The Cloak Society (11 page)

“Sort of, but . . .” Alex was having trouble putting into words what he hadn't dared think about since the mission. But there beneath the light of Centennial Fountain it all came pouring out. “Before now it's all been imaginary. Like a game. The missions and planning and everything were just things we talked about hypothetically. I know in the end everything will be worth it, and I want to live up to what my parents expect of me . . . but I don't think I have it in me to kill somebody. Even if they are my enemy.”

Kirbie stared at him, doubtful.

“Then don't,” she said.

Alex opened his mouth to protest this, but found that he didn't know what to say.

Suddenly Kirbie jumped to her feet and stared intently at something in the distance. Her face contorted, but Alex saw nothing but sky, towering buildings, and the reflections of streetlights in mirrored windows. Then he realized that one of the lights was moving in their direction, in front of the clouds, and growing larger by the second.

“What is that?” Alex asked, standing.

“Lux. My mentor. One of the Rangers. She's team leader tonight, patrolling downtown. She'll be coming to check on me.”

She turned and looked at Alex. Her eyes were earnest.

“Do you want to come with me? Back to Justice Tower?”

Alex stared, dumbfounded by this suggestion. For a half second, he considered it. But despite what he had said to Kirbie, he was and always would be a member of the Cloak Society. It was in his blood. It was written on his palm.

“No,” Alex asked. “I can't.”

“Fine,” she said, visibly disappointed. “But you have to get out of here. If Lux finds out I've been talking to you without telling anyone, I'll be in huge trouble.”

She turned away from him, taking a crouched stance, ready to soar into the night air.

“Can I see you again?” he asked.

She turned and stared at him, trying to make sense of his expression. Alex's eyes fell to the ground. The words had surprised him as much as they had her.

“I mean, if you're around,” Alex continued. “If you're watching the park. Will I run into you again?”

“I'll be here again next weekend,” she said.

“Okay,” Alex said.

Kirbie smiled fully for the first time that evening. “Think about what I said. It's your life, Alex. Not Cloak's.”

Alex nodded slowly. “Have a good night,” he said, and backed away, into the comfortable shadows of the surrounding trees. He watched as an oversized golden bird soared into the air, flying straight for the glowing figure in the distance. Squinting, he could just make out the form of a woman in the light, her hair luminescent. Kirbie circled her, flying with exquisite grace, before continuing off in the direction opposite of where Alex was. The glowing woman followed, and Alex watched as they alighted on a rooftop on the other side of the park, tiny specks against the sky.

Alex's mind was a jumble as he made his way back to the street. He should have felt unhappy, shamed by yet another failure on his part. But he didn't. In fact, he felt better about himself than he had all day. His mind wandered to Gage's earlier caution not to sympathize with the enemy, but he shook this warning away. He and Kirbie had only been talking. There was no harm in that.

The path eventually led him to the street, but not his original entrance. Instead he stood across from Silver Bank, towering and living up to its name in the moonlight. Alex stared at it for a moment. Then he sprinted across the street and turned, heading toward the safe house, leaving the bank behind him.

Traveling through the Gloom back to his home, he kept his eyes clamped shut and hands over his ears. He had no desire to see what was lurking in that place. He thought only of the golden-haired girl, and the colors and lightness she had brought to him. Of the Gloom, he preferred to be ignorant.

11
Capture the Flag

The following morning, Alex lay on top of his bed in confusion. Kirbie was the enemy. They were archrivals, destined to hate each other. And yet, talking with her last night had seemed like the most natural thing in the world. She wanted to help him. Was this what the Rangers of Justice were about? And if he was falling for it, did that mean Alex was weak-minded, like the citizens of Sterling City? As he mulled over these questions, his mind kept returning to the skeletal figure in the Gloom. He hated to admit it, but part of him didn't want to see Kirbie banished to that place. Luckily, the attack on Justice Tower was still months away. His focus had to be getting back on that team. Kirbie would be back at Victory Park next weekend, and he could still turn her over to the High Council. Who knew—maybe with their help, she would defect to their side. He would like that.

He had just finished brushing his teeth when a knock came at the door. Expecting a wake-up call from Mallory, he walked over to the entryway. But to his surprise, Shade stood in the hallway, looking a bit tired but composed in the long black trench usually reserved for missions. A cup of coffee in a blue mug was in her hand. The sharp smell of dark-roast beans filled Alex's nostrils.

“Good morning, son,” Shade said before blowing across the top of her cup. “How did you sleep?”

“Oh, Mother,” Alex said. “Um, great. I slept great.”

They stood there for a moment, the steam of the coffee rising into the air between them.
She knows,
he thought.
She knows everything.
Alex's mind raced, building up a mental block and hiding all thoughts and memories of the previous night.

“Well, aren't you going to invite your mother in?” she finally asked.

“Of course, yeah. Come on in.”

