We don’t exactly have the luxury of picking and choosing supers, if you haven’t noticed,” I snapped back. “Most of the best ones were killed either by the aliens or by their Guardians when they decided not to go fight and get killed.” I glanced at Hunter. “No offense intended.” He raised a hand. “None taken.” “Anyway…” Peter’s voice went up a notch in volume, taking back the conversation. “Anyway, my gig was or is to get the animals to attack at the same time as we did, a sort of menagerie show. Alan and me, I mean.” He swallowed loudly, blinking wildly to hold back the tears. “So you’re talking lions, tigers and bears, oh my?” I kept going, not wanting to allow him to fall back into mourning for his lover. If I couldn’t do it for Mike, I sure as hell wasn’t going to let the kid snap and go there right now. Because if he did, then I’d be a helpless pile of jelly, and that wouldn’t be good for either of us. Or the world. He chuckled. “Well, think more squirrels, dogs and cats. I can’t really get through to the bigger ones though I’ve tried. But they’re always eager to tell me what’s going on.” “Okay, we can run with that.” I nodded. “Jessie, call us a cab. You, Hunter and David stay here and keep in contact as long as you can.” I got to my feet. “It goes without saying that if we don’t save Pittsburgh, we’re not coming back, right?” “Damned suicide wish,” Limox grumbled, pushing past me to the bathroom. “Let me make one last pit stop.” May walked over to Hunter. “I want you to come along.” She looked at me. “I’m not going without him.”

88

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

A hint of fear laced her voice, something I knew all too well. Flying solo wasn’t a habit encouraged by the Agency. And from what Hunter had told me I couldn’t blame her for latching onto him with both hands. “What are you going to do while we’re trying to kick alien butt?” Crossing my arms, I waited for his response. “What do you usually do?” “Cringe and hide?” His wide grin didn’t match my expression. His face took on a more serious tone. “I usually do coordination, to be honest. Work in the back and make sure no one’s crashing into each other.” “He could die.” I stared at May. “This isn’t a game anymore. They’re not going to call off the bad guys and switch to a commercial if we screw up. And we’re not going to stop if he dies.” “I know.” Her fingers dug into Hunter’s arm even tighter. That was going to leave marks. “But I need him with me.” Shaking my head, I locked eyes with Hunter. “You good with this?” “Yeah.” He smiled, patting May’s arm softly. “I’m good. As long as you don’t mind me tagging along for the ride down.” “Just…just get out of the way. And keep out of the way. Please.” I gave May my most serious look. “And you’re responsible for him. Thank God he’s at least housebroken.” She let out a giggle, tugging her Guardian away before he could respond. Peter stood up, brushing imaginary lint from his pants. He eyed the harness I still held in my hand. “I’ve never flown before.” His eyes held a bit of fear along with more than a whit of curiosity and eagerness. “I mean, I’ve looked through bird eyes but I haven’t ever done it. Without a plane, I mean.” “It’s cool.” I laughed in spite of myself. “Trust me, once you fly with me you won’t want to take a plane ever again.” He grinned back, a little less stress in his shoulders. “Sounds cool.” May walked over, taking Peter’s hand. “Trust me, you’ll love it. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my life more than Jo.” The relief in both their eyes calmed the butterflies in my stomach. The two supers headed down the stairs. David let out a deep sigh, shaking his head as he watched them go. “I know you want to bring them all back, but you make sure you bring yourself back first, hmm?” He pulled me into a deep hug, tears in his eyes. “Just be careful. Don’t be a hero.” I coughed away the urge to cry. “Silly, that’s what I do.” He sniffled. “Yeah, I know. Just had to say it. Let me go call a cab for you.” David walked away, his shoulders slumped. “I’ll be here.” Jessie moved to stand in front of me, his hands stuck in the back pockets of his jeans. “We’ll keep the home fires burning.” He paused, seeing my surprised expression. “What, isn’t that what I’m supposed to say?”

www.samhainpublishing.com

89

Sheryl Nantus

“Yep.” I laughed, yanking him off his feet and into a surprise hug. I felt a shudder go through his body, and his eyes were reddening as we pulled apart. “Just be careful. There’s always a chance that the aliens or the Agency might figure out who and where you are—if that happens you two get out of here and go underground. I know you have the connections. We’ll find you if we have to. Just don’t take any chances.” “Like you?” Jessie smirked. “Shut up.” I pushed him away. He turned back to the bank of computer monitors, seating himself down at the keyboard. His hands reached up, reverting to his fingertip dance. Hunter moved to block my way as I turned towards the stairs. His sad but serious expression pulled the air out of my lungs. “Thanks. I know I’m a liability but it’ll keep May stable. She…she hasn’t really prepped for this,” he said. “She hasn’t done a lot of fighting, mostly scenarios that we’ve run through, so don’t expect a lot out of her.” “I have to.” The steel in my voice surprised both of us. “There’s no one else. And she’s got a hell of a punch that I need.” Hunter nodded. “Understood. Just try to remember that she’s not street-smart like you are. Or think you are.” The edges of his lips tugged upwards. “You’re one tough broad, Jo Tanis.” “Yeah.” I put my hands on my hips, striking a pose. “And don’t you forget it.” “I won’t.” Suddenly he was close, way too close and inside my personal space, his lips touching mine so lightly and so quickly that I thought for a second that I was still asleep. “Time to fly. I’ll be downstairs with the others.” Then he was gone. I walked down the stairs, grabbing onto the railing for support, one hand over the GPS jammer. The fact that it was over my heart was just incidental, I figured.

90

www.samhainpublishing.com

Chapter Thirteen

The cab driver didn’t blink at carrying a grumpy middle-aged man who was still babbling about how it wasn’t his fault the plumbing sucked and that he needed fiber in his diet, thank you very much, or a young man who was so silent that at first glance you thought he was either heavily medicated or high on something. He didn’t flinch at the senior citizen who ignored the chubby man beside her and focused instead on whispering something to the gentleman on the other side including a recipe for banana bread that she was going to make as soon as they got back. And didn’t react to a woman sitting in the front seat beside him atop a forgotten clipboard that punched a hole in her ass and displaying a badly bitten lower lip. Even so I gave him a handsome tip when we arrived at the ferry down at the lakeshore, just in case. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Limox stared at the small island ferry waiting patiently for passengers. I could understand his confusion. The Toronto Island Ferry happened to be one of the shortest ferry rides, if not the shortest, in the world. If you put three or four of the compact ferries end to end, you’d be able to just walk across the narrow waterway that allowed boaters to skirt around the islands and out into Lake Ontario. The ride itself took less time than it did for the ferry to load and unload, or at least that’s what it looked like. “Can’t you just fly us over?” Limox’s voice grated in my ears. “Hush!” I spun on him, eyes blazing. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but one of the things we’re trying to do is keep a low profile. Me flying you over to the airport is not going to do that. It may be a short hop, but we’re trying to not attract attention.” My tone startled him into silence, his attention diverted to a stone on the ground he began kicking back and forth between his well-worn leather loafers. “Let me go buy the tickets. Come on, Hunter.” May trotted off at a business-like pace to the small booth. Giving me a sheepish look, Hunter followed, his long strides catching up with her almost immediately. Peter moved closer to me, staring up into the sky. “Going to be light soon.” “The announcement has the alien attack on Pittsburgh starting at 6 a.m.” I scanned the horizon. “I can’t imagine the evacuation routes out of the city right now. Must be a madhouse.” “Yeah,” Limox muttered. “At least they’re getting a chance to get the civilians out.” He glared at me, spotting my astonished look. “What? I can’t give a shit about the people?”

Sheryl Nantus

May reappeared, the small thin cardboard stubs in her hand. “We’ve got a few minutes to get on board.” She beamed at the four of us. “I’ve never been on a ferry before.” “It’ll be fun. I’ve ridden them before.” Peter smiled, the first time I think I’d seen him do so since he arrived. “Come on, I’ll show you the best place to stand.” He studied Hunter’s reaction. “Okay?” “Sure.” The older man smiled back. “Just don’t drop her in the water.” May’s answering giggle had us all smiling as she tucked her arm into Peter’s and let him lead her off towards the small craft. “Strange kid,” Limox said to me as we walked behind the couple. “You think we can really pull this off?” I looked down at my gloved hands and at his bare fingers. “Well, if you had asked me a week ago if we could break into an Agency enclave and kick butt I’d have said no. What does that tell you?” “That I make a good supervillain.” Limox’s dark eyes sparkled. “That you make a good super. Period,” I corrected him, hoping the idea would take. Our first steps on the floating train were a bit rickety, all five of us shifting back and forth as we adjusted to the sensation. Peter was the first to race for the railing, tugging May behind him like a little kid running amuck. There were a few other passengers, but the crew easily outnumbered them, faces solemn and stern as they went through the paces despite the imminent crisis. The world might be ending, but they were going to stick to their schedule, darn it. So Canadian. The dark cold lake water sloshed over the gigantic rubber tires running along the sides of the ferry as we pushed away from the pier, the engine grinding at a furious pace that seemed to be wasted for such a short trip. Within minutes the ferry bumped and nudged its way back into the opposite harness, rocking and rolling just slightly from side to side. May let out a sad sigh as she and Peter rejoined our merry group. “I think we should do that again,” she grumbled. “It really was too short.” “Well, that was a waste of time,” Limox grunted as we walked off onto dry land. “There’s the airport.” I waved one hand towards the small cluster of buildings. “And I’m willing to bet that’s Josh’s plane over there.” May squinted at the terminal. “Not much to look at, really,” she said, a note of disappointment in her voice. I chuckled as I led my team up to the terminal and inside. “I’ll take you out to the big one later on, promise.” The woman behind the counter stared at us. Her eyes were half-closed, and it looked as if she hadn’t slept in days. “Can I help you?” “Sure.” I jabbed a thumb at the single Cessna on the runway—not another plane in sight. “I believe Josh Hannigan is waiting for us.”

92

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

The blonde checked her clipboard. “Right. He said there’d be a private party coming by.” Her eyes flickered every few seconds to a small television set just below the counter. “How’s it looking?” Peter asked in a low voice. “They’ve done a good job getting who they can out of Pittsburgh.” She let out a weary sigh. “But it’s not going to be enough. They just can’t do it all. The airport’s jammed, and they’re rerouting smaller flights here to take the pressure off of the system.” As if on cue a small jet landed on the runway, throttling down as quickly as possible and turning to head off to one of the small lanes running off the main line. “Refugees.” She waved towards a pair of customs officers who got up from behind the ancient oak desk in the far corner. “Getting more and more diverted from Pearson.” “How bad?” May asked. “Bad enough that they’re already talking about setting up tent cities or putting them up in hotels or something.” She looked down at the clipboard. “Although I’m not sure if any place is safe from those aliens.” I didn’t have to look at the other members of my team to see the resolution in their eyes. “So, where you going?” She looked out at the runway as another plane landed, the propellers spinning frantically as it moved out of the way. “Just up to the Muskokas,” May interjected. “Working holiday.” “Ah. Have a good time. Keep clear of this mess for as long as you can.” We walked out of the terminal, passing the influx of people being disgorged by the just-arrived jet. The men and women stumbled into the terminal with a few suitcases and knapsacks among them, a shellshocked look on their faces. “Good thing you didn’t say Pittsburgh.” Limox nudged May’s arm. “Then we’d have to have passports.” “Yeah.” I stopped in front of the small plane, staring at the door. After pulling the nylon harness free from under my leather jacket, I shrugged into it and yanked the fasteners tight across my chest and shoulders. “Wonder if anyone’s really checking these days.” A man appeared a few minutes later from one of the small buildings near the runway and trotted across the still-green grass with the healthy jog of a runner. He wore a brown leather jacket with the collar just touching his shaggy black hair that begged for a haircut. He couldn’t have been much older than Jessie, which was to say that he was another puppy. “Hey! I’m Josh.” He skidded to a stop in front of us, scanning the small group. “Wow, you don’t look like supers.” Limox puffed out his chest and stepped forward. I had instructed them to wear the same dark outfits they had for the Agency raid even though this fight would be in daylight. Figured that it’d make it easier to

www.samhainpublishing.com

93

Sheryl Nantus

keep a visual on each one. Didn’t think it’d give Limox delusions of grandeur. Thank God it wasn’t spandex. “I. Am. Called. Meltdown.” He punctuated each word with a sharp poke of his index finger into Josh’s chest. “Mess with me and I’ll fuck you right up.” I put my gloved hand on Limox’s forearm and pushed it down, none too lightly. “Thanks for helping us out, we really appreciate it.” “Surf, right?” He snapped his fingers. “That’s so cool… I remember seeing you and Metal Mike a few months ago against some weak-ass called Dino-Man. What a loser.” My smile was genuine. “Well, growing spikes out of your back and looking like a T-Rex is cool but if that’s all you got…” I spread my hands, letting a bit of static discharge from the fingers. Good to impress the public. His eyes widened at the display. “Cool.” Snapping his head back around, he nodded towards the plane with a more professional attitude. “If you want to get inside I have to check a few things before we take off.” Without waiting for us he began to walk around the small aircraft, testing various bits and pieces. “Showoff,” Limox muttered as he climbed into the passenger area. May chuckled. “Look who’s talking.” She watched as Peter walked up the steps and turned around to offer her his hand with a slight bow. “And then there are still true gentlemen out there.” With a nod she followed the young man inside. I looked back towards the crowd now milling to get through the small set of doors into the terminal. The rag-tag mob shuffled back and forth. A mother corralled her two children who whimpered, one little girl holding a stuffed animal. The other, a boy, kept looking back at the horizon. Climbing into the plane, I tugged on the harness one more time. “Right. This is how it’s going to work.” Taking the empty seat, I pointed at Limox. “You grab my left hand. May, the right. Hunter, you’re at my back. Peter…” I reached behind me, taking hold of one of the two loops. “What I need you to do is grab one and hold on for dear life. I’ll put a bubble around us to keep us in the air, but you have to hold on. If you let go, I can’t catch you in time.” “Right.” His eyes were wide but focused. “It’ll be fine.” Hunter patted his shoulder. “Nothing to it.” “How come Hunter gets to ride your back?” Limox fastened the seat belt, tugging it tight around his waist. “Because I said so. Don’t pout.” Settling into my chair, I closed my eyes and tried to focus. “Okay, here’s the drill. Peter, while we’re still in the air I want you to gather as much information as you can from the birds, the flies, anyone who can tell you what’s happening. We’re not going to get anywhere near that fat avocado before we have to bail, so we’ll have some time to find out what’s going on before we get to the actual fight.”

94

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“Roger,” he said with a note of confidence. “May, I want to see if we can scramble those alien minds. I saw that you could direct the attacks—can you specifically target the ship?” “I’ll try. Be easier to just target the one fellow, to be honest.” She paused. “But it may give you all a bit of a headache. Just warning you.” “Let’s run with that—aim for the first guy you see. If it’s like the other cities, they’ll only send out one fighter at a time. Although I’ve never seen them toss out more than one. Hunter…” A sudden lump appeared in my throat, threatening to choke the words before I could get them out. “I’m going to set you down with May. Stay undercover as much as you can, both of you. Don’t take any risks and stay clear of trouble.” I ignored the huffy snort from Limox. “And, Limox—all I want you to do is melt the crap out of anyone or anything you can and keep us safe.” “And who’s going to save me?” he snapped back. “And where are you going to be?” “First, don’t yell at me.” Keeping my eyes closed, I held up my hand and ticked off the points on my fingers. “Second, your job is to protect May primarily. If she can snarl up their minds, then we’re going to have a major advantage. Peter is going to rally the ground troops, as it were, to provide enough random factors to keep the alien fighters off balance. Me, I’m going to be tossing as much heavy-duty crap at him as I can and hope that it’ll be enough to keep them at bay long enough to get all the civilians out. If we’re lucky, there’ll be other supers showing up as well, but I’m not depending on that.” My skin began to tingle as I finished pulling in the waves from around me, the surge meeting maximum capacity. Just then the pilot’s door opened and Josh climbed in. “I’m thinking that they’re going to send out only one guy like they did in New York.” I started juggling the energy back and forth between my hands, releasing bits and pieces and then pulling in more. It was going to be a long warm-up, but I wanted to be as sharp as possible when we jumped out. “Didn’t take more than one to kick ass there,” Limox replied. “Except this time he’ll be dazzled by May’s attacks and if we’re lucky a million insect stings from Peter’s friends.” I put a smile on my face, trying to make it real. “Whenever you’re ready, Josh.” A sense of relief went through my body when the plane lifted off from the asphalt, more that it wasn’t my own energy keeping us aloft than a successful takeoff. True, I had managed pretty well getting us to Buffalo and back, but there was no way I could do that distance and then be ready to fight. While I had sounded pretty darned confident or had tried to in my briefing, I knew that it would be a close battle, at the least. Even if the aliens only sent out the single fighter who had devastated Mike and the others, he would be more than a match for second-liners like us. In other words, a suicide run. It didn’t need to be said, we all knew it. “Hey, Jo!” Jessie’s voice echoed in my ear, courtesy of the imbedded electronics. “How’s it going?”

www.samhainpublishing.com

95

Sheryl Nantus

“We’re doing fine.” I saw Josh’s head turn slightly to one side, wondering who I was talking to. Tapping my jaw with the index finger on my right hand, I smiled. “Internal stuff.” “Ah. Okay. Just didn’t want to think I’d missed something.” He returned his gaze to the sky outside. “We’re doing well. Everyone’s getting out of town. We’re the only ones really in this corridor doing an approach.” “Great,” Limox grunted. Jessie’s voice overrode my urge to snap back. “Good news. The scuttlebutt is that there are other supers that are going to be at Pittsburgh. Don’t know who, don’t know what they’re going to do, but there’s been reports of people flying and running and all sorts of stuff happening.” “That’s the best bit of news I’ve heard all day. Strike that, all year. If it’s true.” I bit down on the inside of my cheek. “Anyone actually confirmed?” Jessie sounded a bit downcast. “Not really. Mostly rumors, but if we get an actual name, I’ll let you know.” “Jo?” Hunter said. “I wouldn’t count on too many of them showing up. Better to plan for just yourself and don’t get distracted with the idea of reinforcements.” He paused. “Just a recommendation, of course.” “Of course.” I couldn’t help smiling. “Can’t get it out of your system, hmm?” “Once a Guardian always a Guardian.” Hunter chuckled. “Just focus on getting everyone back safe and sound.” My stomach lurched as I remembered Jenny’s prediction. “Yeah, we’ll do that. Call me if you hear anything else.” I looked out the window to my side, seeing white cirrocumulus clouds around us. In my mind I was already flying down through them to the fat avocado and taking it out with a massive electrical charge. In my mind. The next couple of hours went by quickly with mild chitchat in the cabin, mostly Peter asking Limox how he had been taken out against this super and that super, and Limox repeatedly pointing out that it was prearranged that he’d lose them all, and if he had just been given free rein he would have… “We’re about there.” Josh nodded at me. “Better get ready to do your thing.” Unbuckling my seat belt, I crouched down and moved towards the door. “Okay, here’s how it goes. Meltdown, you open the door and be careful about it. Everyone hooks onto me then we all go out as one, slowly and surely.” Just as the last word left my mouth Limox flung the door open with all the delicacy of a rampaging rhinoceros. The air inside the cabin whipped around us like a hurricane. Josh let out a loud curse as the plane dipped to one side, his hands tight on the controls.

96

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

I held onto the back of the seat. Limox, however, wasn’t lucky enough. He disappeared out into the sky with his mouth flapping in what probably would have been a curse if we could hear it. I suspected my name figured prominently.

www.samhainpublishing.com

97

Chapter Fourteen

Part of me wasn’t shocked at the way our carefully arranged plan was already going to hell in a handbasket. Part of me wondered if he could burn a hole in the ground fast enough to delay his inevitable death from the impact. And the other part told me to get the lead out and save my teammate. “Grab on!” I yelled at the team. The plane lurched back to the other side as Josh instinctively tried to compensate for my companion’s stupidity. Me, I just felt sick to my stomach. May unfastened her belt first, grabbing hold of Peter who struggled with the straps. Freeing him, she wrestled his left arm through one loop of my harness. Her own right arm went through the other loop as she pulled him close, pressing them both against my back. She wrapped her left arm around his waist, prompting him to do the opposite. I couldn’t do anything but feel the tugging on my back and pray that Limox wasn’t falling as fast as it looked. Hunter moved to stand in front of me, wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug and slid his hands through the harness and under the two supers on my back. I suppressed a nervous giggle at the image we created. It was either that or throw up. “Go!” May’s scream had me hurtling out the door, activating the bubble around us and arcing downwards at an angle that had the wind whipping by us at an incredible rate. My mind flew back to one of my first flying lessons with Mike, only a few days after we’d been paired up. “Flying isn’t as simple as it seems.” Mike flew next to me, the oversized metal suit clunky and awkward compared to my quick maneuvers. “You’re lucky you can do this. Most supers can’t.” Swiveling myself to move atop him, I grabbed the metal bar on his back. “So why do I need this?” “When you’re too tired. When we need to get somewhere fast. When you forget the rules.” “And what are the rules?” We burst through a cloud, the white exploding around us like cotton candy on a child’s tongue. “First one is that gravity doesn’t lie.” He reached over with a thick steel fist, pushing me down, slowly but firmly, forcing me to fight back with my powers to stay level. “Don’t ever forget that.” I felt the two bodies on my back, the extra weight slamming into my spine and forcing me almost into a vertical dive despite Hunter tucking his head into the crook of my neck in an attempt to form a counterweight. Holding up my hands, I remade the bubble around us to level off even as we arced down towards what I hoped was the conscious figure of Meltdown.

Blaze of Glory

“Our Father, Who art in Heaven…” May mumbled in my head. The young man beside her stumbled over the words as he joined her. I added my own silent echoes to her words, hoping He’d take pity on this poor lot. Limox’s body grew larger and larger, his arms flapping wildly as he tried to grab onto air and kept failing. Pushing my hands to my sides, I angled us down so I’d be directly above the panicked man. “Are you going to be able to grab him?” Peter asked. I shook my head, forgetting that I was probably smacking them in the face with my hair. “If he’s turned his powers on, he’ll melt through me like a hot knife through butter. Best I can do is grab him by the feet and hope he calms down.” “Do you want me to let go?” The words were so faint in my ear I thought for a second I had imagined it. Hunter turned his head, pressing his lips to my cheek. “Do you want me to let go? You’ll be able to get a better grip on him with your hands.” “No,” I croaked out. “No. Don’t let go.” In my mind’s eye I saw Hunter falling to his death, sacrificing himself, a non-super, to get Limox back safely. I wasn’t ready to make that trade. The ground raced towards us as I got closer, finally able to reach out and touch the falling super’s shoulder as he flailed around in the rushing air. Limox turned quickly, eyes wide open and lips flapping wildly. “Limox, I need you to make sure you’re off,” I screamed through the link. “Tell me you’re off. Your powers are off; your hands are off.” His glazed eyes flashed past, around and over me. “Right.” I looked down at the ground. Even with the first slivers of sunlight breaking over the horizon I couldn’t see exactly where the ground was, but I was sure that it’d be just as hard and unforgiving in the night as in the day. “Everyone, hang on.” Swooping down, I grabbed Limox’s ankles and swung the terrified man around, his hands towards the oncoming earth and away from us. My gloved fingertips were almost touching. Almost. But that wasn’t going to be enough unless I slowed us down and fast. I heard May talking to Limox, soft gentle words of consolation that seemed to make him relax a bit more in my grip. Hunter took a deep breath, pressing himself against me and wrapping his legs around mine to allow me to have a better grip on Limox. Or at least that’s what I was telling myself. More likely he was trying to get away in case Limox lashed out with his hands to grab him, melting through fabric and flesh in his panicky state. Meanwhile, and much more important, we were still plummeting at an incredible rate. I forced myself to level out, push off the ground that wasn’t so far away and bring the situation under control. Maybe all those meditation sessions Mike had forced me into actually had something to them… Suddenly we stopped. Still. As in not moving an inch.

www.samhainpublishing.com

99

Sheryl Nantus

Limox let out what could only be called a meep. “What did you do?” “I…” The cool air threatened to steal my breath away. “I stopped us.” “Yeah, I got that.” He whistled. “Okay, I’m good.” The overweight man squirmed in my arms, the dirty sneakers twisting to the left and to the right. “A little tight there, girl. And could you just drop Hunter and let me get into your arms instead?” “Get used to being on the bottom,” I snapped. “Look to your left while you’re busy making my life more difficult.” The alien ship was slowly moving up the Ohio River in the dawning light, sending an ominous shadow over the fleeing barges and boats racing away from the city. The roads beneath us were jammed far beyond capacity, many of the cars stopped and off to the shoulder as people took to the streets to walk as far as they could before the attack started. Families carried their life belongings in knapsacks, shopping carts, dumping heavy suitcases and bags along the way in a long eerie trail of colorful luggage. The river was just as bad, if not worse. Coal barges that usually would be carrying the classic fossil fuel were now filled with refugees, a human cargo that went on for miles with the tugboats pushing them hopefully out of harm’s way. Smaller crafts dodged in and out of the slow tedious trail of barges, overloaded with fleeing residents looking to get out of the city before all hell broke loose. “Jo…” Hunter nudged my neck with his chin. “Look down at the large blue ship. She’s in trouble.” The mock paddleboat had probably been some sort of tourist attraction, chugging up and down the river with the garish paint job advertising a sweet cruise for the passengers. But now it lurched perilously back and forth, the mass of humanity standing on the upper decks twisting the center of gravity towards the water that was already lapping at the wood. People scrambled away from the cool water, causing an even more violent shift as the boat swung back. “Crap.” A yellow bridge nearby was the best bet for solid ground. “Get ready to jump.” “What?” Limox squeaked, twisting around in my grip. “Stop. That.” The brightly colored girders were only a few feet away. “I don’t have time to land and set you all down. Go as soon as I get over solid ground. Tuck and roll, Limox.” I felt Peter and May’s hands slip free of the harness. As if we had practiced this a thousand times the two supers dropped off my back. Hunter let go with a short mumble into my neck, too low for me to understand. “Don’t let me go!” Limox screamed as I released his ankles and moved back towards the boat. The boat rolled again to one side, now tipping people into the river. Hovering about ten feet over the water and not far from the upper decks, I reached out, focused on taking control of the craft’s waves and leveling it off.

100

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

About half the screaming refugees noticed me, pointing and waving, some even snapping photographs as they struggled to keep their balance. The other half were grabbing onto the railings in an effort to keep upright. The river water wasn’t that cold, but I sure wouldn’t relish taking a dip in it. “Calm down.” My attempt to sound authoritative reminded me of a church mouse ordering a lion around. I missed Metal Mike’s amplified speakers. “Don’t keep moving around.” My fingers clutched the edges of the boat, pulling it upright. “Stop moving.” A young woman dressed in a Pittsburgh Steelers football jersey let out a high-pitched scream as she flipped over the railing, narrowly missing the other people already treading water. “Shit!” The swaying of the ferry was beginning to pick up momentum, dipping lower with each cycle, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to gain control before it tipped totally over. Smaller watercraft had already started zipping over to pluck the people from the water, making the scene even more chaotic. The woman flailed around for a second, the panic clear on her face. Abruptly she began to rise out of the water on some sort of air mattress, which cradled her as it moved her out of danger. Fish. She was floating on a small raft of fish. Gasping, the blonde reached out to grab the hand of a uniformed man, glancing down wide-eyed at the aquatic life keeping her afloat just long enough to get aboard the rescue craft. Then they disappeared in a flash of silver tails and scales. “Don’t think she’ll be eating sushi again.” Peter’s chuckle brought a smile to my face despite the situation. But the panicked mob could easily turn this from a bad situation to a disaster in only a few seconds… A rush of emotion washed over me, caressing me from the inside out. It was like having a massage, an obscene amount of chocolate and an infinite number of orgasms. My hands stopped moving as I tried to process all the feelings and sensations, the urge to just wallow in the ecstasy almost overwhelming my goal to stabilize the boat. “Everyone just calm down.” The whispered words came over my link. “Jo, they should be okay now.” Sure enough the enraptured faces looked towards me with a sense of satisfaction and glee that I would have loved to bottle and sell. Even the ones in the water seemed content as they slowly climbed onto the waiting boats, lessening the strain on the boat. It was easy for me to right the faux paddleboat and settle it back onto the water. “Everyone, please clear the upper decks. That’s why it’s tipping over.” Obediently they climbed down, men helping women, and the children carefully lifted and carried down to waiting mothers’ arms, clutching stuffed animals and small knapsacks. “May, what did you do?” I croaked. “I just made everyone calm down.” Her words held an air of surprise. “Didn’t think it’d work so good, though.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

101

Sheryl Nantus

“It worked just fine.” I glanced up, spotting the quartet watching me from the neon yellow bridge. “I’ll be back in a minute.” A little boy, no more than five, waved at me from the deck of a Coast Guard boat. I waved back before moving off, glancing behind me to make sure the boat was at least half-assed balanced now. The evacuation continued around us, the ferries persisting in their race down the river. God bless Pittsburghers, takes a lot to freak them out. I landed beside the team, breathless from the experience. Hunter gave me a tight hug while Limox scowled from the sidelines. “Nice landing,” he growled. I looked down at the melted handprints at his feet and couldn’t help smiling. “Not quite ready for prime-time, I guess.” My mind was still spinning from actually doing something heroic. “Next time turn your bloody hands off when I ask you to,” I replied sweetly, noting Peter’s wide grin. “Nice touch with the fish, Peter, and the mass hug, May. Really came in handy there.” “Well, I thought it’d help.” She patted Peter on the shoulder. “Well done!” “Thanks.” He kept smiling. “Nice to do something positive, you know? Sending dogs in to bite guys gets old.” The words trailed off as the dark shadow moved closer. “Yeah. That was the warm-up, folks. Now it’s the main event.” I pointed at the ship, now easily within flying distance. “Okay, here’s the first stage. I’m going to take you up with me…” a tug on Meltdown’s shoulders, “…and drop you off on that thing. I want you to try and melt through the outer skin, if you can keep on going until you hit something vital, if you can’t, I’ll jet you back to dry land. Peter, can you get us some avian assistance?” “The local birds are reporting a single warrior exiting the ship.” He stared over my shoulder, his gaze unfocused. “He’s not doing anything, just hovering there. Guess he’s waiting for us to make the first move.” “Good. Keep on the link, I may need you to have them do some diversionary stuff. May, Hunter— stay here. May, if you can toss some of that soothing mojo around it may help make the evacuation go smoother. I’m still not happy with so many civilians in the battle area.” I grabbed Limox under his arms, and we moved towards the ship, gaining altitude as quickly as I could. “Now, let’s…” A steel beam shot by us, missing us by about a hundred feet, and headed directly for the ship. Now that may seem like a lot of spare air at first glance, but trust me, that’s way too close for comfort when dealing with a twenty-foot long metal bar. “What the fuck?” Limox cursed as he thrashed around in my arms. “Stop it or I’ll drop you on your head,” I roared, jerking us to one side as I reacted to the attack. “It’s not aimed at us; it’s headed for the ship.”

102

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

We watched as the beam flew towards the alien craft, the unerring arc carrying it directly over and then down at the center of the fat green ship. The steel needle jabbed at the side of the ship and then slid off with a metallic scream, skidding down and falling back towards the ground. “Some sort of force field,” Limox muttered. “Something that’s not going to let you through. Not going to be able to burn through that.” I saw it when I squinted, the faintest wobbling air around the avocado and the space disrupted ever so slightly. “Change of plans.” I dove towards the ground so quickly that I swear I heard my ears pop. “We’re going to have to take on the fellow first and then the ship. Peter, keep your avian friends seeking for some sort of weakness on that ship—there has to be something somewhere that’ll let us in. An open hatch, anything. I don’t care how big it is. The three of you head for where that slab came from.” “Roger.” Hunter’s calm voice sent a shiver down my spine. He sounded confident, self-assured. Just like Mike. “Where are we going?” Limox asked. I pointed towards the city, following the arc of the steel beam. “Maybe I’m crazy but I’m figuring that a super tossed that thing at the ship. And hopefully he’ll still be there.” Limox nodded, almost breaking my nose as we swooped down between deserted office buildings to the approximate location. “Sure can’t hurt to look.” Suddenly a girder came into view, barreling towards us at way too close an angle for me to get out of the way in time. “Hold on!” Limox thrust his hands out in front of him as I twisted to one side. The steel bar rocketed right at our heads. Meltdown’s fingers scored along the heavy metal, digging into the steel as it clipped my left ear and spun away without doing more damage to us. I dropped us to the vertical and then to the ground much faster than I had planned, resulting in a rather disorganized and slightly embarrassing heap of supers atop each other in the middle of the street. As I struggled to my feet I put one hand to my ear, coming away with only a trickle of blood from the wound. Limox lay on the ground gasping for air. “Good catch.” I turned towards the unfamiliar voice. Static started at the back of my mind as May dashed around a corner of the deserted street, huffing with every step. “Slammer?” Limox scrambled to his feet and brushed dirt from his turtleneck sweater. “Is that you?” “Good grief, you hanging with this crowd?” The deep rolling voice came from a man who stood at least six feet tall, his muscle T-shirt giving a great display of his well-toned arms. His bald head matched Limox’s, but his skin was darker, tanned and muscular from hard manual labor. Denim coveralls covered the rest of his middle-aged frame, his hands stuck in the deep pockets.

www.samhainpublishing.com

103

Sheryl Nantus

The most striking thing about him was the way his arms glistened. Not with sweat but from a thousand small shining spots over his arms and face, even over his head. As I slowly approached him, I saw they were a silvery white and in no regular pattern. “Stephen Nyre.” He extended a large meaty hand that dwarfed mine. “Slammer. You must be Surf.” Limox chuckled, moving to stand beside me. “You’re lucky you never had to face Slammer. He’d have bumped you on your ass and then some.” “Not likely.” Stephen laughed, a deep roar that would have knocked me off my feet if I hadn’t braced myself. Putting his two meaty hands together, he popped his knuckles in a rapid-fire sequence that had me wincing. “Wouldn’t have been a fair fight.” His attention turned to Limox. “So what the fuck are you doing here?” “Same as you.” He jerked a thumb upwards. “Although your tosses aren’t doing much. Bouncing off a shield of some sort.” “Damn.” The large man sighed. “I was hoping…” He grinned as Peter, Hunter and May caught up with us. “So, you guys ready to fight?” “That’s what we came here for.” Peter smiled. “You ready to do more than just chuck steel?” Stephen’s face split into a wide smile. “Oh, I like you.” Suddenly all of our links went live, the chatter almost overwhelming. I recognized some voices, some supers I had worked with in the past. Hydro, JamJam… “Can you fly?” I snapped at the large man. He shook his head. “Not my gig.” He waggled his hand in the air. “And I get airsick, so don’t even think about it.” “Okay. Look, you and Meltdown take May and try to get her close enough to see if she can fry the alien warrior’s mind, scramble his thoughts. Might as well give that a shot. Peter, send in the troops, anyone and anything you can think of.” I lifted off the ground slowly, hovering just a few feet above the street. “I’m going to charge up and see what a good blast gets me.” Slammer looked at the man beside him. “She’s a feisty one, isn’t she?” Limox grinned. “You always said you like a woman who takes charge.” The giant laughed, slapping the back of the smaller super. “So true. May, is it? May, let’s get you someplace so that you can smack this guy around.” He beamed at the senior with a wide smile that she returned in kind. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, of course.” Leaving them to their introductions, I rose above the nearest building, hoping to get a good view of the situation. In my ear I could hear the voices of different supers, some shouting curses, some crying, many of them falling silent after a last garbled gasp. No one tried to organize them, no one asked for help— total panic. My mouth opened to say something, anything on the link. What could I say? What could I offer? Then I spotted him.

104

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

The same bastard from New York City. The same man who had murdered Mike. He hovered a few hundred feet above what could have once been a circular fountain placed at the intersection of the three rivers. He wore the same light blue shirt and black pants, the same bored look as he raised his hand to deflect an energy blast coming from someone on the ground, returning it to the sender with a resounding blast that was at least double what had been launched. “Stop it,” I screamed, knowing the links would pick it up. “We can’t just lob crap at this guy one at a time. We need a coordinated attack.” Taking a deep breath, I continued. “Stop throwing your lives away and think for a second. Let’s take this bastard on together. Together.” I stored up as much of a charge in my gloves as I could as I spoke. In the back of my mind all I could think about was NYC and that my best shot hadn’t even scratched the bastard’s chin. “This is Surf, I worked with Metal Mike. Sound off.” A burst of yelling snapped back in my ear, words and names and titles, many of them unknown to me. Either there had been a lot of names left out of my briefings, or many of them had reverted to their personal names in their newfound freedom. Shaking my head at the confusion, I stared at the alien as he easily deflected another plasma blast back to the top of a nearby building, ripping the top off like a piece of torn paper. The attacker disappeared in a bloody smear of asphalt and brick. “May! May!” I fired off my best blast at the man, hoping to draw his attention away from any other supers nearby. “Are you anywhere near ready?” “You should be hearing some background noise.” Her sharp, crisp voice startled me. This was who Hunter had been working for and with for the past few years, the professional. “And for the rest of you, if you’re not going to help, then shut the hell up and get out of our way.” I chuckled at hearing the swear word, or what would have passed for a swear word in her generation, as I began to recharge, moving between the buildings so as not to give this guy a clear shot at me. I spotted a few other supers dodging in and out of alleyways, all of them grounded. There hadn’t been too many who could fly unassisted, and I was pretty sure that most of them had fallen in NYC. The hairs on the back of my head began to tingle, signaling that May was about to do her mojo. “Peter, what’s happening with you?” I shouted. “Look below you.” The calm voice was an island in the middle of the insanity around us as yet another energy blast landed not too far from me, taking out a small shop. I looked down at what could only be described as a menagerie of animals, both domestic and wild, probably from the zoo. Lions, tigers and bears, indeed. Peter sat proudly atop an elephant that raised his trunk and roared into the sky as the animals spread out from each side. Around him an ever-widening circle of birds spiraled out. “May not be able to hurt him, but we’ll make him uncomfortable.” “Ah…love it. Now let’s see if I can bring this guy to ground for your bigger friends to take care of him.” I rose above the top floor of the building to take another shot.

www.samhainpublishing.com

105

Sheryl Nantus

Except that I had somehow lost sight of the alien. Instead of the bastard, ahead of me all I saw was empty air. “Jo!” May’s scream sent me spinning around. To come face-to-face with the invader hovering only a few feet away from me, a strange smile on his face.

106

www.samhainpublishing.com

Chapter Fifteen

“I’ve seen you before.” The voice was almost seductive in its intensity and emotion. “You were at the other city.” The rising hum in my brain started to overwhelm me as I held my breath, unable to respond. The words were low and gravelly, with a hint of something that might have been pride. “Right. And now I’m here.” My heart was hammering so loudly I thought briefly about it exploding and taking us both out in a supernova blast. “You fight well.” He tilted his head to one side. “Your friends fight well.” A shadow appeared over us, descending on the strange man in a flurry of feathers and claws. The small birds pecked at his flailing arms, the larger crows and hawks digging deep into the now-bloodied shirt. “Away!” The roar was matched by a shock wave that sent the birds falling away in a furious retreat. He returned his attention to me, his face strangely untouched by the aerial assault. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted something large and fast flying at us. Lifting my gloves, I pointed them at the man. One eyebrow rose. “You can’t hurt me with those.” “No, but it’ll get me out of the way.” A short blast sent me flying in the opposite direction away from the alien as the large piece of concrete slammed into him. Broken cement and rebar fell away and back to the ground. “Thanks, whoever.” I ducked behind an office tower and pressed my back to the glass windows as I pulled another charge from the electromagnetic waves around me. “No problem, sweetie.” Slammer’s voice was tinged with a bit of laughter. “Don’t want that pretty little face banged up.” “Bet you say that to all the girls.” A burst of gunfire from around the corner made me flinch. Civilians. “Don’t guess we got lucky and you took the bastard out?” “Nah.” The grumpy response made me smile. “Although he does look righteously pissed.” “I’m heartbroken.” Ducking out from my hiding place, I headed back to where the alien had been. “Anyone got a visual on this joker?” “How about right here?” The reply came with a resounding punch to the side of my head, sending me spiraling towards the ground without any hope of controlling my descent.

Sheryl Nantus

“Mike!” I screamed, the world whirling around me as I braced for impact, a small part of my mind calmly calculating the damage a human body would take smashing into the ground. The other small part noted that calling for my dead partner wasn’t such a good idea since he was unlikely to rise up from the ashes of New York City and save me. The last small part screamed at the other two to shut the fuck up and save myself. Seems I was doing a lot of that lately. “Will I do?” A strong set of arms grabbed and lowered me to the cool street surface. Stephen’s face hovered over mine. “He seems to like you.” “Yeah, well the feeling’s not mutual.” Sitting up quickly, I stared up at the alien who hovered over us, a blank stare on his face as he watched. “May, can you slam him yet?” I put my hand to the side of my head. It came back covered in blood. Great. At the least a minor concussion and at the most I was running on empty. “Right now. Hold on to something.” Hunter’s voice held a warning tone I hadn’t heard before, and I mentally steeled myself for the onslaught. The burning in the back of my mind began to blaze into a full-fledged fire, the ache like an itch I had no hope of scratching. Slammer put his hands over his ears, the shiny streaks on his skin reflecting the light like a thousand diamonds. “That’s some nasty shit,” he mouthed, not wanting to say the words out loud. Either he already knew May’s dislike of profanity, or he didn’t want to send it out on an open channel. “Don’t I know it.” Shaking my head cut a bit of the static out, but it still felt like I had a fogbank the size of Newfoundland between my ears. Powering back up, I rose above the street about a foot, smiling at Slammer. “Got any other hidden talents I need to know about?” He grinned, lifting one hand towards me. “Did I mention my skin’s as hard as steel?” “No shit?” This time I didn’t care if May heard me. “No shit.” Slammer wriggled his fingers. “You any good at baseball, Canuck? I can jump but if you give me some speed, I’ll slap you a home run.” I looked at the strange man about twenty stories above us, who was just staring down at the ground. Abruptly he clapped both hands to his ears, arching back as he screamed into the sky. Pay dirt. “Crank it, May.” I grabbed Stephen’s hand hard, wrapping my fingers as far as I could around his huge palm, his meaty fingers wrapping around mine with room to spare. “Ready to fly?” Without waiting for his answer I zipped into the air, hauling him behind me. The second we reached the same altitude as the confused alien, I spun around twice then launched Stephen at the invader with as much velocity as I could manage.