It was rare that his mother stopped by for a visit. Normally, if she needed to speak with him, she'd simply let her voice ring in his head or send a message with someone else. Alex expected that there was some sort of lecture coming.

“I want to talk to you about yesterday,” she started.

“What about it?” Alex asked tentatively.

“About your training. About the way it was handled.”

“Oh.” Alex exhaled.

Shade walked around her son's room. To Alex's relief, she didn't seem to notice the piles of dirty clothes on the floor, or general messiness of the room. Instead she stopped in front of the wall where his newspaper clippings and photos were taped. She recognized a few of the headlines.
SUPERPOWERED GROUP INVADES MUSEUM GALA
.
MISSING ART LINKED TO SECRET SOCIETY
.
MYSTERIOUS ‘CLOAK SOCIETY': FACT OR FICTION?
With her right hand she reached out, tracing the edges of the yellowing paper, until her finger fell on the photo of Alex's grandfather—her father—on the wall.

“You know, when I was your age, there was really no one around to teach us how to use our powers. Back then Cloak was different. They were unified, but they weren't serious. The Society was more like a country club for people with superpowers than the force it should have been. Our founders were people of determination, and of course they had goals, but my father's High Council seemed happy to forever operate from the shadows. My generation wanted more. We wanted to push ourselves as far as we could, to show the world that we were its zenith. And it cost us almost everything. After Victory Park, I swore that I would never again let someone from Cloak fall because we weren't prepared.”

“But what happened at Victory Park wasn't anyone's fault,” Alex interjected. “Who could have known that Lone Star was so powerful?”

Shade nodded slightly, sipping from her coffee cup.

“Be that as it may, we should never have needed the Umbra Gun to begin with,” she said. “There were so many of us then, with such extraordinary gifts. But we were undisciplined, unprepared. No one had the control over their powers that they should have.

“You may think that your father and I are pushing you too hard, but it is only because we know that you are going to do great things. Even just yesterday, you showed huge progress. You will help bring Cloak into a golden age, Alex. You want that, don't you? To make us proud?”

“Of course,” he said. “More than anything.”

Shade moved to him, tousling his hair.

“My Alexander. You will be Cloak's ultimate weapon. Our sword. Titan may be strong, but he is nothing compared to what you will be. People will tremble before you. The country will whisper your name with fear and reverence. When we're done with your training, you will be the greatest power this world has ever known.”

She looked into his eyes.

“I apologize for lying to you about the box, but everything I do, everything any of us do, is for the good of Cloak. And what is good for Cloak is good for you. Do you understand?”

Alex stared back at her and nodded.

“Now, get your training uniform on. We're doing a group exercise in the field today, and you're expected up top soon. You can thank me later for the way I've split the teams,” she said, opening the door and stepping into the hallway. “Make me proud, son.”

She glanced back at him.

“And clean this room up. It's disgusting.”

The door shut, leaving Alex alone once again. His heart thumped in his chest. She had apologized—a marvel in itself. But more importantly, she had reminded him that the confusion of his morning was completely uncalled-for. He had a destiny. He would rise to be Cloak's greatest asset. There was no room for thoughts of Kirbie or the fate of the Rangers in his mind.

Turning to his closet, he found himself greeted by his uniform, still folded, floating in front of him. Blue energy crackled around it. But he hadn't been consciously focused on his uniform, only thinking of it somewhere in the back of his mind. His subconscious must have summoned the clothes—something he didn't even know was possible.

He plucked them from the air, staring at them in mild concern. Then, with time against him, he hurried to get ready for training.

 

“The field” was a patch of grassy land a hundred or so yards long, located behind the Big Sky Drive-In. In addition to the thick lines of trees that flanked the old theater, the clearing was made even more private by the gently rolling hills on its other sides. Alex stood with the rest of the Beta Team in the middle of the field as rain poured from the sky. He projected a flat surface of energy above their heads, sending rain cascading in a perfect square around them. Across from the Betas, the High Council was at one edge of the field, as was Misty, who enjoyed watching the weekly occasions when the Betas trained as a group. Everyone on the sideline held large black umbrellas, giving the row of Cloak members a somewhat funerary look, the sound of water pelting nylon filling the air.

Shade and Barrage stepped forward, standing before their young troops.

“If you're to be successful as a team, you'll need to work together as one, playing to one another's strengths,” Shade said, addressing the group.

“To do this, you must know the possibilities of each of your teammates' powers, but also their weaknesses,” Barrage said. “Today you'll get a taste of this. You will be split into two teams. Note that there is an umbrella located at each end of the field.”

He motioned to the black umbrellas, rolled up like black spikes, shoved into the soggy ground at either end of the clearing.

“Each team will be responsible for both defending their own umbrella and stealing that of their opponents. The first team to open their opponents' umbrella wins. The umbrella can only be opened physically, meaning that Alex, you won't be able to do it using your powers.”