108

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“Peter, Limox—get ready to give me backup.” Yanking out all the stops, I launched another megacharge out of my gloves, sending it barely ahead of the super hurtling towards the motionless man. The blast slammed into the bemused alien the same split-second as Slammer’s fists did, right between the eyes. The two men fell from the sky like a rock. Slammer spun around and around, roaring with laughter. He landed on his feet, the impact craters sending small shock waves along the street, and then stood up with a wide grin. The alien, on the other hand, fell silently without any effort at controlling his descent, his eyes closed as he smashed into the middle of the street on his back. “Lock ’im up!” I dove towards the impact site. A lion leapt from the shadows and landed directly on the man’s chest with an angry roar. Meltdown appeared at his side, pressing his fingers into the asphalt. “Alive! We want him alive.” My stomach lurched as the static in my mind increased. “Don’t kill him.” Limox looked up at me with what could almost be scorn before shaking his head. The street surface around the fallen man began moving, waves of darkness rippling out from the super’s fingers. The feline let out another bellow as the body started sinking under his weight, collapsing into the fluid mass. Jumping free, the lion fled down a side alley. The alien let out a deep sigh, only his face still visible under the black asphalt now trapping his body. I looked upwards at the alien ship. There was a fluctuation in the waves around it, a shimmering that I wasn’t sure if anyone else could see. Then the large green craft…well, the best way to describe it was that it folded in upon itself and vanished, sort of like an origami crane. A ragged cheer came through my link, no more than a handful of different voices. I could make out Peter and May, Limox and Stephen and maybe two or three more. But that was all. Some of the ones I had heard earlier weren’t there anymore. I hoped they had decided to go silent and back underground. I hoped. Landing a few feet from where Limox still knelt by the captured invader, I forced a grin onto my face. “Good work.” Limox snorted. “Guess you want to talk to this joker.” “You guessed right.” I stumbled slightly, grabbing the nearest lamppost to stay upright. “You okay?” Limox almost sounded like he cared. “Yeah. Just a little breathless.” I didn’t want to touch the side of my head again and risk fainting at the sight of more of my own blood. Other people’s blood didn’t bother me—mine, very much so. I’m funny that way. “Rocking moves, Meltdown.” Slammer picked up the smaller man in a bear hug from behind and shaking him like a dog with a rag doll. Limox laughed, waving his fingers in the air.

www.samhainpublishing.com

109

Sheryl Nantus

“Still got the touch, dude. Still got the touch.” He glanced over at me. “I think we should just take him out.” A low growl entered his voice. “Payback and all that.” “Huh.” Slammer looked down at the unconscious man trapped in the concrete, then over at me. “Man might have information.” He pressed one huge fist into the palm of the other. “Then we take him out.” He grinned, coffee-stained teeth and all. I activated the link. “Any one else want to come along for the ride, we’re at…” I stared at the street signs, wanting them to stop shaking. “Fifth and Wood Street. You’ll see us, I’m sure. We’re only going to be here a few more minutes, so if you want to join up, get here now. Or call out so I know you’re on the way.” I waited. No answer. “Are you okay?” May was suddenly there, whispering in my ear as she helped me sit on the curb. Hunter moved in beside her, kneeling down. “Nice cut on the ear. How’d you get that?” He reached up, pinching the top of my left ear. “Not worth stitches, but I’d like to get that cleaned out.” Peter’s elephant stood in the middle of the street, trumpeting victory tunes as the super rode him like a rajah of old. He looked like a kid who had just ransacked the candy store. “Okay.” I got to my feet. “Get that guy out of the street and let’s get out of here.” I drew in a few shaky breaths, feeling my stomach start to settle down. “I’m willing to bet that his friends are going to be back with reinforcements to pick him up, and we need to get him someplace safe and start asking him questions.” “Right.” May nodded towards the assembled men. “Well, you heard the lady. Dig him out.” Slammer chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.” He slammed his fists into the ground near the embedded body, ripping up the asphalt in large chunks. “Hey, Limox—give an old man a hand here.” Within seconds the two had pried the trapped man upright. Torn and jagged edges of concrete surrounded the still unconscious man. “Any idea how we’re going to get him out of here?” Limox groused to me, stepping back to let Stephen hold the slab upright without much effort. “Are you strong enough to haul all of us out of here?” I put my hand back over the throbbing part of my head, stopping when I remembered about the blood again. “I’m not sure.” Hunter moved closer, inspecting my wound. “Not that bad but you should probably get some meds and lie down for a bit.” He surveyed Slammer. “Heard about you. Tough guy.” The large man let out a huff. “Heard nothing about you.” “He’s May’s Guardian.” Limox’s words held a note of scorn. “But he’s still useful.” “Huh.” The grunted response brought no reply from Hunter. Ignoring Slammer, Hunter continued. “We should get going before the military roll back in here.”

110

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

Peter slid down off the elephant, looking worried as he approached me. “You’re looking rather crappy, if you don’t mind me saying so.” “You really know how to talk to a lady.” I turned to Slammer. “Tell me, how far can you jump?” “Pretty far.” He nodded. “Where are you located?” “Toronto,” Limox replied before I could. “Other side of the border.” “Always wanted to travel the world.” The man laughed. “Tell you what—I’ll grab old Stony here and start jumping and you follow along.” May bit her lower lip before speaking. “It’ll be a bit longer if we travel overland, and I’d like you to lie down as soon as possible. Don’t want to start messing with your noggin, take it from me.” I didn’t feel like arguing with the woman, not to mention she was probably right. “Okay, this is how we’re going to do it.” I pointed at Peter. “You, you’re riding with Slammer.” My hand snapped up as I saw Stephen open his mouth. “You should be able to carry him without much effort. He’s pretty light. Carry him on your back if that works for you.” I continued. “You yell if anything goes wrong. Anything. Jump your way to Toronto.” A weary sigh broke free. “I guess our cover is kind of blown at this point.” “You think?” Limox snorted. “Bet we’ve got every television crew outside the bookstore before we get back.” “Bookstore?” Slammer chuckled. “That’s your big secret base?” “Works for us.” May put her hands on her hips, standing in front of the brute. She turned to me. “I’d like to go with the three of them.” “Don’t you trust me?” Stephen spread his massive hands, a sheepish smile on his face. I nodded. “Trust, but verify. May, you go with Stephen. Better to have two of you along in case he wakes up again. If you have to slam his mind again, go ahead—don’t wait for us to get there.” I checked the harness on my jacket. “Limox, Hunter, come on over here. Time to get out of here.” Raising my voice, I made one last appeal over the link. “Anyone else want to come along? Even if you can’t fly we’d like to have you along.” Silence. “They’ve probably run for the hills again. Or some of the abandoned mines.” Slammer tapped the back of his neck. “Waiting for the plugs to go off.” “We turned them off,” Limox said, a note of pride in his voice. “You what?” The words came out as if we had just announced we were angels. “Tell you about it on the trip back.” May moved next to Stephen. “We better go.” “Right.” The large man looked at me with a new air of respect. “We’ll see you on the way.” “Right.” I charged up, sucking energy from the fields around us. “You two, grab on. Limox, on the back. Hunter, my right hand and hold tight. I’m not feeling great and I don’t want to drop anyone.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

111

Sheryl Nantus

Meltdown nodded, grabbing one of the loops and tucking his arm into it. “Guess I get to be on your back after all.” The heated whisper made my skin crawl. “Until she rolls over and dumps your ass in Lake Ontario.” Hunter smirked. “Then I’ll be on top.” With a laugh I grabbed Hunter’s hand and began to rise in the air, listening to Limox’s annoyed huff. Below me I watched as Slammer gently pulled Mayday close to him, his other hand on the makeshift handle of the cement slab. She let out a girlish laugh as she put one arm around his waist. Peter reached up from behind, wrapping his thin arms around the mammoth man’s neck with a nervous giggle. Suddenly Stephen leapt into the air, higher and farther than I had tossed him before. As they disappeared into the clouds I gathered more energy and sped up, not wanting to lose sight of them.

112

www.samhainpublishing.com

Chapter Sixteen

I had hoped to make it to the border before hitting some trouble, be it our own or otherwise. Of course I was overly optimistic. Peter chirped over the link that the alien was waking up. I sped up, catching up with the trio a few minutes after Peter’s hurried request for assistance. Slammer and his team had stopped in a field full of grapevines, the thick berry-laden branches twisting around row on row of fences, waiting to be harvested for wine. The good thing was we were out of the city and away from civilians. The bad thing was I wasn’t sure if we could take the alien down again. I sprinted over to the pair as Slammer laid the black slab onto the dry soil as if it were a fragile egg in his hands. “Are you both okay?” May nodded. “We’re fine. He opened his eyes and Stephen got worried.” Her voice held a slight tremor, belying the calm look on her face. Slammer shuffled his feet in the rich soil, kicking a clump of dirt through the fence. “Not exactly worried. Just concerned.” “Good call.” I moved into the alien’s range of vision, noting his wide eyes that darted from side to side, focusing in on me with visible alarm. At least, what I thought was alarm. If he were human, it’d be alarm. But since he was an alien, it might not be. My mind began to stall, threatening to shut down over the simple process of identifying what emotion was on his face. I knew the sensation, a tendency to hide in my mind and not live in the moment. It doesn’t sound dangerous, but for a super it can be fatal. I’d found that out in our first fight. “You think too much.” Mike tossed me the first-aid kit, shaking his head. “There’s a time to think and a time to act.” “But you told me it was all prearranged.” The iodine had to have come from a World War II kit. It burned like a bastard when I dabbed the brown-soaked cotton ball over the gash on my forehead, right at the hairline. “It’s all faked, right?” “That doesn’t mean that you get to stand there and try and choreograph your moves to make sure you get the best shot.” He jabbed at the buttons on the television remote. “Posing for the camera is going to get you hurt and maybe killed. Don’t assume that just because no one’s going full throttle that no one can get hurt.”

Sheryl Nantus

I stared at the angry one-inch cut reflected in the bathroom mirror. “Bastard could have at least warned me he was going to toss that car.” “I’ll send him a memo.” Mike stared at the television screen. “Next time act, don’t think. Too much thinking will get you killed. End of speech.” I stared down at the alien fighter. His hands were trapped in the melted asphalt, but that was no guarantee of safety. “Hi, there. Remember me?” He smiled back, one edge of his mouth twisting up way more than what was normal. “Yes.” His gaze flew around the circle of people. “You bested me in battle.” “That we did.” My gloves were fully charged, the static sizzling along my fingertips and making them itchy. I flexed my fingers, trying to look intimidating. Limox leaned over and interjected with a sneer, “We kicked your ass.” I glared at him, sending him back a step. Hunter put up his right hand, hiding a smile as May let out a loud sigh. I looked down again. “Your ship is gone. They left you behind.” “I fell in battle.” The tone was as if he were talking to a child. “They conceded the city, as per our rules of engagement. We will not be attacking that city again.” “But you’ll attack others.” Now it was my turn to growl at the captive. “Right?” “Yes.” The calm tones did nothing for my blood pressure. “Each city has a warrior assigned to it. It was my glory to not only be chosen for one of your main cities, but also to represent us for this battle.” A note of pride crept into his voice. “I fought and won over the assigned warrior. It was a glorious fight, but eventually he conceded and allowed me to take his place.” “How can you speak English?” Peter broke in. The alien’s light blue eyes studied the young face for a second before responding. “We monitored your transmissions for years before beginning our Trials.” The man smiled. “It was not hard to master.” “Monitored,” I repeated. “So you were watching us before you attacked.” “Before the Trials, yes.” A confused look appeared, his forehead creasing. “Did you not receive our Challenge? Were you not aware of the rules?” “Ah…I’ll say no.” I saw one hand begin to twitch, the melted asphalt around it bending and flexing. “Stop that right now.” Raising my hands, I pointed them directly at his face. “At this range I don’t know if I’ll kill you, but I’ll sure singe that smile off your face.” May’s buzzing began in the back of my mind, diluting the anger in my voice. “Sorry.” The tone was almost sheepish as he pressed his lips together for a second, then continued. “I was just feeling a bit uncomfortable.” The movement stopped.

114

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“Right.” I didn’t slacken off on the charge, letting a few lightning bolts break free from my fingertips to singe the dirt at the bottom of the nearby vines. As Mike said, it was all about show. “So, as we were discussing, a Challenge? Trials?” A frown appeared as he stared at me. “We issued a Challenge to the planet, as is allowed by the Rules of Engagement. If you didn’t receive it…” He focused on a point in the sky over my shoulder. “Then the Trials are invalid.” The note of sadness in the words had my stomach lurching. “Still not getting it.” The injured side of my head had started throbbing again. “Let’s pretend that I’m an idiot and you’re explaining this to me for the first time.” The blond man rolled his eyes upwards, falling silent again. “Jo?” Stepping away from the concrete slab, I put one hand to my ear. “Jessie?” “You might be getting company in a few minutes. There was a newsflash a few minutes ago about the government sending choppers out after a bunch of rogue supers leaving Pittsburgh, dragging some hunk of cement with the captive alien. I’m assuming that’s you guys, and if it’s not, you should still get your asses in gear.” “Damn.” I looked back towards the small group clustered around the captive. “We’ve got to get moving. Now.” Jessie’s voice began to fade. “Whatever you’re going to do, do it fast. Don’t know how much the Agency’s involved in this, but you know the military isn’t going to let you keep your new friend.” A burst of static signaled the loss of contact. “Fuck.” I turned around. “We’re about to get company. And I don’t think they’re bringing coffee and donuts.” “May I make a suggestion?” the alien asked. “I am your captive. You don’t really need this to keep me under control.” I paused, studying the slab. There was no way we could get out of here in time unless we left him behind, and I wasn’t going to lose this edge. “Can you fly? I mean, without your ship being nearby?” “Yes, of course.” His forehead furrowed. “I thought more of you did, to be perfectly honest.” “Okay, let’s get him out.” The statement brought a shocked look from May, a gasp from Peter, and Limox stepped forward, his mouth hanging open. Hunter, strangely enough, said nothing and stood there with arms crossed. “Are you fucking nuts?” The bald man pointed at the alien. “We’re going to let this guy out?” “You promise to do whatever I say?” I stared at the captive. He nodded. “There you go.” “You’re going to believe a fucking alien?” Limox’s face grew redder with each syllable. “As soon as we let him out he’s going to either split and go back to his ship or kill us.” His hands waved in the air, his

www.samhainpublishing.com

115

Sheryl Nantus

fingertips crimson. “What are you thinking?” I could feel the heat waves rushing over me as he continued his tirade. “I’m thinking that we’re about to be overrun by a bunch of very pissed-off military types who are going to toss our asses in jail, if not someplace worse.” I tapped the back of my head. “There’s worse things than having them set this off, you know.” Slammer stepped forward. “I don’t want to go back to jail.” He looked at Limox, shaking his head. “Dude, we can’t go back. Not to that.” “Fuck.” Meltdown stomped his right foot in the thick lush soil. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” May pressed her lips together tightly in disapproval. I turned to the alien. “You’re going to carry Limox and Stephen here. You make one move to change course from following me and they’ll take you down. I don’t care if you drown in the lake.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw what almost passed for a satisfied look on Limox’s face. It wasn’t great, but it was a start. “Understood.” The alien stared at me. “May I get out now?” “Sure.” Pointing at Slammer, I started to say something about breaking him out when the blond man stepped free of the concrete prison, melting the asphalt as easily as chocolate in a microwave. Climbing out, the alien warrior nodded at me, brushing pieces of cement off his torn shirt. You could have caught a ton of bugs in my mouth it was hanging open so far. May let out something that sounded like a squeak as she watched our former captive shrug himself free with little effort. “Okay.” My voice was about an octave higher than usual. Clearing my throat, I tried again. “Okay. We’re good. Yeah. Do you have a name we can call you?” “I can think of something.” The stage whisper from Limox held more than a hint of a threat. “Kol’tak,” the man said. “Shall we go now? I think your government friends are approaching.” Putting a hand up to shield my eyes, I spotted the hovering dots in the distance advancing slowly but surely on the vineyards. “Yeah. Let’s get out of Dodge before the sheriffs decide to toss us in the hoosegow.” I jerked a thumb at the harness on my back. “Peter, May, Hunter—you’re riding with me. Let Kol’tak take the heavy guys. No offense.” Stephen was too busy laughing to respond to Limox’s grumpy expression. The alien took hold of each super’s shirt, pulling them effortlessly up with him as if the pair were made of marshmallows. Slammer’s shocked face brought a wide grin onto Meltdown’s, which calmed them both down. I hoped. The last thing we needed was another midair fight with everyone trying to avoid shaking Limox’s hand or having our heads blown apart if May got really ticked off. I lifted off, racing to gain altitude and keep up with Kol’tak. I’d gotten used to the idea of flying with passengers by now and easily kept pace with the alien.

116

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

We headed over Lake Erie to start with, outpacing the helicopters trying to catch up with us. If there had been planes, they either kept their distance or changed altitude, choosing to monitor us from afar. Worked for me. Staying slightly ahead of the threesome, I mumbled to Hunter to keep an eye on them and hoped it wasn’t going to turn into something bad. As in, I’d have to drop someone in the water and start fighting right there and then. Which wasn’t to say that we didn’t have some drama on the trip. Limox started bitching at Stephen about something and Kol’tak ended up coming to my side so that we could separate the two squabbling children. This involved having Peter move from the harness on my back to ride with the alien while Limox whined and bitched until he settled in next to May. Which shut him up for the remainder of the trip. “You what?” David snapped at me. My own drama was happening in my head with David. Needless to say my old friend and bookstore owner wasn’t happy at the idea of us bringing an alien home for dinner. I was tired, hungry and more than a little shaky both emotionally and physically, not the best time to fight with a friend. “Look, you said—” “What I said is irrelevant to the conversation.” He continued his tirade. I rolled my eyes at that piece of male logic. You’d think I’d have learnt something after years of dealing with Mike. “You can’t just bring him back.” “Well, we weren’t exactly in a situation to find a donut shop and sit down for a coffee and a chat.” I saw May frown, as if she didn’t approve of the tone I was taking with her new friend, but I didn’t care. The throbbing in my head was still there and I was afraid to look in a mirror and see exactly how much blood I had lost. “Besides, we need information. And this is as good as it gets. Tell Jessie to lay in a ton of sandwiches; I’m starving.” “Don’t you think…” He paused. “Okay. We’ll see you in a bit then.” I didn’t pursue why he cut off his argument, focusing on the horizon and not the growling in my stomach. There had been a few granola bars jammed into my jacket pockets that had survived the battle, but for the most part I was running on empty and then some, despite Hunter eagerly hand-feeding me the food, which was unfortunately not as much fun as I wanted it to be. The sun burning straight into my eyes threatened to start a headache, and I didn’t even want to start sorting out my feelings. But I had to. I thought about killing Kol’tak on the way back, despite my previous comments to David. I could just whisper over the link to Slammer and have him slap his hands on each side of the grinning alien bastard’s head and pop it like a pimple. He’d never see it coming. But Mike wouldn’t approve. I could hear his voice, the mellow tones berating me for even thinking about it. “Girl, I ain’t worth it.” He’d laugh, stealing away the blankets in bed again. “The mission is what’s important. Not revenge. And if you don’t find out what this guy knows, you’ll be killing more supers than

www.samhainpublishing.com

117

Sheryl Nantus

he did. ’Cause you know they’re not going to stop until they get every one of you and take out civilians in the process.” He’d give me that wide smile of his, the grin that signaled the end of the discussion because he was about to bounce me out of bed and force me to the workout room for another bout of sparring. “Go save the world. I’m good.” The vision in my mind’s eye faded slowly as I flew through the air. “I’m good.” I looked down at the alien below me, the two supers chatting away as if they did this every day. Peter laughed at some joke Stephen said, his chuckles carrying through the link. Kill Kol’tak and I’d be killing all the supers. The aliens wouldn’t stop and neither would the Agency until we succeeded in defending the planet and declaring our freedom. I swallowed back the sour taste in my mouth. Revenge would come, but it had to be for all of us, not just for Mike. It’d be for Alan, Peter’s boyfriend. And for Limox’s Guardian. And for Tan and Ace and all the others. I still didn’t have to feel great about it, though. Through the entire flight back Kol’tak kept a stoic smile on his face as if he did this every day. Although for all I knew, he did. But he kept his promise and when we settled down on the rooftop of the bookstore, he released Peter and Stephen without a word. “Right. Let’s get inside before someone actually looks up.” I had plotted a landing course that had kept us dodging between buildings, but I knew it was only a matter of time before someone connected us to Toronto and Toronto to the Bookworm’s Hideout and then it’d be a media circus beyond belief. In my mind’s eye I saw SWAT teams slamming onto the roof and setting up sniper nests all around us. “Got a fresh pot of coffee, the Betty’s full of tea and we’ve got plenty of food for you.” David drew in a sharp breath as we came down the small stairs from the roof. “Oh, Jo…” His tone changed from stern to fatherly. “Your head…” “I’m fine.” I jerked a thumb back at the alien. “This is Kol’tak. I’m not sure if he’s hungry or not, but he’s our guest right now so take care of him.” A sudden wave of dizziness came over me, pushing me to lean against the wall as the others moved past me. “Any media pick this up yet?” “A few internet rumor sites,” Jessie replied. “But nothing leading back to us. Yet. Although everyone’s wondering about who the new kids on the block are.” “Ah.” I couldn’t think of anything else. “Ah.” Then all I could think of was how cold and black the world was and how hard the air had become to breathe. It was August and we were sunbathing on the roof. “Ever think of switching sides?” Mike passed me the cold bottle of beer, laughing as I studied the label before putting the glass neck to my lips. “It’s Canadian, you snob.” “You mean, be a villain?” I shifted in the sun chair and reached for the lotion. “No thanks. Besides, you’re the one who told me they don’t get good ratings.”

118

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“Need some help with that?” He swung his legs off the lawn chair, sauntered over and took the bottle from me. “Dang, you white girls burn easy.” “Hey, that’s a racist remark.” I rolled over, exposing my nearly bare back. The bikini had been an expensive purchase on our short-lived vacation to Rio for the tag-team match with Dawson, and I was determined to get every minute’s use that I could out of it. Besides, it would be good for ratings if I had some color and didn’t look like a pale ghost. So said the experts. “Sue me.” The strong hands pressed down on my back, rubbing the lotion into the skin. “Can’t ever play the bad guy, hmm?” “Never.” I let out a yelp as his hand rose to brush against the side of my head. “What are you doing?” “Making sure you don’t kill yourself, silly.” His mellow voice began to move away from me, the heat decreasing as the sun disappeared. “I told you she was hurt.” May’s indignant words drifted across my face like a cool breeze. “But you wanted to be the tough guy.” “Don’t start, May,” Hunter responded. “I didn’t know she was this badly hurt. You’re lucky she didn’t pass out and drop the lot of us into Lake Ontario.” A cold cloth on my face. “She’s a tough one, she is,” May cooed to me gently. “A lot of stitches?” “Two, maybe three.” Hunter’s voice was accompanied by a slight tug on the side of my head. “At least it’s not so bad that we need to take her to the hospital. That’d be the topper of this entire thing.” “I don’t like hospitals,” I mumbled. “And I need a cup of tea.” The voices stopped for a minute in the darkness. “Did she say something?” May asked in a low whisper. I blindly reached out, grabbing what felt like good dress shirt. “I’m going to open my eyes now and you’re going to hand me a cup of tea and a sandwich. Preferably with lots of sugar in the first and plenty of meat in the second.” “Oh, she is a tough one.” Hunter laughed as his hand slipped under my back, pulling me up. Pressing me to his chest, I felt our hearts smash together in a rhythm that both comforted and terrified me. “Just don’t faint again. You gave us quite a scare.” The warmth of his body was a startling contrast to the cool sheets under me, the different temperatures fighting to control my still-clothed body. I opened my eyes wider to see the worried faces of Hunter and May along with David and Peter. A hot mug of tea was pressed into my hand by David, who looked at me with reddened eyes. A quick glance around me showed that I was back in the single bed, pushed up against the wall with enough pillows to build my childhood dream fort. “Thanks. Where’s Kol’tak?” I took a sip of the sweet nectar and let a sigh escape. “And please tell me you didn’t have to cut all my hair off.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

119

Sheryl Nantus

“Only a snippet. And it’ll grow back soon enough.” David moved a small lap table across my center. “Assorted cold cuts work for you?” “Oh yeah,” I mumbled between bites of the sandwich and mouthfuls of hot sweet tea. “Lord, this is good.” “Glad to hear it. I slaved hours over a hot table waiting for them to make ’em up.” David looked at Hunter. “I’ll go tell the others she’s okay.” He tugged at May’s sleeve as he walked by, pulling the obviously relieved senior along for the ride. I looked at Hunter. “Where’s the alien?” “Sitting in front of the television set trying to figure out our civilization from cartoons and news channels. It must be quite the confusion.” He slid in beside me. “How are you feeling?” “Like I got hit by a truck. Which I think I did.” I moved my right hand up to touch the tender area on the left side of my head, stopping when the Guardian took hold of it. “Don’t mess it up. I just got finished. You look fine.” He grinned. “Limox was all worried about you.” “I bet. Probably just biding his time to start the revolution.” I let out a painful gasp as I edged my way farther up the bed, readjusting the cushions. The side of my head felt numb and achy at the same time. “What’s been going on?” “You’ve only been out for a short while, long enough for Slammer to take over the kitchen and offer to make cabbage rolls and/or pierogies for us if we supply the materials. Peter is working with Jessie on keeping track of the ships.” His tone was calm and balanced. “The craft over Pittsburgh disappeared, no trace of it. There’s been no other announcements at all, nothing.” A short glimpse of a smile. “Everyone’s flooding back to the city, minimal casualties. Heart attacks, car accidents…but nothing like what would have happened if they had leveled the city. You done good, in other words.” “Thanks.” I started to put my hand up to touch the sore spot again and stopped, willing myself to put it back down and grab another sandwich. “You can touch it if you really have to.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I didn’t mar your beautiful features for life.” “Smartass.” Putting the bread triangle back down, I slowly made my way to the stitched area. “Kol’tak said something about a Challenge, Trials…” I winced as I gingerly touched the bald spot. “Oh, that’s going to leave a mark. What the hell was he talking about?” Leaning forward, Hunter clenched his fingers together. He tightened his grip until the knuckles were white. “I’ve been chatting with your new friend. By the way, he’s quite the honorable sort, thank goodness— think of his honor code as that of the ancient warriors, quite chivalric. Since you bested him in battle fair and square he’s under your command until you release him.”

120

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“Great. As if I didn’t have enough stray dogs and cats to care for.” I finished off the first half of the sandwich and reached for the second. “And…because I know that look—all you Guardians have it patented—drop the other shoe.” He cleared his throat. “Well, it seems that his civilization, which is called the Chu’kar, just so you know, has been at war with another group for eons.” “Don’t tell me that they’re around the corner.” “No, they’re a goodly distance away. Farther than we’d ever be able to travel for a long, long time.” Hunter took my empty mug from me, refilled it from the Brown Betty on the table and passed it back. “So, keep going.” I added a healthy amount of milk and an unhealthy amount of sugar from the tea service on the lap desk, which was now securely placed on the small table by the bed. Accept no substitutes. “So what they do to season their warriors is to send them off to fight on other planets, civilizations that offer a challenge. They get the new recruits blooded and then rotate them back into the real fight.” I couldn’t talk around the mouthful of salami so I waved one hand in the air until I could speak. “Beating us up is going to do what?” “That’s the problem.” Hunter looked like a little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “This started decades ago, before the Agency, before supers. They monitored our transmissions. Our movies, our television shows, our cartoons.” He sighed. “They were coming whether there were supers or not, looking for the giant robots and mighty barbarians. But when we started the fights, started getting ready for them, they were watching.” “And thought they were real. Thought we were real.” I closed my eyes. “I thought of that, but I was hoping it wasn’t true.” “Well, you were right. Probably not for the first time and definitely not the last. Kol’tak doesn’t understand the idea of faking fights, so he still doesn’t really understand what we were doing. To them you don’t pretend anything, just as you don’t lie. The concept is…” he grinned, “…alien to them.” I sipped the tea, slower now that the growling in my stomach had been quieted. “So can’t we just explain to them that it’s all smoke and mirrors and they go home?” “That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Hunter nodded, a wistful look on his face. “But there’s that matter of honor. They can’t return to their home planet and say that they totally misjudged our planet. Their entire system would be tossed into disarray. The fleet would lose face.” “You men and your honor,” I grumbled into the soft white bread. “Yeah, well…blame it on us but that still leaves half the world’s population to save.” He ran one hand through the badly dyed hair. “He wants to talk to you when you’re feeling up to it. Says that since he lost to you fair and square that he’ll answer anything you want to ask. He’s been pretty fair with us, think he just

www.samhainpublishing.com

121

Sheryl Nantus

wants to score points with the big bad warrior who took him down.” Hunter chuckled. “You did really well out there, Surf.” “It’s Jo.” I rolled the sweet tea around my mouth. “We got lucky. There were others out there. I don’t know why they didn’t come out when I called.” The Guardian shrugged. “I can’t blame them. They show up to defend the city and see a new team kicking ass and taking names? If they’ve still got Guardians, they’re worrying about their heads blowing off or worse, being trapped by the Agency. And it’s not unthinkable that the Agency would use you and your team to lure out supers and then tag them.” He met my eyes with another shrug. “Hell, that’s what I’d do.” “Still…” I put the empty mug on the lap table and passed it to the man who placed it on the floor. Pulling my knees up, I wrapped my arms around them. “It’d be nice to have more people. More supers to kick it.” “Well, you got a good one in Slammer.” Hunter paused for a minute, sending alarm bells down my spine. “For now.” “Yeah, and what’s his story?” I looked directly at Hunter. “You might as well tell me now before I go try and wrangle it out of him. I know he played the other side. He was pretty friendly with Limox.” Hunter glanced towards the entrance to the rest of the loft before speaking, dropping his volume to just above a whisper. “If he’s not with his Guardian, best bet is that he either killed him or let him die. Word was that Slammer was one of the tougher cases. Didn’t mind being a bad guy if you know what I mean.” “I sort of gathered that looking at him.” I rubbed the back of my neck, wincing as my fingers tripped over the scar. “But he helped take Kol’tak down, and I can’t say that we’d have been able to do it without him. I just hope he continues playing on our side.” “Can’t play if there’s no field to stand on. He’s not stupid; he knows that this is his best bet to stay alive and do what he wants to do—fight.” Standing up, Hunter offered me his arm, bending it slightly in a gentlemanly gesture that sent a pleasant shiver down my spine as I remembered Mike doing the same. “If you’re ready, then—might as well make your triumphant return to the rest of the team.” “I’d rather have a hot shower first.” I sighed. “But time is not on our side, as usual.” “You don’t smell that bad.” He leaned in suddenly, way too far inside my personal space again, his nose twitching. “You smell actually pretty darned good.” “Liar.” “Very possible. I am a Guardian, you know. Shall we?” May was the first to react, beaming a smile that would light up a thousand cities if it could have been bottled. She moved towards me with arms spread, and then stopped, seeing that she’d have to dislodge Hunter from my arm and he was making a pretty good lamppost right now for me to lean on.

122

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“Good to see ya,” Limox grumbled from his spot on the sofa. “Took you long enough to get it in gear.” He returned his attention to the pornographic magazine discreetly hidden in a travel mag. “I missed you too.” I nodded to the others. “Stephen, anything you need?” “Nah.” The large man was stretched out on the floor, lifting a pair of ancient metal weights that David must have found somewhere. The six-plus inches of lead bounced up and down like they were water balloons. “I like this place. Lots of books.” Kol’tak hadn’t moved from his spot sitting cross-legged in front of the fat old television, so I went to sit beside him on the hardwood floor, wincing only a few times as my muscles complained. After all this I needed to find a good masseuse and let him work me over for a few days. “Hey.” He turned to look at me. “Hello. I’m glad to hear you’re uninjured.” “Hard head.” I mimicked knocking my knuckles against my skull, making a clicking noise with my tongue. The alien stared at me. “Right.” The television was showing some cartoon dealing with creatures popping out of cards and brawling on a field for supremacy. Thank God the Chu’kar didn’t come looking for transformable animals and robots. “Hunter told me what you believed about our world. I’m sorry we weren’t exactly what you were looking for.” Hunter appeared again, offering yet another hot mug of tea. I took it with a grateful look, turning back to the alien. “We…underestimated your world. For that, I am sorry.” Pressing his lips tightly together, Kol’tak glanced at the colorful show. “We are a people built on honesty and honor. We never thought that you would falsify such things.” “Well, it wasn’t my idea. I could give you a long speech about the difference between imagination and reality, but that’s not going to resolve the situation we’re in right now.” I studied the hot liquid for a minute. “But now that we’ve figured that out, what are we going to do about it? Because this can’t go on.” “True.” He looked back at the cartoon. “We cannot return home without losing face. We cannot stay here and expect a proper fight.” “Speaking of such…” I gestured at his human body. “I might not be very diplomatic about this, but is that what you really look like?” The blond man grinned, showing off teeth so white it reminded me of arctic snow. “No, no it is not. We assume the form of the warriors we intend to fight in order to maintain the balance. As we also take your powers and use them against you.” Hunter slapped his forehead. “Of course…” he murmured. “Why the fuck not?”

www.samhainpublishing.com

123

Sheryl Nantus

An angry glare from May, who was sitting on the couch next to Limox, had him issuing a sheepish nod of apology. Kol’tak ignored the Guardian’s interruption. “Thus we maintain a balance.” “So you can’t just go back and tell them it’s all been a horrible mistake and go home.” I leaned back, resting my head on the arm of the chair. “And you can’t stay here unless we’re going to take you out one by one by one.” “Which we could do,” Slammer rumbled from behind me. “Gonna put the slam down on them if we have to.” “Which we don’t want to do.” I put up my hand, hopefully silencing the super. “No offense, but I don’t think we need to do Pittsburgh on a daily basis. Not to mention that it’ll kill us, literally.” Turning back to Kol’tak, I continued the mild interrogation. “What happened to your ship? It seemed to fold away.” “One warrior is chosen to represent each Blooded ship. Once I lost, my craft returned to the home world and the warriors distributed among the other Trial ships to go out again elsewhere.” “So how did you get chosen?” “I fought my way up through the ranks.” There was a note of pride in the alien’s voice. “I earned the right to meet your people in combat.” The pride disappeared. “Now I have failed and both our worlds are endangered because of your deception.” I sucked in my breath through my teeth, making a whistling noise. “Yeah, well…we’re going to have to do something about that.” My attention went back to the television set where another series of monsters were slugging it out with their owners egging them on. “Who’s the leader of your merry band?” Kol’tak frowned. “That would be Mal’tor. He’s the one who is in command of the entire fleet.” “Ah.” I chewed on my bottom lip again. The aching on the side of my head had eased up a bit. I tried not to think about the stitches keeping part of my overworked brain together as a kernel of an idea started to form. “How did he get his job?” Now it was the alien’s turn to shrug. “He fought his way up to lead, like we all do. You fight for your position.” His tone reminded me of an adult talking down to a petulant child, but I figured I’d let that go. “So if you wanted to take him out and did so, you’d be in charge of the fleet?” A look of astonishment in Kol’tak’s eyes signaled that I was onto something. Hunter’s frown was just as revealing. “Technically, yes. But I don’t think I could do that.” “Why?” I pressed the blond man for answers. “Why not?” Kol’tak stared down at the floor. “I’m not strong enough. I know that much. If I attempted to best him in combat for the leadership of the fleet, I would lose.” “And if we helped you?”

124

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

I thought Hunter was about to have a coronary. As it was he almost fell over, a physical manifestation of the surprise I saw in the alien’s eyes. “Help…me?” Rage flashed in his eyes. “That would be cheating. Dishonorable.” “There’s nothing dishonorable about taking measures to resolve a dispute that is built on a misunderstanding.” I spoke quickly, hoping the loose logic wouldn’t trip me up. “If it saves the lives of my people and yours, then the results will be worth the actions.” I felt the eyes of the entire team on me. “Look, you don’t want to be here. It’s all a mistake. But if you take over the fleet, you can declare your honor satisfied and get the heck out of here and go home with your chin held high, right?” “Technically…” He began to play with a loose thread from one of the many tears in his blue dress shirt. “Once I got back to Command I could inform them discreetly about the mistake.” A pained expression appeared on his face. “We would have to do it rather quietly, as to not devalue the battles here. After all, the warriors have fought well.” I tamped down the urge to scream at him about the death of Mike and all those other supers. Instead I nodded my approval. “But how are we doing to do that?” Hunter voiced the question we were all probably thinking. “If he can’t beat this guy…” “We do what we just did. Except that we target this one guy and help Kol’tak take him down.” I turned back to the alien. “I realize this isn’t exactly in keeping with your honor code, but can you see the logic in it?” He rubbed the tip of his nose with a single finger. “It is not the most honorable way to fight. We usually prefer single combat.” “Except, as you said, there’s been a grave miscalculation here.” I pressed the issue forward. “What’s worse—to have a slightly besmirched honor from having helped to correct a mistake or have your people outright murder a weaker foe?” Kol’tak shook his head. “This is very confusing. We had no idea that your race was so duplicitous.” “Trust me,” Limox responded from the sofa. “You haven’t seen anything yet.” Jessie sprinted from the computer table to the front window and peered through the light blue blinds. “We’ve got company.” There was a slight tremble in his voice. “And it’s not the cops.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

125

Chapter Seventeen

“Oh, great. The police I could handle.” Scrambling to my feet, I moved over to stand by Jessie. “They come up on the monitors?” “Peter got the alert before they appeared on screen.” Jessie gave a smile and a nod to the young man sitting on the couch. “Can’t get by my early warning system.” Peter tapped his right temple. “Besides, they smell bad. Too much aftershave.” “Most of us like to go au naturel.” Jessie gave me a sly wink before continuing. “Two in the front, three in the back. And I’m sure there’s aerial coverage somewhere.” He gestured towards the two men standing in front of the bookstore door, shadows on the black and white monitor. Dressed in dark suits, both were wearing identical sunglasses and holding identical briefcases. Never let it be said that the Agency tried to blend in. “Damn. Damn, damn, damn.” I spun around. “Hunter, any suggestions?” “Got any tranquillizer guns?” He sighed at his own weak joke. “You knew they’d be here eventually.” A weary look came over his face. “You didn’t think it’d be that easy, did you?” I went along with the joke. “Actually, yeah. I was sort of hoping it would be.” Taking a deep breath, I went around the room, giving out assignments. “May, get ready to knock them out if need be. Stephen, Limox, just stay low and if there’s any fighting, remember to go lightly on them. I don’t want any more deaths—they’re human and not the enemy. Peter…” I waved a hand at him. “Can you tell me anything about them?” He stared past me for a minute and then nodded. “They’re armed. Pistols, I think. One’s got some lotion for some rash on his arms and the other’s burping garlic.” I couldn’t help smiling. “Thanks. Can you ask for some backup in case we need to make a fast retreat? Not that I’m planning to, but just in case we have to evac out of here in a rush.” “Roger that.” He raised his right hand to his forehead in a weak salute. “Street cats and purebred toy dogs work for you?” “That’d work just fine. Don’t jump the gun, but stay frosty and wait for me to make the call.” Walking past the couch, I grabbed Hunter’s arm. “May, you’re in charge with David until we get back. Any trouble starts, get out of here and find someplace safe with Kol’tak.” I eyeballed the alien. “You give her the respect you give me, understood?”

Blaze of Glory

He nodded, eyes back on the television set and the brightly colored cartoons as if I had just been talking about what to make for dinner. “Understood.” As we stumbled down the stairs together Hunter pulled me close. “Any idea what we’re going to do?” “Well, unless you’ve been a spy all this time…” I put up my hand, seeing the shock and hurt in his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m not going there. I know you’re good. I trust May so you come along for the ride.” “Thanks. I think.” He took hold of my right hand, squeezing it lightly. “Although I’d like to think that I can stand on my own merits.” “Give it time.” Releasing his hand, I glanced through the stacks of books at the two figures waiting patiently at the locked front door, one already peering through the windows around the CLOSED sign. If you were walking by, you might mistake them for real-estate agents looking for a new client or Men in Black searching out the local MUFON chapter. The deadbolt was just as sticky and the hinges as noisy as ever, announcing the two agents’ entrance with the subtlety of a bulldozer. “John. Paul.” Hunter nodded as he stepped back, letting me take point. “Good to see you.” “Dillon.” The first Agency man, a thin one with long grey hair pulled back into a shaggy ponytail, moved in first. His obvious subordinate, a youngster who couldn’t have been more than twenty, closed the door behind them and leaned on it, crossing his arms and trying to look tough. “Tell the punk to cut it out before I start laughing.” I grinned at the first man. “Jo Tanis.” “John Outrager.” He didn’t offer a handshake. “You seem to be in a bit of trouble.” “Oh, I don’t know.” I glanced at the walls with what I hoped was a nonchalant look. “I’m feeling pretty good right now.” “Sure.” Outrager moved around to sit on one of the stools and stretched out his arms along the nonfiction shelf. “Getting slammed in New York, beaten senseless in Pittsburgh and now…what? What’s your next great plan?” “Probably throwing you and the kid here out on your asses.” I felt the slightest hint of May’s static at the back of my mind. “If you’ve got a point, make it. I’ve got things to do.” “Okay.” The older agent leaned forward, pulling his arms back down. “The Agency is not pleased. Not at all.” “About anything specific?” I held up a hand, counting off the points. “About lying about an alien invasion? About abusing the people under your care? About misleading the public about the existence of supers? Where would you like to start?” Hunter put a hand over his mouth, hiding the smallest smile as the kid shifted his weight back and forth between the two brand-new shoes on his feet. The squeak might have come from the warped floorboards or from the shoes, I couldn’t tell which.

www.samhainpublishing.com

127

Sheryl Nantus

“Didn’t break those in much, did you?” I turned my attention back to Outrager. “So forgive me if I really don’t give a shit about what the Agency thinks.” “Can’t blame you.” The older man looked at Hunter, then back to me. “We fucked up and we fucked up big time, of that there’s no doubt. But this isn’t the answer. Staying rogue isn’t good for you or for them.” He gestured to the ceiling. “And if you think you’ve beaten the Agency, well…” A thin smile appeared. “You really think we only had the plug command system in one spot?” My stomach gave a sudden lurch, threatening to expel the tea and sandwiches. Hunter spoke first. “What are you talking about?” “You think that you really disconnected all the plugs.” The grey-haired man held up his wrist, displaying a familiar wristband. “You think that Dillon knew everything about the Agency and how we work?” A burning sensation started at the back of my neck, just under the scar tissue. My hand flew up to cover the plug, pressing down on the skin. Maybe it was just psychosomatic, but maybe… “You think we’re just going to let you go?” John’s voice began to rise, turning into a shout as he continued. “I could pop your head, all of those freaks’ heads off in a minute.” Hunter stepped forward, grabbing the freshly pressed lapels of the black suit. “That’s enough,” he announced in a low but threatening voice. “Don’t you dare move.” This was directed at the punk who had now moved off the door and was busy chewing his lips. “Go for a gun and I swear I’ll make you both regret the day you signed up.” “Don’t worry, Hunt. I’m not here to kill your precious May. Or even Jo here.” Brushing the Guardian’s hands away, Outrager settled back on the stool. “But we can’t just let them play God with the world’s safety.” “Why not?” I snapped back. My hands were bare, the gloves still upstairs, but I was already pulling in what I could from around us. The tension rose in my head as the edges of my vision began to blur. “You set us up for this and now you’re pissed off that your schedule got fucked up?” “Look, we’re not here to fight.” The older agent put up his hands. “And don’t even think about zapping my ass. But you’ve got a prisoner of war here and we want him.” “Or else?” “Or else this gets ugly.” John nodded to the kid. “He may be a bit wet behind the ears, but the two in the back aren’t. Or the strike team just a few miles away and above us. You think your team is going to be up to taking them on? Killing for real? Killing humans?” He glanced at Hunter. “We may have trained them to be fighters, but we never taught them to be killers.” His attention went back to me. “You want to roll those dice, Jo?” “Okay. I’m listening.” I crossed my arms, mostly to hide my shaking hands.

128

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“One—you give us the alien. Two—you come back under Agency command. Three—we’re working on a plan to take out the lead alien craft. Already picked up a few lost supers who’ll be added to your team. You can lead them, be the big woman on campus and a hero. Heroine.” He looked at me with a stern nod. “Questions?” “Comments.” Again I held up my hand, ticking off points. “One—not going to happen. Two—not going to happen. Three—not going to happen because you don’t know anything about what you’re dealing with. And I’m not sure I’m willing to share that with you since you seem to be so keen on blowing our heads off.” I paused, out of breath. “Questions?” The crimson stain on Outrager’s face said it all. “Excuse me.” We all turned to see Kol’tak, standing in one of the aisles, book in hand. “I believe you’re talking about me, and I don’t really appreciate being left out.” The young agent’s eyes went wide, and he scrabbled for his weapon, pulling the pistol out. “Hey! Hey!” I put up my hand, grabbing as many waves as I could. If the kid started shooting in such a small area there was no way it could end well. “Plantet, put that away,” Outrager barked, moving off the stool to stand in front of the alien. “I apologize for my overenthusiastic partner.” A short, sharp nod accented his pseudo-apology. “He is young and rather eager to see battle. I’m sure you understand.” Behind him Plantet flushed an angry red but stayed silent. Maybe there was hope for the punk. Kol’tak nodded. “Accepted.” He studied the four of us. “May asked me not to come down but I insisted on seeing what was going on.” “Well, you see Mister…” John fished for a word. “Mister…” “My name is Kol’tak.” The blond man didn’t offer his hand. “And I’ve heard enough to know that your terms are not acceptable.” The Agency man’s mouth opened but he said nothing. Kol’tak walked around us, carefully picking his steps between the stacks of books on the floor. His faux dress pants brushed against a large pile of philosophy books, threatening to send them toppling into the middle of the aisle. “My society is built on honor and honesty. We assumed the same of yours. It seems that we were mistaken.” He stopped in front of the younger agent, studying the panicked face as the kid stood his ground. “I will not go with you. Nor will Jo. And if you attempt to take her, myself or any of the others above by force, then I will consider it a breach of my prisoner conditions and feel free to attack.” His eyes narrowed, locking with the punk’s. “In other words, I’ll smack your asses down like there’s no tomorrow.” I couldn’t help it, I snickered at the straight-faced delivery. Outrager glared at me as if I’d set off a stink bomb in class. Kol’tak turned his back on the kid, now focused on John. “Your attempts to conduct this campaign have been less than…successful. I doubt that any attack you attempt on one of our ships would be

www.samhainpublishing.com

129

Sheryl Nantus

victorious, considering the damage already done to your people.” He gave a sideways glance at me. “And there have already been too many deaths.” My stomach rumbled again, matched by an aching in my chest. “So these are my terms.” Mimicking me, he held up his right hand. “One—you go away. Forever. Two—you release Jo and all those of her kind from captivity. Forever. Three—you do not interfere ever again with the natural progression of your species. Forever.” Outrager sucked in his breath. “That is unacceptable.” “Understood.” The alien began to rise off the floor, books and loose sheets spiraling around him in a mad whirlwind of paper. “I shall grieve for your deaths as is our custom.” “Stop!” I stepped into the middle of the circle, holding up both hands. “This is not the way it’s going to go down.” The harsh, cold wind battered my face, tearing my words up. Both Kol’tak and Outrager stared at me. After a long minute the warrior slowly descended from his foot-high perch and settled on the ground. He nodded towards me to continue. “Look, we’re all after the same thing. Saving Earth and getting the aliens to go home, right?” I looked at the assembled faces. “And if we can do this without any more deaths or destruction, that would be a good thing, right?” More nods. “Then let me explain how things are going to be.” Sucking in a deep breath, I began. “First, you Agency thugs don’t want the general populace to know that you’ve been collectively jerking us all around for years. That the fights are all arranged and that you knew this invasion was coming at some point.” I jabbed one finger into the air, silencing the pup who looked like he was about to speak. “So what you’re going to do is offer us all of your support, up to and including computer access and all the bells and whistles so that we can get Kol’tak back to his fleet and help him defeat Mal’tor. He yanks his boyos back to their home planet and we present it as a victory for us, the good guys.” I looked at Kol’tak. “No offense.” He nodded. “It is an acceptable arrangement, given the circumstances and our mutual…confusion.” “Kol’tak here goes back, explains what happened and makes sure his warriors don’t lose face. What we do is save the world and go our merry ways.” I shook my head. “If you could have blown the plugs, I think you would have done so before now. So I’m willing to roll those dice, given the alternative is to let you jerk me around again, and that’s not an option.” Outrager’s nostrils flared. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” He pushed forward, way inside my personal space. “You were nothing, a fucked-up bookworm working the counter, and now you think you’re going to dictate terms to us?” The sparks jumped from my fingers as I held my ground, my vision blurring. A hand landed on my shoulder, pulling me back.