“Capture the flag,” Titan said.

“Exactly,” Shade said. “It is not our intent to have any casualties or serious injuries today. Don't take it easy on your opponents, but remember that your enemies in this exercise are still your brothers and sisters in Cloak.”

“Misty,” Barrage said, looking over his shoulder. “Front and center.”

Misty, standing beneath Phantom's umbrella, was dumbfounded. She looked up at her aunt, who nodded to her. Misty smiled, and she presented herself in front of Shade and Barrage.

“Yes?” she asked, eager to be included.

“Your training has progressed well,” Shade said. “The rest of you may not be aware of this, but Misty has recently demonstrated the ability to move not only large objects in her sublimated form, but people as well. In our training session earlier this week, she was able to transport one of our Unibands from one room to another. Soon she will make a valuable addition to the Beta Team.”

Misty could hardly withhold her excitement.

“There are five silver balls about an inch in diameter located on the field,” Shade said to Misty. “Your goal is to collect all of these before either of the teams has won. You are not to interact with the other players, but will need to defend yourself against stray attacks that may be slung your way. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma'am!” Misty said.

“All right, then. Misty, you'll start in the center of the field. Alex and Mallory will defend the north umbrella together. Julie and Titan, you'll take the other one.” She motioned to opposite sides of the clearing.

Alex smiled, and allowed his telekinetic umbrella to shrink, exposing Titan and Julie to pouring rain.

“Seriously?” Julie shouted. Titan didn't flinch.

“Go now,” Shade said. “To your flags.”

“Defeat them,” Barrage growled in his low, grinding voice. He winked at his children.

“We'll split up,” Mallory said to Alex as they hurried to their assigned side. “I'll take Titan. He's got a low tolerance for temperature changes. Julie should be easier to take care of with your mind anyway.”

“You sure, Mal?” Alex asked. “Titan will probably be playing dirty.”

“Of course he will, but I have a feeling he'll go easier on me. Just remember, Julie always attacks without thinking. Prey on her weaknesses and we'll be fine. If you see a hole, make a run for it. I'll try to lay down as much cover fire as I can.”

“Ready?” Shade yelled when each team was in position. “Begin!”

The two teams sprinted toward each other as rain pelted their faces. Misty looked around at the Betas all racing toward her and began to disintegrate, floating up into the air and out of harm's way. Titan barreled straight toward Alex, his long legs and enhanced strength sending him hurtling down the field like a cannonball, while Julie ran at his heels, talons out and low to the ground. They were going to try to double-team him, Alex thought. Luckily, Mallory had no intention of letting that happen, and a subzero ball of energy flew through the air, leaving behind a trail of flash-frozen raindrops. It nailed Titan in the right shoulder, knocking him off his course and causing him to slip and fall with a heavy groan.

“Nice!” Alex said, but Mallory was too focused on a follow-up attack to respond.

Julie jumped over her brother without skipping a beat, eyes still focused on Alex. She began weaving, running in a scattered series of directions. She crouched and dug her long claws into the soggy ground every few steps, slinging clumps of mud and gravel at Alex.

“Good!” Barrage yelled. “Take advantage of your environment.”

Alex tried to focus on her directly, but between the rain and her erratic movements and the earth flying at him, he had a hard time getting ahold of the energy around her. As she closed in, she leaped at Alex, and he managed to push enough force her way so that her clear, razor-sharp fingers missed his chest.

She landed in a crouch in front of him as he grabbed at his shirt, searching for cuts. He backed away with wide footsteps, putting some distance between them.

“Nonlethal attacks, Julie,” Shade yelled angrily from the sidelines.

“Are you crazy?” Alex asked. “This is training. You almost gutted me!”

“Stop whining,” she said. “We're here to win.”

Alex narrowed his eyes and summoned a jet of mud from a nearby puddle that hit Julie in the face, causing her to flail about blindly, shrieking in disgust.

Somewhere behind him he could hear Misty laughing.

Julie slipped around on the swampy ground, her hands returning to flesh as she wiped the mud from her eyes, but Alex knew she'd be pouncing as soon as she had a chance. Before she could regain her footing, he concentrated on making a force field like the one he had made in training the day before, only this time it was around Julie, trapping her inside instead of keeping bullets out. His adrenaline was pumping, and he poured that energy into a shimmering dome around her. She ran toward him, but quickly hit the inside of the invisible bubble, knocking herself back. Julie, realizing that rain was hitting some unseen barrier around her, began dragging her talons across the energy field, shouting something about fairness that Alex couldn't quite make out.

Keeping Julie trapped took all his concentration, though, and Alex had momentarily forgotten about his sparring teammates. By the time he realized that Mallory was flying straight toward the containment bubble, it was too late for him to stop her, and she smashed through, landing on top of Julie. Alex turned to find Titan running toward him.