130

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“That’s enough, John.” Hunter’s voice was low and strangely calming. “You aren’t calling the shots here, she is. She’s the only one who’s been able to get any sort of organized resistance together. Unless you’ve got some top-notch team of supers in your back pocket that you haven’t told us about.” The twitch of Outrager’s mouth said it all. “Right.” I released the charge, letting it sprinkle out of my fingertips like snowflakes. “This is the plan. And either you’re along for the ride or get the fuck out of the way.” I turned and grinned at Kol’tak. “Time to get you a promotion.” John glared at me, the alien, Hunter and the kid, in that order. He paused, then did the same again. Then in reverse as we watched and waited. Finally he lifted his right hand, pointing at me. “All of this is on your head, Tanis. All of it.” Spinning on his heel, he strode out the door, the youngster scampering after him like a trained dog. “Don’t I know it,” I whispered to the emptiness. Hunter’s hand tightened on my shoulder. “What’s the plan?” “I’m still working on it.” I led the two men up the stairs. “However, it does involve me taking a long hot shower before anything else.” Peter stood at the window, glancing at us as we came into view. “Everyone’s left. Not happy, but they’ve left. And yes, there were others nearby and a huge honking van of armed men just waiting and sweating up a storm.” “Good.” I rubbed my chin. “David, can you make more food? We’re going to need plenty of energy for the planning session and for the attack.” My stomach rumbled again. “Or at least I will.” “Attack?” Limox looked up from the couch where he had been thumbing through yet another pseudoporn magazine. “We’re going to attack?” “Go on the offensive.” I spun around. “But first I’m getting cleaned up. Get fed, watered, nap now ’cause it’s not going to happen once we get going.” My fingers went up to rub my temples. “Me. Shower. Take. Behave yourselves or I’ll take away the toys.” I marched into the bedroom and pulled out a clean shirt and jeans from the duffle bag so thoughtfully tucked under the bed. David had taken it upon himself to start a clothing drive for all of us, making sure we all had at least one change of clothing. I had no idea where he went or how he paid for it, but it wasn’t from the local thrift store and he had an uncanny knack for picking out the right size and a decent style, even for myself and May. Talk about your hidden talents. “Brave words.” Hunter stood just inside the room, leaning against the bookcase that doubled as a wall as I dug deeper for a pair of underwear and bra. “You handled those guys pretty well.” “Who? The Agency punks or the supers?” I sniffed the clothing before tucking it under my arm. Not that I didn’t trust May, but… “Both.” He smiled. “You’ve got quite a lot of spunk in you, Jo Tanis.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

131

Sheryl Nantus

“And a whole lot of stink right now.” I laughed. “If you don’t mind, I need a little bit of alone time with a bar of soap.” Hunter’s right eyebrow rose, accompanied by a snicker. “Don’t. Go. There.” I pointed a finger towards the other room. “Go watch the kids and behave yourself.” He dutifully turned on his heel and left, allowing me access to the bathroom. It took only a few minutes to strip out of my filthy clothes, turn on the hot water, climb into the small shower and curl up into a ball in the corner, weeping like a baby. It had been an amazing and terrifying few days, and it didn’t seem like there was much of an end in sight. The bathroom door pulled open with a noisy and unwelcome warning creak, startling me enough that I automatically began to spark from my fingers. “Who’s there?” I tried to put as much authority into my voice as I could, gulping past the tears. “Limox, if that’s you…” “It’s Hunter.” The low voice drifted through the cheap plastic curtains with the wispy steam. “Sorry to bother you, but I’ve got to use the facilities, to put it bluntly. I’d rather not have to go outside and use the alleyway.” “Go ahead. Promise I won’t peek.” I watched as Hunter positioned himself in front of the toilet. This wasn’t anything new to me. It’d happened enough times with Mike. One condo, one washroom. “Thanks. Going to take a few minutes to do a fast washup, if you don’t mind. Don’t need the shower but just want to feel a bit cleaner. I’ll try not to tweak the hot water.” Hunter stripped off his turtleneck, placing it to one side as I gave in and decided to peek. The world may be coming to an end, but I still could appreciate a nice piece of beefcake. Clutching the edge of the curtain, I pulled it back an inch, just enough to give me an unrestricted view of Hunter’s bare back. He picked up the washcloth, wetting it under the faucet and running it over his light skin. Dang, the man had a sweet set of shoulders, the muscles tight and lean. As he arched back, drawing the cloth over his chest, I spotted something at the base of his neck. A set of all-too familiar ridges, a scar that only meant one thing. He had a plug. I dropped to my knees, feeling dizzy. Hunter had lied. Hunter was a super. But he was a Guardian. I’d seen the wristband. Hunter was a Guardian. Could a Guardian be a super as well? The cold water rushed over me, raising goose bumps on my skin. What else had he lied about? He’d led us to the base, to Jenny, to being able to shut down the plugs.

132

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

My stomach lurched. Maybe they weren’t really shut down. Maybe it was all a farce, put together by the Agency to gain my trust, my team’s trust. Maybe the plugs were still active and Outrager’s anger was just part of the show. Maybe we were all rushing to our death, led by an idiot woman who let her heart lead her instead of her mind. “Eep!” I gasped as the temperature dropped. “Sorry…” Hunter spun the knobs off, raising my water pressure and temperature back to what it had been a few seconds ago. “Thanks. See you outside.” He snatched up the turtleneck in both hands. “Feels a lot better.” “Yep.” I waited until the door had clicked shut behind him before racing to finish my business. The rumbling in my stomach turned to straight nausea, the dry heaves threatening to overwhelm my racing mind and have me curled up around the white porcelain bowl. The steam whirled about me as I stepped out and snatched what I hoped was a clean towel, snapping my hair instantly dry with a tweak of electricity. Sure it was dangerous to a degree, but I wasn’t going to start looking for a hair dryer. I refused to be one of those women who spent hours in front of the mirror doing makeup and all that. Unless I had to, which meant a photo shoot and a media appearance by Surf and Metal Mike, your favorite superhero team. “I hate this.” The flashes in front of us had become a sea of pain, threatening to blind me permanently. The new leather outfit hadn’t even been broken in yet, the skin-tight clothing the newest creation from the promotional department. Shoulder armor wasn’t really my thing, but it skewed well with the male demographics. “Just keep smiling.” Mike put his arm around me, letting his hand rest on my waist. A whole new set of cameras whirred into action. “Do you really need to do that?” I mouthed the words, sending them through the link. “Good for publicity.” He grinned wider, if that were possible. “Besides, you’ve got your own bedroom. If you want it.” “Sure as hell do. I may be a slave to the Agency, but I’m not yours.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw him wince at the verbal slap. “Roll with it, girl. Just roll with it.” The tall African American waved at the assembled reporters. “Besides, you’re a star now.” Not a hero. A star. What was I now?

www.samhainpublishing.com

133

Sheryl Nantus

I walked into the bedroom and wondered if I could set my old clothing afire and if anyone would notice. Deciding that a good laundry might be able to save some of it, I tucked it into a plastic bag and tossed it into the corner. David, God bless him, had somehow managed to find a decent light blue blouse that didn’t make me look like a Parkdale hooker and that I could tuck into the top of my jeans without worrying about the bottom of the blouse falling out. At my age the bare midriff just didn’t do it for me. As I got dressed I ran options through my mind. I could knock Hunter out, it’d be easy. A fast rap to the back of his skull and he’d be out. Limox wouldn’t mind killing him if I asked. Stephen would kvetch a bit, but he had no love for Guardians. Peter might object, but he’d understand. May wouldn’t. I’d have to do it quickly and quietly before she could react. Rubbing my eyes with the palms of my hands, I let out a sigh. I could kill him. Walk up right behind him and electrocute him. I’d never done it, never even contemplated it. Mike sure as hell wouldn’t have let me experiment with it. An image of Mike appeared in my mind’s eye. He was a Guardian. He had been my friend, my lover, my comrade in arms. He hadn’t been evil. But Hunter wasn’t Mike. I started gathering the waves with my bare hands, sucking them in. If anyone was going to kill him, it’d have to be me. My team, my responsibility. A fast brush through my hair with my fingers, snapping it back with a black elastic, and I was out of the room in time to see May sitting on the couch, working at applying makeup with an ancient compact that wouldn’t have been out of place in a Sherlock Holmes movie. The rest of the boys were still at the windows, with the exception of Jessie who was still at the computer. “Hunter?” I tried to sound light and cheery. “Can I see you back here for a minute? Just some details I need to go over with you.” “Sure.” He turned away from the window. “Nice area here. Might go out and do some shopping later.” I didn’t answer him. Instead I turned around and went into the bedroom. I was at full capacity, the extra power rolling off me. Hunter walked in a second later, hands raised in front of him. “Okay, okay. I know I didn’t peek at you, so don’t you dare say I did. Not that I wasn’t tempted, but…” Grabbing him by his shoulders, I slammed him down on the bed. Straddling his hips, I pushed my hands down on his chest. I knew he felt the hum of energy, knew what was about to happen.

134

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

He gazed at me with terror in his eyes and something else. “I’m sorry,” Hunter whispered. I leaned forward, almost touching noses. “I know you’ve got a plug. I know you’re a super. I know you’re a liar.” My hands tightened on his shirt. “I wanted you to know that before I kill you.” “I’m still sorry,” he replied, wide blue eyes locked with mine. “I want you to know I never betrayed you. Or them.” “How can I trust you?” My nails dug into the fabric. “You’re a super. You’re one of us. How could you be a Guardian?” He gave a weary smile. “Because I’m a deal-breaker. A game ender. A ringer. They had no use for me, but they couldn’t just let me go. So they made me a Guardian and gave me May.” Sparks jumped along my fingertips, sizzling along the thin cloth. I felt like I was about to explode. “What the fuck are you talking about?” I didn’t have time for this. If I was going to kill him and not have May blow my head off, I had to hurry. “Probability field manipulation,” he said softly. “I burn the bookies. I screw up the odds. I twist the playing field around to always let the house win.” I shook my head. “I don’t understand.” “Let me show you.” Hunter shifted under my weight. “Let me show you what I can do, what I’ve done for you and the others.” “And you call May and she takes me out.” “No.” He raised one hand, putting two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute. “Scout’s honor.” I didn’t smile. “I swear on Mike’s grave I won’t call her. Or anyone.” He drew in a shaky breath. “If you don’t like what you hear, then I’ll kneel down right here and let you kill me. No fighting, nothing. You can tell May I had a heart attack. You’ll need her.” My own heart ached. I missed Mike, missed him more than I cared to admit. Hunter had slipped into that space, edged in next to Mike’s memory both as a friend and as a Guardian and, maybe, as a lover in the future. But I couldn’t risk the team and our mission for that. But Hunter was part of the team. My team. A super. And supers didn’t kill supers. I lifted my hands a fraction of an inch off his chest, releasing the energy in slow, measured bursts back into the world. The sparks continued to leap around my bare hands, burning minute holes in his shirt. “For Mike,” I whispered. “You’ve got two minutes.” “Then please get off me.” Hunter didn’t move. “Not that I’m not enjoying this, but…” he wheezed, “…it’s sort of hard to do this lying down.” I climbed off the bed, keeping my hands in front of me and aimed at the supine figure.

www.samhainpublishing.com

135

Sheryl Nantus

“Okay.” He sat up. “I’m going to reach in my pocket right now and find a coin. Don’t shoot me, please.” There was no humor in his words. I nodded. The voices of the other supers drifted in from over the bookcase. They had no idea what was going on only a few feet from them. Hunter withdrew a quarter. “Probability control means that I control the odds. Statistically speaking, every time I flip this coin there’s a fifty percent chance that it’ll come up heads. Every time.” “Right.” I frowned. “Every time?” “Sure.” He tossed the coin into the air. Grabbing it in mid-fall, he slapped it on the back of his hand. Heads. “In a nutshell, the odds reset every time around. Ever play roulette?” Mike and I had loved Las Vegas. “A few times.” “There’s a lit sign at each table showing what numbers were winners over the past few spins of the wheel, right?” He didn’t wait for my response. “The kicker is that it doesn’t matter what number won last time, there’s the same odds that it’ll show up this time. It’s a farce to get you to play numbers on an idea that if a number shows up once, it won’t come up again.” He flipped the quarter skyward, snatching it again out of the air. Heads. “I tweak the odds over to the positive outcome for me. And for those around me, by default.” “Stop.” I dug in my pockets, coming up with a handful of change. Pennies, nickels, a few loonies. “So you’re telling me that you make good luck happen?” “It’s a bit more complicated than that with a lot of math, but, yes.” He stared at the coins as I dumped them in his hand. “Toss them all into the air. Don’t touch them. Let them hit the ground.” I raised my right palm. “If they’re all heads, then we’re still talking. If one of them turns up tails, you’re done.” I choked on the last word. The silver and copper coins spun in the air, falling to the ground at my feet. Heads. All heads. “What did you do?” I whispered. “What did you do to us?” Hunter smiled. “I went with you to the base. I went with you to Pittsburgh. I helped you win.” He extended one hand, touching my cheek. “And I want to help you win this last battle.” “You did it all?” I dropped my hands to my sides, discharging the last of my energy. “No.” He stood up, stepping forward to cradle my face in his hands. “You did it. You and May and Peter and Stephen and even Harris. I just helped the odds turn in our favor.” “Damn.” I exhaled. “I’d have loved to go to Vegas with you.” “I’m already banned.” Hunter laughed.

136

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“Not if we win.” I took his hands in mine. “Bet on it.” He nodded towards the bookcase and the rest of the team. “So, think we’ve been in here long enough for them to start talking about us?” “More than long enough.” I closed my eyes, still processing the events of the past few minutes. “And now I know how we’re going to help Kol’tak win.” When I opened them Hunter was staring at me, frowning. “I don’t understand. I can only tweak our odds. I don’t know how it’ll work with aliens. And I can’t guarantee a win. Eventually the odds will go the other way. It’s like expecting to win the lottery without buying a ticket, you have to at least engage in the process.” He drew a sharp breath. “So how are you going to make this work?” Leaning over, I scooped up the handful of coins. “That’s why I’m in charge.” I poked at his chest, expanding a small burn hole. “Watch and learn, Guardian.” I walked around the bookcase. “Jessie, give me a sitrep on how things are looking in the media.” “All looking good. A few media leaks here and there with some blurry images of you kicking ass in Pittsburgh, but nothing leading back here. Yet.” Jessie chewed on his bottom lip for a second before continuing. “Although I think it’s just a matter of time, really. Someone’s going to figure this out. There’s always some smart reporter who’s not panicking and looking for the angle, even at the end of the world.” “Or the Agency’ll leak it to the press to put pressure on us to give him up to the authorities.” I looked over at Kol’tak. “Which isn’t going to happen.” I walked over to the couch and sat down. “You need to contact your leader and challenge him for command of the fleet.” His eyes went wide at the request/demand. “I will lose.” He shook his head. “I will not win in a challenge.” “Why do you think that?” “Because if I could best him in battle I would already be leading the fleet.” “Yes. But I plan to give you a ringer.” His eyebrows shot up, his forehead furrowing with curiosity and confusion. “A what?” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “You gain your powers by watching what we do and then duplicating it, correct?” Kol’tak nodded. “It’s the only way to be totally fair. We can’t fight with what we don’t have. And it gives you just as much of a chance to win as we do.” “And all your warriors have the same powers. It’s just a case of who uses them best, yes?” The confused look stayed on his face. “Yes.” “Here’s your ringer.” I pulled Hunter close. “He’s a super. His power is some sort of probability control. He’ll push the odds over to a win for you.” “Ah.” The alien frowned. “I don’t understand.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

137

Sheryl Nantus

The rest of the team gathered around us silently as I opened my hand, showing the coins. “Ten coins here. I want them to be half heads, half tails.” Before I could do anything, Stephen snorted. “Gonna have to get you into a poker game, girl. You don’t know anything about odds.” “Don’t I?” I locked eyes with Hunter as I tossed the coins into the air. The spare change bounced along the floor, some dangerously close to the steps. Eight pairs of eyes watched them settle down, one mischievous quarter taking forever to settle. Five heads. Five tails. Kol’tak’s eyes widened. “Ah!” He looked down at the coins lying on the hardwood floor, then back up at the two of us. “Ah.” The third time it seemed to sink in without me trying to explain the math. “This is good.” “What do you need me to do? To let you copy my power?” Hunter swallowed once. “Nothing now.” The alien picked up one of the coins, turning it over and over in his hand. “I have been recording the apparent odds of this encounter, and it is obvious that you are somehow changing the randomness of this event.” He smiled. “This is a most fortunate thing to have in battle.” “Ya think?” Limox snarled in my ear from behind, making me jump. “What the fuck is going on here?” May appeared at Hunter’s side, sliding in beside him and taking his hand. “Don’t be nasty to him. It’s not his fault.” My hand moved up to the back of his head, rubbing the small hairs gently. “A Guardian and a super.” The whispered words bounced around my head like I was in the middle of the wildest pinball machine ever. He leaned forward, almost resting his forehead on my shoulder. “A what?” Slammer chewed on his fingernails as he strode around the room, his steps reverberating through the floor. “Never been such a thing.” “Exactly. Because if anyone knew, other than the Agency, it’d skew the fights.” I released him. “He changes the entire balance of things without lifting a finger.” Hunter nodded, a sheepish look on his face. “Not exactly a power skill.” “Don’t pick on him.” May’s voice was low and threatening in our minds, the background static beginning to rise. “It’s not his fault.” “It’s not.” I allowed myself a smile. “But it explains how damned lucky we’ve been so far.” I continued to talk, letting my tone rise so everyone could hear. “Ever wonder how we got so lucky with the raid, finding each other and staying alive? It’s all due to Hunter here. The guy’s a walking good-luck charm.” My attention turned back to Kol’tak. “Which means that you just won the lottery, my alien friend. You call your boss and arrange the prize fight for Earth.”

138

www.samhainpublishing.com

Chapter Eighteen

“This is insane.” Limox sat on the couch, hands wrapped around his knees with fingers entwined, rocking back and forth. “We are going to be so dead. Multiple times. Over and over.” “Technically you can only die once,” Jessie chirped in from his desk, his eyes flashing back and forth between the monitors. “News feed is looking good, seems the Agency really isn’t keen on everyone knowing their dirty little secret. There’s rumors that there’s a secret group of supers using Toronto as a home base, but there’s plenty of misinformation being planted to send them off the trail. Sightings in London, San Francisco and Hong Kong, among others.” “They’ve seen us fly overhead.” Slammer let out a rumbling snort. “Dumb Canucks.” “Never underestimate the ability of the media to change reality into fantasy. And the reverse.” David sat beside me with a tray holding not only a full pot of fresh tea but another plateful of sandwiches. “Although I think the local supermarket may be getting suspicious of me. This is the third time I’ve cleared out their deli counter and bread shelf.” He scowled as Peter deftly snagged a trio of bologna sandwiches so quickly that I wondered if he had another hidden ability. “So we’re just going to stand by and let Kol’tak take on this…what’s his name again?” Slammer leaned back on the couch, the weathered old springs creaking under his weight. His skin glistened in the light, and I wondered again if he hated to look in the mirror or relished it. “That would be Mal’tor.” Kol’tak had moved off to sit in an empty corner of the loft, his legs curled up under him in what had to be an uncomfortable position and his eyes closed in what I could only assume was some meditation scenario. “I’ve arranged for the fight to be over the lake, as you requested.” I nodded, aware of the stares. “Thank you. That way we’ll have less chance of civilian casualties.” I saw David give an approving nod. “As for standing by, we’re not going to be doing exactly that.” Picking up one of the mugs of tea, I added a splash of milk from the small ceramic cup on the tray. “According to the Chu’kar rules of engagement, no one is allowed to interfere in a command battle. Which means them. But it doesn’t mean us.” “Ah.” Slammer’s smile was wider than the Ohio River. “We’re going to smash and crash the party.” “No.” I took a sip, the hot liquid threatening to scald my tongue. “We’re going to let Kol’tak do his thing. But if he loses, we’ll have to take on the boss and then the ships. One by one.” “That’ll…” Peter pushed a lump of food into his cheek, making him look even more like a cute chipmunk you wanted to smother with hugs and kisses. “That’ll be a suicide run.”

Sheryl Nantus

“Probably.” The room was very, very quiet. “Look, I don’t want to be like the Agency, telling any of you what to do. We’re done with that crap. But if Kol’tak doesn’t win, I expect the aliens to continue their hunt for a good fight, destroying cities while they look for the last super to brawl with.” The white ceramic mug was burning hot in my cold hands. “They won’t stop until they find every one of us, every one they saw on the shows. We can run and hide, but we’ll be sending thousands of people to their deaths as the Chu’kar look for us. I know what Mike would have done, what he did do. And I’m going to stand there on the beach and make my stand.” My eyes remained focused on the floor—I didn’t dare look up. “If any of you want to go, then go now. I won’t hold it against you. We never asked for these skills and we sure as hell never asked for the Agency or the plugs or this crap. But if you stay, we’re not going to stop until we’re dead or we win.” The room was silent for a minute, then Limox spoke. “I sure as fuck want a stack of money if we do this and win.” Slammer let out a roar of laughter, slapping the super on the back and sending him lurching towards the floor. “Spoken like a true capitalist.” May sat beside me, helping herself to a cup of tea. “I wonder if there’ll be cameras. I don’t really like cameras.” One hand pushed down a stray lock of dark hair. “That’s one of the reasons they kept me in the background. Not too photogenic.” I smiled. “May, you look great to me.” The elderly woman patted my knee with her free hand. “Don’t be too hard on Hunter. I think they paired him with me to keep him out of the way.” “He might be the lynchpin to us winning this thing.” David appeared behind us, resting his hands on the back of the couch. “I don’t mean to press, but we’re picking up the ship already. It should be over the lake in less than an hour.” “Okay.” I stood up, swallowing the last of the tea. “Anyone want to do some silent praying, now’s the time. Same with the bathroom—I don’t want anyone wandering off looking for a Porta-Potty at the last minute.” I put the empty mug on the tray. “Jessie, we’re going to need surveillance on the ship and the area. We’ve got to make as sure as possible that the area’s clear for our…” I bit my tongue, almost saying the word show. “Our battle.” The young man shook his head. “Right now you could walk down the street naked and no one would notice. They just put out an evac notice for the city.” He turned and looked at me directly, his face expressionless. “They’re saying that Toronto’s going to be destroyed.” “Not today.” My smile was forced and I think we all knew that. “Everyone on the roof in five.” Spinning on my heel, I strode towards the bathroom, hoping no one was in my way. After closing the door, I dropped to my knees and threw up the sandwich and tea I had just eaten.

140

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“Typical woman.” Mike knelt beside me, pulling my hair away from my face. One hand rested on my back rubbing wide circles as I retched. “Can’t take you anywhere.” He let out a chuckle. “Nerves, girl. Gotta get control over your nerves. Performance anxiety and all that crap.” “Oh, like you never throw up?” I warbled, spitting into the toilet. “Every time and twice on Sundays.” He reached for a facecloth, wetting it in the sink and wiping my face. “Not such a bad thing to be nervous. Keeps you on your toes. Keeps you alive.” I turned to face Mike, to tell him that this wasn’t a game and we weren’t going to play at being superheroes, and found myself staring at Hunter. His hand stopped on my back, burning through the dark fabric. “You feeling better?” the dark-haired man whispered. “Yeah.” I closed my eyes. “I just don’t know if we can do this, Hunter. I’m used to having it all fixed, all arranged before we walk out that door. We win, they lose and we’re all home in time for tea.” “I know.” He drew the damp cloth over the back of my neck, dabbing over the scar. “But this is what you were trained for. This is what you are.” I locked eyes with him. “Really?” “Really.” He smiled. “Mike believed that. Now it’s time for you to believe it.” “Then let’s go save the world.” Taking the cloth from him, I wiped my mouth and tossed it into the garbage bin in the corner. A small bottle of mouthwash sat on the shelf, next to a half-used tube of toothpaste. I rinsed my mouth out, then smacked my lips together. “Let’s get Kol’tak on his way and then get the fuck out of here.” I tapped the handle of the toilet. “People are going to start talking.” He stayed kneeling on the floor, grinning. I scowled at him then walked back out into the room. Jessie nodded towards the alien, who was now standing by one of the windows peeking out through the blinds. “I have to go now.” The blond man didn’t look at me, his eyes focused elsewhere. “I can’t guarantee that I’ll win this fight. He is a powerful warrior. He fought his way to the top with very little resistance. He may kill me and then take out his anger on the rest of you and your world for daring to support me. It would be illegal, but I doubt anyone would contradict him.” “Understood.” “I can’t promise that I’ll be able to control the fleet even if I do win.” A siren went off somewhere nearby, making me jump. Toronto didn’t have a habit of setting off air-raid sirens, and I suspected that they had dug these out of storage or pried them off some decrepit historical site to reactivate the old skeletons. “The command structure may not recognize my authority after I defeat Mal’tor and try to remedy the situation without us losing face or discrediting the warriors’ efforts. But I will do my best to declare a victory and lead the fleet back to our home world where I will discuss the situation with our leadership.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

141

Sheryl Nantus

“Yes.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “I know that your culture doesn’t…doesn’t understand what was going on here. Tell the truth, I’m not sure if I do and I don’t know if we’re going to be able to ever tell the whole story to the public, not without sounding like we’re all crazy as loons. But as long as you do your best we’ll be satisfied.” He turned around and beamed at me, a grin that would have sunk a thousand ships if it had been on a cover of one of the many romance books David had downstairs. “Thank you. And good luck.” Striding quickly past me, he nodded to Hunter and disappeared through the door, heading towards the roof. The Guardian/super looked at me. “They’re all upstairs, ready to go. Mayday’s a bit jittery. She’s going to ride with Slammer and Meltdown. Ani-Man and I are with you.” “What tag did they ever give you?” I moved closer to him. “Your nickname?” “Never had one.” He smiled. “I was a ghost, remember?” “Probably be something silly like Vegas Varmint or Lucky Lou.” I sighed. “Probably.” Hunter looked down at my hands. “May get nasty out there.” Jenny’s prophecy rang in the back of my mind. “It will.” “Then let’s get this over with. I hate being stressed.” He reached forward, one hand caressing the back of my neck as he pressed his lips against mine. I could tell you that it was the best kiss of my life, but that’d be lying. But it was good. Damned good. And as his arms went around me in a tight embrace, my mind started to shut down and just wallow in the moment. There was no guilt over Mike, no worrying about getting killed or getting the rest of the team killed, no Agency or plug or anything at all. “Damn,” I mumbled, tugging on his lower lip with my teeth when he threatened to back away. “You’re good.” “Fantastic,” he whispered, pressing in for a series of short, sharp kisses along the edges of my mouth. “Figure I’ll give you some incentive to get out of this alive.” “I’m definitely encouraged.” The throaty whisper came from me, but for a brief second I didn’t know who it was. “Just be careful out there. You’re in a dangerous spot ’round me.” Hunter released me and pressed his forehead to mine. “All I have to do is stay around. You’ve got the tough job.” A throttled cough from Jessie brought the two of us up to stare at the blushing technician. “Uh…isn’t it time to save the world or something like that?” I looked at Hunter, a wide smirk on my face. “Yes, yes it is. Let’s go kick some alien butt.” Grabbing his hand, I led him to the stairs and up towards the roof. He didn’t try to break free, probably smiling like a hyena as we gathered with the others.

142

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

Peter grinned at me, reaching for the nylon harness I had slipped on over my black jacket again. “I’ve managed to secure for us some aquatic help if anyone falls in the lake. It won’t be much, but no one’ll drown.” A shiver ran up my spine as I tugged on the rope, checking the knots. “Lord, don’t even think about that. The pollution in the lake’ll probably mutate us beyond belief.” An answering snort from Limox, standing a few feet away near Stephen, confirmed my words. “Rather fall into a shitpile than that water.” He glanced at May next to him, a frown settling over her delicate features. “Sorry. I’m trying.” His sheepish look appeared to be genuine. Maybe some old dogs can learn new tricks. “Try harder.” The harsh tone was tempered with a small bit of sympathy, the edges of her mouth twitching upwards with the slight reprimand. She nodded at Slammer. “I’m ready to go.” Kol’tak gave me a nod before leaving, jumping into the air and gaining altitude at a dizzying pace. I figured he was trying to intercept the alien ship before it got too comfortable over Lake Ontario and decided to wander inland for the heck of it. I hoped he wasn’t about to defect to his family and open up another round of fighting. Even with Hunter Dillon on our side, there was no guarantee we’d take Kol’tak out a second time. May was a little pale, Limox appeared a bit green around the gills, and Slammer really didn’t seem to care, looking like he was about to chug a few beers at a Penguins game. Hunter wrapped the cord around his hand, standing tall. The flirty persona was gone. This was the Guardian in charge, getting ready for the Show of the Century. Again. And even that got lousy ratings the first time around. “Just follow me. We’re going to play spectators for a few minutes until we see what’s going on. Don’t do anything until you get my signal.” Without waiting for a response I pushed off, carrying Peter and Hunter with me. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Slammer doing one of his majestic leaps with May in his arms and Limox hanging on around his neck for dear life, landing so lightly atop a building I was sure he didn’t even stir the dust on the rooftop. The Canadian National Exhibition grounds sit right at the edge of Lake Ontario, the century-old fair now updated and improved with huge permanent buildings and plenty of stalls selling anything and everything. The Royal Winter Fair was held here every year as well, giving the city kids a chance to slip in real cow manure and inhale the delicate fragrance of farm animals running oot and aboot in a wonderful continuation of tradition. There used to be a wooden rollercoaster there as well, the Flyer. Made so much noise and rocked so badly it’d scare the heck out of anyone foolish enough to ride, but the kids kept climbing back on for another ride just in case this was going to be the time it flew apart into a thousand pieces and they’d go down in history as a funky footnote.

www.samhainpublishing.com

143

Sheryl Nantus

The Flyer was long gone, along with the stadium where the Blue Jays originally played when the baseball team started up decades ago, but the general area was the same. Wide empty lawns ready to host the yearly airshow that would have the Snowbirds screaming overhead and families sprawling on picnic blankets as all types of aircraft roared over them in a blatant display of airpower from around the world. Except now there was a huge fat shadow cast over those same lawns from the avocado-shaped craft hovering just over the water. It was the same size as the one over NYC, maybe two, three football fields across and at least as many from top to bottom. For all I knew it was the same one and the mere thought sent a shiver down my spine. I hovered in the air, seeing Slammer land in the clearing not far from a carillon displaying a series of beautiful if silent bells. The streets below us were filled with organized chaos, from what we had seen on our short trip, the residents racing to leave the city as gracefully as possible. On every corner stood police or military personnel directing the evacuation and keeping the crowds moving. No one reacted to seeing us fly overhead. One cop actually saluted us—that or he was waving away a flying bug. “There’s Kol’tak,” Hunter said over the link, his hand tightening in mine. As we descended I watched the diminutive figure circle the ship as if waiting impatiently for something to happen, bobbing up and down towards what I could only guess were surveillance ports. His hands stayed at his sides with no apparent attempt to get ready for a fight. “What if no one shows up?” Limox growled. I turned to see his fingers rolling into fists and then unrolling again and again, stretching out to their full length each time. “What if they figure he’s blowing smoke up their collective asses and just blow him away with some hidden cannon or something?” “Always the optimist, aren’t you?” I didn’t wait for him to respond. “Something’s going to happen at some point, so stay frosty.” The cool air was sharp in my lungs. “May, get ready to blast the leader if Kol’tak starts losing. We’ll slam him as hard as we can if it’s going the wrong way.” I didn’t need to turn my head to see their confused stares. “Look, if we’re going to lose, then all bets are off. I may have told him we wouldn’t interfere, but I’m not going to hand over this planet to his boss without putting up a fight.” Slammer nodded, squeezing his hands together. The metallic lines glinted in the sunlight. “I can go for that.” He peered up towards the ship. “Seems kinda strange to be sitting on the sidelines for something like this.” “Yeah,” I agreed. “But we have to give him a chance. If we start slugging it out, we’re not going to survive. It’ll be worse than New York City, I figure.” The words came out thickly, spoken through molasses. “But we’ll look good going down.” “Just the way I like my women.” Limox chuckled and I had to smile. Walked into that one.

144

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

A small opening appeared in the ship. A single figure hovered for a minute before moving out from the brightly illuminated interior. The door slid shut in silence, so quickly that if you had blinked you wouldn’t have seen a thing. Except for the second warrior hanging in midair. It could have been Kol’tak’s clone. Dressed in the same casual dress shirt and pants, he moved towards his opponent slowly at first, then picked up more and more speed. Kol’tak raced towards the leader, fists in front of him. Even at this distance I could see his jaw was clenched so tightly I was sure the speed would cut his face to ribbons if he didn’t stop soon. As the two collided, a shock wave blasted outwards, rolling out towards us, down towards the water, out everywhere. Hunter grabbed my waist and pushed me towards the ground, yelling for the rest to follow suit. The wave smashed into us, driving us back so hard I felt my fingernails dig into the lush green grass and lose traction, tugging dirt up under the exposed nails. Then the wave was gone as if it had only been a shared illusion. The flagpole next to us wavered and then started falling. Without hesitation Slammer leapt into the air and brought it to the ground as softly as he could, his feet digging into the thick soil as he let out a loud huff. The few windows in the buildings around us shattered, sending shards of glass flying outwards as the bells nearby began to ring, an off-tune melody of confusion that mounted as we watched the two men spin back and forth across the sky near the alien craft. Scrambling to my feet, I looked around and saw the others seemed to be okay. Hunter stayed close, his hands clenching and unclenching as he stared skyward. The two figures danced back and forth across the sky like a pair of enraged hawks defending their territory. One would dart forward, let go with a series of multicolored bolts of energy that I knew had been stolen from the other supers, and then throw up a force field or a shield of some sort to catch and toss aside the other alien’s attack. It would have been a beautiful display of fireworks if the fate of the whole world hadn’t been hanging on the outcome. Finally I had to turn away, stamping my feet on the ground in frustration. “I can’t tell them apart.” Lifting one hand to shade my eyes from the sun, I called to May. “Can you lock onto Mal’tor?” She looked up into the bright sky for a second, then away with a tight smile and nodded. “Done. He’s pretty pissed, as you can guess. He really doesn’t like Kol’tak at all. Some sort of family-blood thing. It’s pretty complicated and I can’t figure that part out, but he’s definitely mad at him and for the way this entire situation is going. It’s not going to be easy to fuzz him up.” The senior reached up, rubbing her temples with the index fingers of both hands. “I’m sorry, it’s rather hard to keep at it. It’s strange, you know. I can’t get inside your mind like this, but his…it’s like a wide-open book now that I’ve gotten inside once.” “Hey, I’m thrilled you can do anything at all.” I returned my attention to the fight, watching the two buzz around each other with a speed I could only pray to have. “Every little bit helps and you’re helping…”

www.samhainpublishing.com

145

Sheryl Nantus

My voice trailed off as I saw one of the figures smash into the side of the ship headfirst. The inert figure slid down over the rough surface of the ship. Kol’tak, or what I hoped was Kol’tak, skidded along the pebbled exterior, his hands digging into the metal and ripping long grooves as he brought himself to a stop only a few feet from the bottom of the ship. Pushing off from the craft, he swung wide to clear the ship’s arc. The second he did, the alien let loose with a neon red blast from his eyes, punching Mal’tor directly in the chest. “I know that power. B-Beam,” Hunter whispered in my ear. “He died in the first wave.” A sour taste in my mouth reminded me that I hadn’t eaten much lately and what I had was floating somewhere in the Toronto septic system. Turning my head to one side, I spat onto the grass, trying to focus my energy into my hands again. My thoughts were fogged and not only from May’s presence. “Here.” A granola bar appeared in my left hand, pressed there by Hunter. “What would you do without me?” The half-smile sent another lurch through my stomach. I shredded the wrapper with shaking hands and pushed the bar into my mouth, extending my cheeks like a hamster’s. It wasn’t pretty but it was necessary. Mike would have a fit if he saw me letting myself go like this. “Don’t choke.” Hunter put his hand on my arm, squeezing enough to break my attention away from the fight. “Don’t swallow it whole, bloody well chew the thing.” The harsh tone snapped me back for a second, long enough to grind down on the mush in my mouth. Yep, Mike would be pissed at me. Suddenly other portals opened in the sides of the ship, other warriors floating in the dim light. Peter pointed up at the shadowy figures. “I think that honor system might be a bit overrated.” He drew in a shaky breath. “Maybe the fix is in.” His head tilted to one side as a pair of German Shepherds trotted up and sat just in front of the young man, tails wagging and tongues hanging out. “Thanks for coming.” “New friends?” Limox stared at the two dogs, doing a little shuffle back and forth. “I told you to go before we left.” I glanced between the dogs and the older super. “You okay?” “I’m not a big fan of dogs.” Meltdown moved closer to Slammer, who couldn’t help grinning like a madman at Limox’s reaction. “Break it up.” The stern voice surprised me until I realized it was my own. “Peter, tell them that I appreciate the help and we may need them and their friends if it goes bad. But ask them to stay away from Limox. And you…” I turned my head to stare at the man. “Don’t. Be. An. Ass.” My attention returned to the two figures still dancing around the craft in some sort of strange 3-D ballet. Various blue and white and yellow beams shot out from their hands as they used captured skills from dead supers. The anger I felt at Limox caught in my throat as I recognized the powers being used and the memories of the people who had been behind them. Friend or foe, we had all fought under the same banner. Hunter kept muttering the names of the dead heroes, the running mantra beginning to piss me off. Right now I didn’t need to be reminded of how many people had died for us to get to this point.

146

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“Look!” May squealed, not unlike a young girl catching a glimpse of her superstar. Mal’tor had started to falter, his shots of energy missing Kol’tak by mere inches and then widening to a foot or more. I didn’t know if the guy used targeting software or what, but it was obvious the balance had shifted. “Lucky guy,” Limox said with what almost sounded like relief. I didn’t say anything. Kol’tak zoomed in and smashed both his fists into the center of his former leader’s chest, sending him rocking back against the ship, smashing into the pebbled surface. Breathing heavily, Kol’tak backed off a few feet, his hands held up in front of him and directly in front of the alien’s face—I didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know it was a do-or-die moment for the now-former leader of the Chu’kar. Mal’tor stayed there for what seemed like an hour before making a weak gesture with his right hand, fingers wriggling in the air. As if they had practiced for this precise situation the warriors flew out of the hatches, launching themselves at Kol’tak. I couldn’t see his face but from May’s gasp I could guess he was shocked at the blatant violation of their rules. Me, I had figured it was more likely to happen than not. I’m cynical that way. “Fuck.” Rising into the air and leaving Hunter behind, I screamed into the link, “All bets are off— give ’em hell.” Gathering as much power as I could into my hands, I let go with a flurry of shots in the area around Kol’tak. The space cleared just long enough for me to swoop in and grab him, the astonished aliens falling back at my appearance. A few seconds later the sky filled with clusters of supers and aliens fighting as we dipped down towards the lake. The alien in my hands looked up at me. I gasped, seeing the result of his challenge close up. His face was ripped to shreds, the blood dripping off into the air. “He didn’t acknowledge my victory,” he whispered, a childlike astonishment in his words. “He did not accept his defeat honorably.” “Yeah, well not everyone likes to lose.” I dove towards the ground where May and Hunter were the only ones left standing, the others hopefully in the middle of the scrum. “Get your strength back and get up here. We’re going to need your help.” Kol’tak nodded as Hunter grabbed his arms and lowered him onto the grass. The alien winced as he lay back on the green carpet. “I can tell you that it’s only this ship rebelling against our agreement. The others are standing by to see the results. They are conflicted by this…confusion.” “We’ll take anything we can get at this point.” I looked up at the handful of supers ducking and weaving through the mass of alien fighters, my small team hopelessly outnumbered by the warriors. The only thing that seemed to be holding the aliens back from letting loose with the full force of their stolen powers was the fact that they’d be more likely than not to hit their own personnel. Yay for our side.

www.samhainpublishing.com

147

Sheryl Nantus

“Well, they’re not going to have to wait long…” My voice disappeared as I saw Slammer fold under a large number of identical men, his long fingers scrabbling to keep a grip on the side of the alien ship where he had landed in one of his jumps. Suddenly what looked like a bullet slammed into the side of the mob, driving through them and emerging from the other side before circling around for another attack. I caught a glimpse of a silver flash, sending a shiver of excitement up my spine. It wasn’t an alien. “Speedster,” May exhaled as she knelt by the wounded alien, looking up at the battle. She patted Kol’tak’s arm. “You did very well, I thought.” Glancing around, the senior frowned. “I thought Speedster was dead.” “So did I.” A smile began to spread across Hunter’s face. “Guess we aren’t the last ones.”

148

www.samhainpublishing.com

Chapter Nineteen

I spun in the air as a flurry of movement burst out from all directions. From every building, from every nook and cranny of the empty grounds, appeared men and women. Some I recognized, some I didn’t—but they were all supers. Some long-haired guy with what I could swear were extra arms barreled into the crowd of aliens, helping extricate Slammer. The large Pittsburgher leapt back to the ground, landing beside us with a loud thud. He was bleeding from a huge gash on his forehead, and he wiped the blood away from his eyes before speaking. “Who the fuck are these guys? I mean our guys, not their guys.” Turning away from May, he spat a mouthful of blood into the grass. “’Cuse me.” “Other surviving supers. Guess they heard about the showdown and decided to come help make one last stand.” Hunter was grinning too widely to not have had something to do with this. “Did you set this up?” I levitated into the air over him, fists clenched. My pulse increased as I watched the dogfights continue overhead. A few supers were being carried into the fight by other fliers while others stayed on the ground, shooting up into the crowded sky. A shack flew by, the small building airborne courtesy of one of the stronger supers. Mentally I made a note to compose an apology to the groundskeepers. “Let’s just say that I sent the word out through Jessie’s network that if it wasn’t going to be now, then when?” He spread his hands. “Mike had a lot of friends, in case you didn’t notice. And all they wanted was a stand-up, straight-on fight. Which you just gave to them.” He gave me a double thumbs-up with a wide smile. “Go save the world, woman.” “Bastard.” I dipped down just enough to brush my lips against his. “We’ll talk later about chain of command and who gets to be on top.” Ignoring his grin, I spun back into the rolling dogfight over the lake. A body narrowly missed slamming into me as I approached the ship. The young man spiraled down towards the lake without moving. I spotted Peter on the water, riding some sort of large fish, rushing to get to the super before he drowned. Nearby a blonde woman sparred with two of the alien warriors, deflecting their blue neon energy attacks with some sort of body shield that vibrated at a high-pitched squeal every time they slammed their fists into it. But I could see it was beginning to weaken.

Sheryl Nantus

A one-two energy punch from my hands had the two attackers bouncing away, letting me get closer to the woman. Only dressed in a raggedy T-shirt and jeans, she let out a cough and dropped the shield as I grabbed her arm. “Thanks.” Turning her head to one side, she coughed out a broken tooth, letting it fall into the water under us. “They don’t fight fair.” The younger woman looked at me. “They call me Blockhead.” “Stupid name. I’m Jo.” Extending one hand towards her, I used the other one to chase off a pair of twins threatening Limox where he stood atop the alien ship. “Thanks for coming.” “Linda. Yeah, well…” She spun away to send a series of glowing orange balls thudding into the returning punks, encasing them in a bright orange globe that fell towards the ocean. “Won’t kill them but it’ll take them out of the game for a bit. Thanks.” She shot off towards the hapless Peter who was busy dealing with a flock of seagulls that were doing a pretty good job of harassing the fighters. The huge sturgeon ferrying him around the water under the fighting had become the target of one of the more perceptive aliens who figured that the kid riding the big fish might have something to do with the aerial attacks. Linda let out a handful of bright yellow bolts that might have been lightning strikes. I’d never caught her act before. Either way they chased away the single fighter who turned to see who this new menace was, arcing up to smash his fists right into her face before she could react. I spun around to lay down some suppressing fire, give her a chance to put up that shield. Except I couldn’t, due to the sudden trio of thugs who appeared on my left side, announcing their arrival by laying a punch into my ribs that had to have come from Slammer’s gift. The stabbing pain shot up through my lungs and into the back of my head as I spun around and around, laying down a series of blasts while trying to figure out what to do. The water raced up towards me as I spiraled away, out of control. I managed to pull up at the last second, fingers skimming the surface of the water. My ears were popping while I gained altitude, still spinning around, gathering power from the waves emanating off of everyone and everything. A low static started in my head, rising in intensity as I gasped for air. “Everyone…” I wheezed. “May’s about to lay down something. Get ready.” I suppose I should have explained further for those supers new to the battle, but all I could think of was how many ribs must be broken to cause this much pain and how the heck I was going to keep these punks off my back, literally. The mental noise got larger, sort of like a boil getting ready to burst. It’s not a pretty image, but the only one I could think of as I rose, shooting over the ship in an attempt to outrun the attackers long enough to recharge and get my breath back. Below me I could see Limox, palms pressed against the surface of the ship as he tried to burn through the thin shield that had kept us from damaging it back in Pittsburgh. A pair of warriors was charging towards him, undeterred by Speedster and other supers who were trying to draw them off.

150

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

It was going to be a massacre. As far as I could tell there had been few victories over the aliens, if any, and they had been just as quickly replaced by reinforcements inside the ship, waiting their turn for glory and fame in battle. It was New York City all over again, and this time there weren’t going to be any more chances. In the back of my head I heard Jenny’s voice saying that one of the team would die before the end, and I wondered for a second if she had grossly underestimated the number. A psychic yell went off in my head, so loud I clapped my hands over my ears instinctively, letting out a scream as the pain overrode anything I was thinking or about to think or even breathe. Instinctively I discharged the last of my energy in a series of waves emanating from my body, pushing away anyone or anything within thirty feet of me. Mike had taught me that trick, told me that it’d be helpful to have something like that in reserve. In theory that should have kept the three attackers off me for a few more minutes. Except they were plummeting towards the water, limp bodies dropping out of the sky, spiraling past supers who hovered in the air with shocked looks on their faces. I spotted Slammer, his hands crimson and dripping, falling back towards our landing zone with glazed eyes, his mouth opening and closing as if he were praying. Peter began to zip back and forth between the floating bodies on the surface of the water, the nowlarge school of fish under him straining to keep up with the requests. The identical men didn’t move, didn’t stir. He rolled them over to show blank, lifeless stares. They kept their stolen human forms even in death. Clutching my side, I flew over to where Kol’tak had gotten back to his feet, but May was now lying on the ground. As I landed in a clumsy heap, Slammer reached out to me with one bloody hand. His eyes were filled with tears. “May.” The emotion in the one word shot through me like a laser. Crawling over to where the elderly woman lay, I looked up at Kol’tak. His face had healed itself, but there was an unfamiliar frown now. “Mal’tor has been defeated.” He stared down at May then at me. “I have taken control of the battle group as per our customs.” Ignoring him, I studied May’s face. The dark-haired woman was bleeding from her nose, her eyes, her ears…a bloody trail that ran down over her translucent skin into the thick grass. Her eyelids fluttered once, twice, and then opened to reveal scarlet orbs without any pupils. “Hunter?” she whispered, her left hand rising into the air. Her Guardian was already there, kneeling beside her. He wrapped his hands around her fingers with a gentle squeeze. “I’m here.” He leaned down, brushing a few strands of hair away from her sightless eyes. “I’m here.” “Jo?” I looked at Hunter for a brief second before taking hold of her other hand. “You really went all the way this time, eh? You’ve been holding back on us, you sly old fox.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

151

Sheryl Nantus

She smiled, her lips a scarlet shade you’d never see in a store. “I decided to let it all out. See exactly what I was made of.” A raspy breath with a rattling sound came out of her mouth. “Did it work?” “You have destroyed all of Mal’tor’s rebels.” Kol’tak’s voice rumbled over us. “I have accepted the ship’s surrender from the few who remained inside. The fleet is waiting my orders, and as we agreed I shall take them back to my home world and explain the…misunderstanding.” “Good.” A bloody bubble burst from between her lips. “That’s what I wanted.” I turned my head towards a small cluster of supers who had landed nearby, one of them the red-haired Speedster. “Get some medical help.” The words tore a new pain in my side. With a silver flash he disappeared from sight. Helicopters began to close in on us, both the media and the military trying to figure out what had just happened…and how much credit they could take for it. “May, hang on.” Hunter squeezed her hand again, leaning in close. “We’ll get you to a hospital and they’ll fix you up just fine.” He repeated the words. “Just fine.” “No.” There was no question in the statement, just an acceptance. “I’m done with this, Hunter. Done with all of this. Thank you for everything, but I think it’s time for me to go see Hal.” With a visible effort she drew her hands together over her chest, pulling both of us with her. “Jo, you need a Guardian. And you’ve got a good one here who’s going to need someone soon.” Her hands moved around ours, pressing Hunter’s palm against mine. “Just…just don’t let this happen again. Don’t let anyone control us.” A labored wheeze. “I’ll be really pissed if I have to come back and haunt you both.” The low whisper dissolved into silence. “Oh, May…” Hunter laid his head on her chest, tears running down his face. His hand remained in mine as the rest of the team landed around us, forming a protective circle. Limox let out a low sob as he leaned against Stephen, his legs giving out under him. Peter knelt beside us, openly weeping as the German Shepherds licked his face.

152

www.samhainpublishing.com

Chapter Twenty

“I have to leave now.” Kol’tak looked around at the angry faces of the supers who hadn’t been privy to our deal. They were holding back, but just barely, as they watched the scene play out in front of them. I caught some mumblings over the link as Limox and Stephen filled them in, both men choking on their words until they faded out completely. “I thank you again for this resolution to our dilemma.” Releasing Hunter’s hand, I got to my feet, wiping my eyes. “Look, just tell them not to believe everything they see. Just…don’t. If you want to send an ambassador in a few months or something, I’ll do what I can to get him a hearing in front of our…well, something like a world council, but you’ll have to give us time to adapt and understand all this.” I waved my good arm around at the dozen or so people, keeping the other one close to my side to help dull the pain. “We’re not sure what’s going to happen now.” “I understand.” He paused, looking down at May’s body. “I shall make sure to mention this warrior, the bravest one of us all. Take care, Jo Tanis.” Kol’tak nodded to Hunter and leapt into the sky. Within seconds he arrived at the now-silent ship and slipped inside an opening. The alien bodies floating in the water disappeared, vanishing from sight. The ship folded up again, the origami-like disappearance startling some of the spectators. It was gone. They were gone. Limox moved closer, his clothing torn and charred in places. “So now what?” “We saved the world.” I let my breath out slowly. “Now we have to remake it.” Hunter got to his feet, grabbing me around the waist as I limped precariously to the center of the circle. “My name is Jo. You used to know me as Surf. You all became real heroes today. Now let me tell you how we’re going to stay that way.” A stabbing pain started in my side. “But first, I’m going to need a bit of medical attention and some good drugs…” An ambulance rolled up nearby, the siren screaming. A pair of paramedics raced over with a stretcher, pushing through the crowd of uninjured supers. They looked at me, then at the body on the ground and then around at the men and women in various forms of hurt. “Who’s first?” the first medic squeaked out, his face flushed. “Check her out.” I gestured at May. “I don’t think she’s… I think she’s gone. But do what you can. Please.” Hunter helped me sit on the ground as more medical personnel showed up, a long line of ambulances and emergency vehicles filling every empty space. I didn’t see any coroner wagons. I was sure we’d need some.

Sheryl Nantus

“Peter.” I waved him over. “Make sure all the bodies are out of the water. We don’t leave our own behind.” He nodded. “Right.” Taking a few steps back, he gazed into the sky, probably calling for help. After a few minutes of trying to administer CPR, the paramedics moved May’s lifeless body onto the stretcher. They looked at me, as if asking permission to take her away. “Give us a minute.” I nodded at the two supers nearby already getting attention for their wounds. “Slammer, Meltdown—go with her when you’re done.” I slumped against Hunter, the world spinning around me for a few minutes. “Keep her safe.” When I came to Hunter was cradling me in his arms. “Your turn. They already took care of the boys.” “Just my ribs. Tape ’em up and go help the others.” I sucked in a breath, feeling the stabbing pain in my side start to subside as the female medic pulled my tattered shirt off and rolled some gauze bandage around my bare chest. I wasn’t too proud to worry about giving the boys a show at this point. “Keep her safe,” I repeated. Stephen nodded, his bloody hands already wrapped in more bandages than I’d ever seen in my life. Limox climbed into the back of the ambulance beside the body, which was now covered with a sheet. He covered his pale face with both hands. “We’ll take care of her.” Slammer looked at the two paramedics. “Is it okay for us to ride in the back? I don’t want her to be alone.” “Sure.” The first medic nodded. “It’s cool.” His partner glanced at Limox. “Might be a bit bumpy.” Limox sniffled, a wan smile on his face. “I think we can deal with it.” He nodded at me as the paramedics closed the doors and climbed in the front of the ambulance. As they pulled away I nodded to the woman still tightening the bandage. “Thanks.” “You should really get an x-ray,” the brunette murmured. She gave a sideways glance at Hunter, noting my lack of enthusiasm. “Seriously. I recommend it.” “How bad are the others?” I gestured with my good hand. Here and there small groups had formed, gathering at a hastily constructed first-aid station at the back of an ambulance. “The majority of them are looking good—no more than cuts and bruises, the odd concussion and maybe a few requiring stitches. I’m hearing about a few fatalities, but for the most part it’s positive.” She looked at me directly. “We’re going to St. Mike’s, if you’d like a lift. We took your friends there.” “She would.” Hunter dragged me to my feet and helped/pushed me into the ambulance. “Look, you’re not going to be any good to anyone if you’re laid up for months.” After snapping a fast kiss on my lips, he climbed down to the ground. “I’ll get things organized here.” Before I could even start to protest he slammed the doors shut and pounded on them. The ambulance raced out of the crowded chaos.

154

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

St. Mike’s was one of the original Toronto hospitals, constantly trying to keep up with the expansions and rebuilds that downtown buildings needed to stay current and alive. Climbing down from the back of the ambulance, leaning none too lightly on the large orderly’s arm, I made my way into the emergency room and towards one of the few empty beds. The waiting area held a handful of civilians, mostly dealing with cuts and bruises, the inevitable result of having mass amounts of people trying to move out of the city. A few supers mingled among them, smiling as they were recognized and, in some cases, hugged and thanked. Some seemed honestly surprised at the attention, usually the villains. I couldn’t lie down on the stretcher, the pain wouldn’t let me. Besides, I knew that it wasn’t over. Nothing ever ends. A young doctor scurried over to me, grabbing the tag off my arm. “You’ll need x-rays.” “No thanks.” I tilted my head towards the overflowing waiting room. “I’ll come back if it gets worse, but save it for the really hurt people.” “Your call. Here’s some pills for the pain.” The harried doctor who was at least a decade younger than me scribbled frantically on the clipboard. “Any idea who we get to bill for all this?” “Send it to me.” Outrager stood in the doorway of the examining room, his arms crossed. “We’ll be glad to take care of all the costs.” “Good. Leave your details at the front desk.” The doctor nodded to me. “Thank you and go home and rest. Come back if you feel worse and we’ll do those x-rays.” He scurried out of the room before I had a chance to say anything. Outrager moved in, letting the door slide shut behind him. “So…I guess you’re proud of that little stunt you pulled out there.” The grey-haired man crossed his arms over his chest. “That stunt resulted in the death of a fine lady.” I hopped off the table. Sucking in my breath to dull the pain, I stood up as straight as I could. “A better person than I, you or anyone in this fucking city.” “Whoa.” He held up a hand. “Don’t vent at me ’cause you lost a member of your team.” His expression softened, the hard edges disappearing in front of me. “Mike was right—you are a tough old broad. You came through when you had to and we appreciate that.” “You’re not cutting her up.” The words sawed through my chest as I wheezed them out. “You’re not doing any autopsy on May.” “Why would we?” He tilted his head to one side. “You don’t think we did enough tests on her when we were in charge?” Straightening his tie, he shifted back into business mode. “Which brings us to our next question—what do you want to do?” I blinked wildly for a second in silence. His wrinkled face split apart in a grin. “You didn’t think you were just going to walk away from all this, did you?” One hand pointed towards the television sets easily visible through the windows of the

www.samhainpublishing.com

155

Sheryl Nantus

examination room. The huge plasma screens were filled with images, both stills and captured cell-phone videos, of our battle. “You’re a hero, Jo. Now you get to go to Disneyland or something, but then you wake up.” My mouth opened, but nothing came out. “Go do the speeches, give your little mantra and enjoy the cheering while you can.” The man brushed imaginary lint from his arms. “Then give us a call and we’ll see what we can arrange regarding the future.” “The future?” I croaked. “Jo, you’ve just put Earth on the intergalactic frikking map.” Outrager smiled. “You think there’s no one else out there who’ll want to visit us? Good and bad? We got lucky this time. Thanks to Mayday. But you’ve got to start thinking about the next time.” He tugged at his ponytail. “Streets are going to be a mess with everyone coming back and all. Might be useful to get an escort back to your home base, as it were. Unless you want to try and fly…” The pain in my side had subsided to a dull ache, not unlike the one behind my eyes. “I’m not really in the mood to screw around. You want to work a deal, give it to me here.” “No.” He shook his head. “Get fed and watered and take those drugs. You want to be awake when we discuss this.” Opening the door with one hand, he gestured out into the hallway. The supers milled about in the front lobby of the hospital, giving Outrager and his two subordinates a series of glances ranging from wary to outright hostile. I saw more than one beginning to power up, talked down quickly by their companions. Others began to filter out the doors, returning to their anonymity now that the job was done. Outrager cleared his throat, not that he needed to draw attention to himself. “I’m here to tell you…” He paused, his face flushed. “You all did a damned fine job out there. I can’t speak for everyone, but I can pretty well promise that right now you’re all heroes around the world.” He looked at me directly. “May I offer you and the rest of your team a drive back to your base?” “Slammer, Meltdown…” I took a pained breath, calling through the link, “Where are you?” “They’re just putting her into the…” Stephen’s voice caught in his throat, “…the freezer. They done her okay, Jo.” “Go home, back to the bookstore.” I gave Outrager a nod. “She’s going to be fine. We’re going to be fine.”

~*~ “I can’t believe we won.” Peter shook his head, grabbing a slice of hot pizza from the table. David had once again produced a great spread, hot tea at the ready along with a few bottles of beer and quality liquors.

156

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

“I can.” The freshly baked cookies were warm and chewy, dripping with more chocolate chips than cookie. They had been donated by the local bakery that, I was sure, had a sign in the front window pronouncing their connection with us. “We need more of these.” I swallowed another mouthful of heaven. “And spares.” “Good idea.” Outrager appeared at the top of the stairs. “Those are definitely evil.” Limox blew out a bubble between his lips now tinged with tomato sauce from the double slices he was tucking away. “Great. You come to bust our balls again?” The Agency man ignored him. “We need to talk, Jo. You, me and the rest of the team here.” Hunter got up from the sofa and advanced on the Agency rep so quickly that for a second I thought he had another skill I’d missed. “Don’t even think about signing them back up.” His low growl was interesting and a bit exciting. “That’s not even remotely possible.” The man grabbed a long grey hair from his face and tucked it back into the frazzled ponytail. “You’ve killed the plugs. Jenny’s dead. There’s no way that we can do anything.” He stared at me, locking eyes. “Other than start working for you.” “What?” I whispered. “What?” Hunter shouted. “What the fuck?” Limox moaned, dropping his head into his hands. “I knew I had a concussion.” “Let me explain. I’ll go slowly for the lunkhead.” Perching himself on the edge of the sofa, Outrager smiled. “The Agency has, or had, I’m not sure about the tense, a lot of resources that are now vacant. The other Agencies are in the same sort of spot as we are, all set up without any heroes or villains to control. So why not put all those resources to some good?” “Work for me?” I squeaked. “Work for your team.” The words held a note of authority. “You aren’t the only supers left on the planet.” His gaze darted towards Limox, who was still moaning to himself. “There are a lot of villains who didn’t come to the final battle and who did kill their Guardians. A lot of people have changed sides.” “So the playing field is all new.” Hunter’s voice held a note of wonder and fear. “And now you need a job.” A flush came over the older man’s face. “Well, yes. That and a whole lot of people around the world.” His attention returned to me. “So, Jo—are you serious about doing this full-time? Are they? And are you going to take our help or try to do it yourself?” I took a sip of tea. “I’ll decide that later. Right now we’ve got unfinished business to take care of.” I nodded towards the stairs. “We’ll be in touch.” Outrager opened his mouth as if to say something, then retreated down the stairs. Hunter smiled. “Well, I think he knows who’s in charge.”

www.samhainpublishing.com

157

Sheryl Nantus

“Yep. But we’ll deal with that later.” I put the mug down. “David, we need to find a nice place for May…” The bookstore owner nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. “I think I know a spot she’d like.” The funeral took place in a small cemetery just outside of Toronto, the ceremony short and private despite the paparazzi clamoring for some shots. After frying a few car engines and forcing the helicopters out of the area we settled down for the burial. “I’m outta here.” Limox shook his head as the workmen moved in to cover the coffin with soil. “I don’t need this crap and you said that all bets were off when it was done.” Ignoring Hunter’s warning stare, I nodded. “Agreed. But if you decide to start causing trouble, I won’t have a problem kicking your ass.” The middle-aged balding man grinned, slapping Stephen on the back. “It’s been a wild ride, but I’m heading out to the West. Find someplace nice and quiet and see what I can cook up.” He shrugged, a sudden weariness on his face. “Just don’t want to play the game anymore.” “Can’t blame you at all.” Stretching out my hand, I winced at Limox’s tight grip. “Just remember— stay on the right side of the law. Please. For May’s sake.” A shadow crossed Limox’s face at the mention of her name. “Yeah.” He nodded at Hunter. “Catch ya on the flip side.” “Yeah.” Hunter nodded towards Peter. “You going with him?” “No. No, I’m not.” He shook Limox’s hand as well. “Sorry to see you go.” “I’ll be fine.” Limox nodded towards David, who was still standing by the nondescript headstone. “But I’m sure gonna miss David’s…collection.” “Yeah, well…” I swallowed hard. “Thanks for all your help. We couldn’t have done it without you.” “Well, sure.” Limox grinned. Stephen chuckled as he put one hand on Limox’s arm for a second before pulling him into a tight hug. “Be seeing you.” Meltdown walked away, heading for the far end of the cemetery. I had no doubt they’d find a hole burnt in the gates far away from the mob gathered at the front waiting for us. Peter blinked away tears before looking at me. “Now what?” Now what indeed. A few hours later I stood in front of a podium in New York City, a handful of blocks away from where Mike had died. David stood to my left with Jessie, both of them sweating under the bright lights. Stephen and Peter were on my other side, the Pittsburgher beaming at the attention. Hunter stood just behind me. His left hand rested on the small of my back, the comforting pressure giving me strength.

158

www.samhainpublishing.com

Blaze of Glory

Taking a deep breath, I reached out and tapped the first microphone, hearing the rumbling echo through the large room. The mob of reporters quieted down and took their seats, the cameras sparking to life with a burst of red lights. “My name is Jo Tanis. Some of you know me as Surf.” My fingers were numb from gripping the wooden edges of the stand. “I was one member of the team that neutralized the alien attack on our planet.” The words caught in my throat as a mental image of May popped up. May, Jenny, Mike… I closed my eyes for a second, hearing the murmurs start through the audience, Hunter whispering through the link. A thick meaty hand landed on my shoulder, squeezing lightly. I blinked, seeing the flashes from the cameras reflect off Stephen’s skin. Hiding my discomfort with a cough, I continued. “I am pleased to announce that the alien threat has been dealt with. We managed to make contact with one of their warriors who engineered an internal coup and took control of the fleet with an eye to return to their home world. I don’t know if they’re going to send an ambassador or not, but they know that Earth is not their private playground.” The cheering brought tears to my eyes, more so because it was a partial lie. But we’d agreed that telling them the entire truth, about how we had been manipulated through the Agency and Jenny’s precog…well, it’d be too much for the public to handle. At least, right now. And now the bastards at the Agency were working for us. It wasn’t a great situation, but it was better than the alternative. “However, we have sustained many losses. Both supers and civilians. Many good people have been lost in a war that didn’t need to happen.” I coughed again. “And there is work to be done, to rebuild, on all fronts. We are not able to guarantee that there won’t be another alien contact, maybe by friendlier aliens, maybe by another aggressive race.” My throat burned as I continued. “Therefore, I am pleased to announce the formation of a new team of supers, who have pledged to fight not only the villains of our own world but to work together to protect the planet as a whole from any and all alien incursions.” I saw Outrager nod from his spot on the sidelines. The bastard had promoted himself to be our personal contact. The reporters went mad. I didn’t try to answer any one question, choosing to just toss out the information I had prepared. I put up my hand. “Right now there’s only four left of us from the original team and I invite any super who wishes to join us to contact me after this. We had one member who decided to retire, and we wish him well in his future pursuits.” At least until Limox started to pick a fight and I had to smack his ass down, I added mentally. I had seen Speedster hanging around in the lobby before the news conference, clutching a notepad in his hand. Maybe he was really a reporter. Go figure. Blockhead had disappeared right after the fight—I had no idea if she would ever resurface.

www.samhainpublishing.com

159

Sheryl Nantus

“I know there are others out there who share our sense of responsibility to defend this world. I call on them to come forth and join our effort to create a fighting force like the world has never seen.” “What’s this team called?” a voice shouted through the din. It sounded strangely familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Peter stepped forward, a wide grin on his face as he posed for the cameras. “We’re calling it the Protectors.” He glanced at me sideways, looking for approval. I nodded, glad for the interruption. Stephen let out a loud belly laugh that reverberated around the room, bringing a smile to many faces that had been deadly serious a few seconds earlier. He grinned at Peter who smiled back at us. “We’re called the Protectors.” The young man stood tall as a large hawk swooped down to land on his shoulder, somehow having gotten into the building. “And if you want to threaten the Earth, you’ll answer to us.” “Amen,” Hunter whispered, his hand moving up to rest on my waist, pulling me close. The sudden heat stole my breath away. “We’re going to do what we’re supposed to do.” I smiled into the cameras and the flashing lights and thought of Mike. “We’re going to keep saving the world.”

160

www.samhainpublishing.com

About the Author

Sheryl Nantus was born in Montreal, Canada and grew up in Toronto, Canada. A rabid reader almost from birth, she attended Sheridan College in Oakville, graduating in 1984 with a diploma in Media Arts Writing. During her fifteen years of working in private security, she was stationed at the United States Consulate in Toronto as well as many hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area. Needless to say, she saw a lot of interesting things and people from which she draws her characters and situations in her speculative fiction writing. She met Martin Nantus through the online fanfiction community in 1993 and moved to the United States in 2000 in order to marry. A firm believer in the healing properties of peppermint and chai tea, she continues to write short stories, poetry and novels while searching for the perfect cuppa. To learn more, please visit www.sherylnantus.com.

Look for these titles by Sheryl Nantus

Coming Soon: Wild Cards and Iron Horses

Getting the girl might not be as hard as keeping her alive.

Waitin’ on a Hero © 2008 Sydney Somers Finley Gallagher is hot and tired. Tired of the endless heat wave. Tired of pretending she isn’t interested in her sexy next-door neighbor. And really tired of everyone’s endless talk about the city’s mysterious vigilante who puts criminals in their place. But when Finley is attacked and her apartment vandalized, she’s forced to rely on the two men she’d rather not have anything to do with. One hides who he is, unleashing her deepest fantasies from the shadows; the other proves how wrong she was about him with one devastating smile after another. Plagued by visions that let him glimpse the future, Trace Fairbanks is determined to do whatever it takes to keep the streets safe, even if it means leading a double life. He’s also determined to prove to Finley that he’s not the playboy she thinks he is. Too bad Finley is completely turned off by his alter ego…or is she?

Enjoy the following excerpt for Waitin’ on a Hero: No matter how hard she strained to really see him, the shadows swallowed him up. “I won’t tell anyone who you are.” “I am making you nervous.” “No.” Okay, maybe a little and only because her commonsense demanded to know what sane woman would linger in the dark with a man she knew nothing about—one with violent tendencies, if the stories circulating in the media from the criminals he’d taken down were to be believed. “But you’d be more comfortable talking to me with the light on.” “I don’t know you. I don’t even know why you’re here.” Didn’t know why she wanted him to be there except that he made her feel safe. Not since her mother died had it felt like there was anyone else watching out for her. “Neither do I,” he confessed. “Don’t worry, I’m not stalking you.” “Just happened to be in the area?” “Something like that.” It seemed a bit coincidental that he just happened to be in the neighborhood. Then again, had anyone predicted she would be saved from assault by the Night Watcher, she would have laughed and walked the other way. He’d likely come across her name and address somehow and was checking up on her. Actually, that seemed just as unlikely since she couldn’t imagine why he would bother. “Make house calls often?” she guessed, a part of her foolishly wishing he was as curious about her as she was about him.

“Not a habit of mine.” His answer startled her, but more startling was the way she found herself leaning towards him. “Is this how you always talk?” He inched closer in response. “Does my voice bother you too?” “No. I just wonder why you’re trying so hard to hide who you are.” “Am I?” She arched her brow, then, remembering the gesture was lost in the dark, scoffed in disbelief. “Do you trust me?” “We just met,” she answered matter-of-factly, telling herself that reason alone should have her backing up, not yearning to feel the press of his hard body against hers. He made a sound that was almost disagreement. “It would be foolish of me to trust anyone I don’t know with my secrets then, wouldn’t it?” “Not unless you’re worried I’d recognize you.” His silence kicked her brain into overdrive. “Would I?” She straightened, her hand relaxing on the railing. She didn’t let go completely, not when the dark made it impossible to predict his next move. A fact that made her both cautious and breathless with anticipation. She wet her lips, the silence stretching between them until she couldn’t think beyond the pounding of her own heart in her head. His thigh brushed hers, and the simple touch unleashed a rush of excitement and desire that pooled low in her belly. “I expected you to be more wary of me.” “Pleased or disappointed?” Finley felt the need to stay on her toes with him, otherwise she really would be wary of a man who used the dark to cloak his intentions as much as his identity. He angled his body towards hers, his quiet laugh whispering across her cheek. “Do I seem the type that gets off on making other people nervous?” “You wear a trench coat when it’s one-hundred-and-fifteen degrees outside. You carry some kind of tranquilizer gun that would make a zookeeper envious. Clearly the hero complex does something for you.” “Maybe,” he conceded. His fingers caught the ends of her hair and she sensed his mouth close to her face. The slow hum of anticipation burrowed through her bloodstream. Instead of feeling panicked by his proximity, she ached to get closer. And she blamed it entirely on her conversation with Avery. His fingertips threaded the long strands and her stomach flipped backwards. She bit down on her bottom lip to trap the sigh that threatened to break past. What was it about him that made her forget how

dangerous he could be? Was it because he’d saved her? Or was it something else? Something beyond the mystery surrounding him? She fiddled with the empty water bottle she still carried. “Why do you do it?” “Because I can help people.” “Have you ever gotten hurt?” “A couple times.” The admission made her insides draw up tight. “Who looks after you when you are?” “Is that your way of asking if I have a girlfriend?” She heard the smile in his voice. “No.” She couldn’t get the denial out fast enough, feeling foolish for bringing it up. “You risk yourself to help others, and I was just wondering if, when you needed it, there was someone to help you.” “Now I am disappointed.” “Why?” He moved so only a breath separated their mouths. “I was hoping you were curious about the girlfriend thing.” “You don’t seem to care about whether or not I have anyone in my life.” His hand closed over hers, drawing it towards his mouth. “Would you be standing here in the dark with me if you did?” “Are you always this arrogant, or is it just part and parcel with the hero complex?” “Arrogance is my fatal flaw.” “I suppose you have an arch enemy too?” It was getting damn difficult to pull together a coherent thought, let alone be remotely witty when he held her hand, his thumb trailing seductively down the center of her palm. “None to speak of yet, but I’ll keep you posted.” He leaned in, bringing his chest in full contact with hers. She sucked in a surprised breath as drops of water from his jacket dripped down between her breasts. “You’re wet.” He peeled her shirt up, exposing her midsection. “I think you are too.” The wicked tone suggested he was talking about more than her clothing. She slammed her eyes shut, her senses at war over which part of her ached the most for his touch. “What were you doing on the roof?” As much as her body hungered for something from this man, she couldn’t drown out the voice that warned her not to confuse her fantasies with reality. The rough brick wall against her back was real. The hard, damp body pressed intimately against her belonged to a flesh-andblood man who courted danger on a nightly basis. A man as threatening as he was sinfully provocative. “Watching you.” His jaw scraped against hers. “For how long?”

“Just a few minutes.” “And what are you doing now?” She swallowed as he tucked her hand between their bodies, over his heart. “Trying very hard not to kiss you.”

The invaders thought they had crushed humanity. They messed with the wrong species.

Metal Reign © 2010 Nathalie Gray An Impulse Power Story Francine Beaumont is tired. Tired of waiting for an armada of Imber ships to finish off what’s left of humanity. Tired of fear and privation. Tired of living like a rat, feeding off what scraps the cat lets her have. When the chance comes to hit the Imbers where it really hurts—right at their fuel supply—she takes it. One stealth cruiser. One pilot. A cargo hold filled with explosives. A suicide mission for sure, but better that than doing nothing. As the ship’s cook, John O’Shaughnessy knows everything that goes on aboard the warship. And something is definitely up with his Frankie. If she thinks he’s going to let her carry out this crazy plan of hers alone, that stubborn woman has another think coming. Frankie thinks she’s gotten away clean…until her instincts tell her she’s not alone on her mission. Still, it’s a shock to find her peace-loving John standing there with eyes that spell murder. Now is a hell of a time to discover they’re more than friends. But there’s no turning back… Warning: Space invaders were seriously harmed in the making of this story.

Enjoy the following excerpt for Metal Reign: Everything happened fast. One second, about a dozen alien ships were flying a couple thousand meters ahead and the next second, a hit sent the reefer barreling to portside. The impact rocked both Frankie and him back against their seats. Only the harnesses saved them from being projected across the bridge like the rest of everything not anchored or strapped down with thick cargo netting. Clacks, clangs and rattles drowned what Frankie yelled. Alarms wailed, lights flickered, died for an agonizing second then switched back on. John’s instinct surprised him. Instead of trying to stay the ship, he extended an arm to grip Frankie by the back of her coveralls. Just in case. He’d never known a protective nature hid under his cynical crust. Great timing… As the reefer gathered speed in its gut-flattening spiral, John braced his feet wide apart on the consoles. Gs built up. Space flew sideways in the tacscreens. Stars became white lines. Interspersed with these lines, a green blur—Earth. Fighting against nausea, John forced himself to focus on the altimeter. Too low. Too damn low. “Take…the nav,” he growled. “I’ll…take…propulsion.”

Both wrestled the effects of gravity, which tried to keep them glued to their backrests, as they struggled to control the ship’s spiral. Frankie quickly punched in coordinates while John gripped the engines control and pushed them as forward as they could go. The only way out of a spiral was down hard and fast. With any luck, they’d gain enough momentum to break out of the corkscrew, skim along Earth’s atmosphere then bounce off into space. But then again, luck was a bitch these days. “Hang on,” John warned a split second before the attitude jets responded to his commands. By his side, Frankie held on to the console corners. Turning, turning. Slower. Another turn that stretched out told John their maneuver may just work. Alarms finally clicked off when the reefer pointed downward and entered into a dive just as scary as the spiral. Except that now they were in control. Somewhat. “Tell me when it’s five degrees,” John said through his teeth. Frankie nodded. Sweat coated her face and made limp ribbons of her usually curly hair. Silence was only broken by their panting as they each fought with their assigned console. “Five degrees!” John gunned it. The reefer shot forward and up, at thirty-five degrees to starboard, higher still, until they’d made a complete U-turn that sucked every iota of power out of his poor ship. When the moon appeared in the tacscreens, John spared a hand to pump his fist. Had to let out the testosterone somehow. “Jesus fucking Christ,” she muttered. “They hit us and didn’t even come back for a look.” “We just don’t matter to them. Would you come back to look at a bug you just squashed?” “Still, for Pete’s sake.” She combed a hand in her sweaty hair. “Man, that was close.” “I’ll go check for damages. That hit can’t have left just a scratch.” He unclipped his harness, worked his stiff legs and neck. Without his brain’s consent—his brain had pretty much taken an extended vacation…wasn’t he on a suicide mission?—John bent over and placed a loud kiss on her forehead. “We make quite the team, Commander Beaumont. Want to recruit me? I promise I won’t spoil your other recruits’ young, impressionable minds.” Her beaming smile made everything all right. Her betrayal, her lies. Nothing mattered anymore. Affection swelled his heart, and pride his head. This woman, strong and capable and hot as the coals of hell, made him feel as if he could take on the world. Which in a sense he was about to do. He left her in command of his reefer while he climbed down below into the detachable section of his refrigerated ship. Used to transport produce and other perishables, his reefer had never been meant to withstand the hit it’d just taken. Not without serious damage. They were lucky not to have been sucked out into space. All along the passageways, metal plating had buckled, rivets popped off and steam whistled out of bent pipes. Not good. Near the airlock, e-suits hung on hooks and resembled a row of hanged men. Those

environment suits may come in handy if the ship had suffered hull damage. At least until they connected to the pipeline. Afterward, well, it wouldn’t matter much, would it? John breathed a sigh of relief as he inspected the seal between the main portion of the ship and the separate cargo area. It seemed intact. But as he stepped through the hatch to survey the damage to their precious cargo, he couldn’t abort the long string of curses. He didn’t know much about explosives, but the way the charge had shifted on its rails in the hold, with yellow wires pulled out of connectors and plastic coils all crumpled up against the glowing blue core… That just could not be good. “Shit.” The comms panel still worked so he switched it on. “Hey, Frankie. You know how to build that thing, right? Because right now, it looks like something the cat spat out. Except in metal and plastic.” Her voice crackled but he got the last bit. “…goddamnsonovabitch.” “Indeed.” “I’m coming down.” John felt the ship decelerate to automatic pilot. A minute later Frankie barged into the cargo hold like a Valkyrie down the hills. His nape tingled with arousal. He forced his mind to clear. Not the time, O’Shaughnessy. “Argh, no, no, no.” She rushed to the sad-looking bit of Imber destruction smashed against the side of the cargo hold and muttered for a good minute as she inspected her patient. In the end, she straightened, fists on hips—sending his testosterone fever into the danger zone—and blew air through pursed lips. “I think we’ll be good. It’s not as bad as it looks.” “Is this like ‘it’s-not-as-bad-as-it-looks-just-a-sucking-chest-wound-Ma’am’?” Her snort of laughter unreasonably stroked his ego. “No. I can fix this. We’ll reroute some power to the charge, hook it up to the ship directly. It’ll work.” She nodded, muttered to herself some more. “I can fix this,” she repeated. “Well, get to it then because we can’t take another hit like this.” It was one thing to die in the name of humanity and all that, it was an entirely different thing to just get blown into bits by a passing Imber ship. Not as, well, fulfilling. Before he left her to work while he checked the rest of the reefer for damage—something told him he’d find much, much more—John stopped inside the hatch leading to the main part of the ship. Frankie was crouched underneath the electrical panel and muttering through her teeth as she yanked on knotted wires. He tamped down the regret. He wasn’t doing this only for her. Well, mostly for her. But along the way, he’d begun to believe that maybe, just maybe, it was better than doing nothing at all. He’d never tell her that, of course, in case she started to think of him as a romantic. John O’Shaughnessy had a rep to keep. Catholic Irishmen weren’t a flower-in-the-hair, bright-eyed bunch. Or he liked to believe. But then again, to his widowed father’s horror, his eldest child and only son of four children had become a cook. His little

sisters all teased John about his choice of career, especially since he was a trained machinist like their da. Oh well, to each their own path. They better dedicate a whole city to her name, complete with wide boulevards, airy gardens and gurgling fountains. Frankieville. Frankburg. Francine-sur-Mer. Ha. When she let out a long string of curses, John smiled and turned away to hide what he knew was in his eyes.

Whore…gift…and unexpected ally.

Before the Storm © 2010 Marian Perera Eden Trilogy, Book 1 In Dagran society, Alex is the lowest of the low—a “mare”, an object to be used by the nobility. When her owner, Stephen Garnath, gifts her to his greatest rival, she begins plotting her path to freedom. Nothing and no one will ever control her again. Not her degrading past, and certainly not her growing attraction to a man reputed to be an even crueler master than Garnath. Robert Demeresna is instantly suspicious of such a generous gift. Yet she comes to him armed with only her sharp mind—a potent weapon he can use to defend his people from the enemy. And underneath, an unbreakable spirit that besieges the walls of his heart. Slowly, Robert chips away at Alex’s defenses, striking sparks that make her begin to believe even a lowly whore like her could be worthy of him. Until Garnath springs a trap so cleverly hidden, war is unleashed before either of them sees it coming. A new kind of war fought with steam engines, explosives— and magic with a killing edge… Warning: Contains violence, steam engines, steamier sex and multiple explosions of the unstable chemical variety.

Enjoy the following excerpt for Before the Storm: At the end of the passage, Robert was in a window seat, looking down over the crude fortifications, but he turned to see her. “Come and sit.” He swung his leg off the window seat to make room for her. “Is anything wrong?” “Everything’s fine.” As fine as it could be under the circumstances. Alex felt awkward, because the window seat was short enough that she would be very close to Robert, but her body had already moved to obey and she seated herself. “Not everything, or you wouldn’t have come looking for me. What is it?” Now that Alex was closer, she saw the tired lines on his face and knew he had enough to worry about without her adding to it. But she couldn’t just sit in silence, and the polite meaningless chatter that had come to her so easily in Stephen’s castle was out of place here. “I agree with Susanna about one thing,” she said. “We can’t win even a war of attrition, and if we flee to the Mistmarch, all Stephen has to do is to cut our supply lines and wait for winter. Then he could walk in and pick the skeletons clean.” Robert sighed. “We can’t win any war, Alex. We don’t have the numbers. The Benevolent Ones favor large armies—I learned that much from my history lessons.”

“So you think we could all die?” “I think that’s a distinct possibility, but one I’d like to forestall for as long as possible.” He did not look either terrified or bitter, and when he raised an eyebrow, it was an almost teasing gesture. “Is this how you imagined your life might end, fighting a battle with a band of renegades?” Alex nearly smiled. “Renegade” was not a word she would ever have applied to Robert. “This isn’t too bad. How did you think you would die?” “Oh, in bed at the age of eighty, with a big family clustered around me, bickering over who got what in my will. And from time to time, I’d hold my breath and stare at the roof, wait a minute and then sit up yelling, ‘Praise the gods, I’m still alive!’ until my family got so tired of it that they would hit me with a poker just to end the farce.” That time she laughed—it was preposterous and funny and so much what she had come to expect from Robert. For a moment she could forget about the battle and the fact that he would die in the trampled, bloody mud outside Fulmion, if he was lucky. “You’re a morbid woman,” Robert said, “giggling at a deathbed scene.” “I don’t giggle.” Alex pretended to be offended. “Young girls may, but ladies do not giggle.” Robert’s face grew serious. “Ladies also wouldn’t be caught in a window seat with a man to whom they weren’t joined. Did you know that?” “Yes.” Alex wasn’t sure whether to meet his gaze or to look away. She could take a punch or even a beating, but she felt balanced on a tightrope, and one word from him would push her over. “I thought you did.” Robert paused. “So why are you really here? Be honest with me, Alex—not only does it save time, but I hate guessing games. I don’t know how you feel about them.” “I’ve never played.” Alex’s voice was suddenly hoarse, so she cleared her throat and looked at her skirts. It was true, she hadn’t. If a man wanted her, he asked Stephen, and if Stephen had something to gain, she undressed and did whatever was required. She had no idea how to convey her own interest, because she had rarely felt it before, and because it had been quite irrelevant when she did. I’m making a spectacle of myself. I can’t just say out loud that I—that I want him. What if he still thinks I’m a spy, not to be trusted? And why should he be attracted to a mare? The last word slapped cold sense back into her, because no respectable man would want a woman who had been used by countless other men. She swallowed, composed herself and looked back at Robert. “Very well, I’ll be honest with you,” she said, her voice as strong as ever. “I think I was a fool to come here, not to mention forward and indelicate. I apologize for disturbing you.” She rose to leave. Robert took her hand, his fingers closing around her wrist. Alex froze, uncertain whether to pull away or pretend that she hadn’t noticed. “Sit down, Alex.” She obeyed, but he didn’t release her hand. “Forward and indelicate—what does that mean, exactly? What did you have in mind?”

Robert, don’t do this to me! She stopped herself blurting that out with an effort of will, and she hoped he couldn’t feel the corresponding rise in her pulse rate. Fine, if there was a battle to be fought, she could start it right now. “What did I have in mind?” She glanced down at his hand. “Nothing that wasn’t in yours, obviously.” He smiled, and she felt him stroke the back of her wrist with his thumb. “I’ve always liked that about you, Alex—you don’t crumble at the first tap.” “You call that a tap?” Alex tried to ignore the light, rhythmic movements along her skin. She had taken threats and blows and magic, so she wouldn’t let Robert disconcert her again. “What do you consider a tap?” His voice was low and husky, and Alex felt her thoughts disappear while her skin prickled. She had to make him stop stroking her. She grasped his hand and lifted it off her wrist, only to find that she couldn’t let go. The ridged scar and the calluses on his palm felt rough against her fingertips, but his touch had been as gentle as if she were a kitten. Slowly, feeling that this was a dream which might end unless she was careful not to disturb it, she raised his hand and held it to her cheek. His palm curved to cup her face. “That’s a tap,” she said. “And are you close to crumbling?” “Oh, no.” She had never felt so nervous, and her heart thudded wildly. “That takes more than just one tap, remember?” “I remember.” Robert tilted her jaw upwards as he leaned closer. “May I give you another?” Alex couldn’t reply. She could barely think any longer, not when Robert was so close that she could have tipped her head forward and met his lips with hers, and in the next moment, that was what she did. Her eyes lidded as she simply let herself feel him, the tickle of his beard against her skin, the firm straight mouth against hers. It was the most chaste kiss she had ever had. Then he deepened it. Alex gasped at the first touch of his tongue on her lips, lightly flicking against them, and when her mouth opened, Robert kissed her harder. His arm went around her waist, drawing her against his chest, and she felt the sudden softness of his hair under her hands as she buried her fingers in it, holding him to her. When his tongue brushed hers, she shuddered in startled pleasure, then returned the slow intimate touch with a desire that was rapidly burning out of control. Most men had not bothered to kiss her first, but Robert did, tasting and exploring her mouth hungrily. And with any other man, that would have left Alex cold and untouched, but now her own passion met and matched Robert’s. There was no need to feign her reaction. She slanted her mouth beneath his to take his tongue deep, drowning in the heat, a low longing sound in the back of her throat. Robert broke the kiss, gasping, but before Alex, equally breathless, could recover, he was kissing her again. The corner of her mouth, her cheek, her earlobe, which he took into his mouth. She moaned when he found her ear, breathing into it, his beard brushing her skin like a fox’s pelt. Then his mouth covered hers

again and Alex softly sucked his lower lip. She heard him groan even as he pushed her away gently. “We have to stop,” he said. All her desire chilled. “Why?” Robert swallowed hard and looked away. “Alex, I don’t want you to think you have to do this. You don’t owe me anything.”

Samhain Publishing, Ltd. It’s all about the story… Action/Adventure Fantasy Historical Horror Mainstream Mystery/Suspense Non-Fiction Paranormal Red Hots! Romance Science Fiction Western Young Adult www.samhainpublishing.com