The Prospects (21 page)

Alex had to think about that. “That is, literally, the lamest superpower ever.” He snuck to the doorway and used the periscope to peek around the corner.

Several Shade Blades circled the tied-up and blind-folded Cantrip, who was still suspended from the ceiling. A ninja standing on a stepstool held out an orange M&M and popped it into the young magician’s mouth.

“Orange,” said Cantrip.

“He has to be peeking,” said one of the ninjas.

Alex tilted the periscope. He saw the exoskeleton laid out on top of a barrel. He adjusted it. Many more Shade Blades were in the next room.

He retracted the periscope and whispered a plan to the rest of the team.

“Blue,” said Cantrip.

“Ten for ten.” said one of the ninjas. “I can’t even do that with Skittles.”

The flash-bang grenades caught the ninjas off-guard as the weapons experts rushed forward. Kayleigh and Steve ran to Cantrip. Alex ran to the exoskeleton.

The weapons experts opened fire into the next room. A ninja drew long needles dashed towards an agent. The air got cold when Jenny created a vertical burst of wind that slammed the ninja against the ceiling.

Steve grabbed Cantrip. “Are you okay?”

“Give me a boost,” Cantrip said.

As Steve lifted Cantrip the ninja who had M&Ms raised a curved sickle.

Kayleigh stepped in and threw a right hook into his face and a straight punch into his stomach. Electricity arced through the gloves with each punch. The ninja collapsed.

“Did you see that? I punched out a ninja!”

A sword slashed across her helmet’s faceplate. She leaned back and kicked another ninja in the stomach. When he doubled over, she jabbed him twice in the jaw. The ten-million volt combination was more than enough to knock him out.

“Two! I’m a badass!”             

As Cantrip’s hands slipped through the ropes that held him up, Alex ran to the Agent Exo exoskeleton. He remembered how good he felt inside the suit, with the boot jets that allowed him to jump over buildings, the joint engines that gave him the strength to lift small vehicles, and the armor that made him feel invincible. In that exoskeleton he was a recognized superhero on the world’s most famous teams.

Then he remembered how the New York Guardians wanted him to die.

Alex flipped the left wrist and entered a sequence of numbers into a hidden pad. The servos lit up.

“Fall back,” Alex said. He fired his shotgun to give suppressing fire as Steve carried Cantrip back to the room with the barrels. Kayleigh walked backwards but kept up with him. Jenny and the MAB agents retreated as the ninjas from the other room came forward.

Jenny created a chilling gust of wind. “There’s so many of them.”

“They’re like cockroaches,” said Alex. “Always more than you see.”

The exoskeleton’s blue lights turned yellow.

“Let’s see how good the self-destruct system is,” he said.

There was a pop and a puff of smoke. The exoskeleton fell to pieces.

Alex said, “Well, that was disappoint-“

Before he finished the exoskeleton’s pieces exploded in a series of dry bangs followed by pings from ricochets. Tiny chunks of smoking metal streaked through the room. Red marks appeared on the Shade Blades as the fragments cut them to pieces.

When it was over, the Shade Blades were reduced to a bunch of black-clad bodies in various stages of mutilation.

“Steve, Kayleigh, look away,” said Alex. “Deon, get started.”

“But these scumbags killed Candilyn,” said Deon.

“Think of this as practice, because if they die you won’t feel bad about it. Watch their hands, abandon any who try to stab you. I’ll help.”

The loud roar of a power chainsaw echoed through the bunker. “Big Bad Roy is here to destroy!”

“Agents,” Alex said, “tasers out.

Big Bad Roy charged into the bunker. He was immediately hit with a dozen barbed needles from tasers. The berserker swung his power chainsaw at the cords and severed many of them.

“Hey, stun gloves,” a weapons expert said, “a little help.”

Kayleigh ran in as Big Bad Roy swung to the other side. She punched his thighs. His legs tensed and quivered and could no longer support his weight as he tried to turn back. From the second he hit the ground until Alex pulled her off she pounded his face.

The weapons expert said, “Good job, honey.”

Kayleigh thrust her fists in the air and whooped.

Big Bad Roy’s tongue lolled out from between busted lips. His huge muscular limbs twitched limply.

Two weapons experts led Big Bad Roy back through the tunnel with instructions to tell the agents on the street to come down with more ammo. Kayleigh and Steve consoled Cantrip.

Alex stood over the smoldering pile of blue and silver metal that was once his exoskeleton. The only recognizable piece was the top of the helmet. He picked it up, looked at both sides of it, and threw it away.

He asked Kayleigh and Steve. “How is he?”

“I’m fine,” said Cantrip. “When the gag slipped off, I told every joke I knew to keep them from putting it back on.”

“Did anyone else come through here?”

“They talked to a guy named Asura. He said Le Parrain cheated him, so he stole that guy’s money to buy the Agent Exo suit.”

Alex nodded. He walked to the front of the room.

“Great job so far, everyone. We rescued one hostage. There are five left.”

“Five?” said a negotiator. “You said there were seven.”

“Vijay isn’t a hostage, he’s on their side, which explains a lot. If you see a skinny kid in green and black, treat him as an enemy. Reload your guns and restock your first aid kits, because from this point on it only gets rougher.”

As the team got ready to move, Alex noticed the psychic nullifier on the ground. He tucked its straps into his belt.

“Weapons experts, get out your heavy gear and sniper rifles,” said Alex. “Jenny, make sure the wind goes their way. Demolitions, get everything you got ready. Negotiators and psychic defense, cover me. Special assistance, wait down here.”

Everyone except Deon, Steve, and Kayleigh walked up the stairs. A weapons expert said, “Agent Exo beat the Bone Terror thing once. How?”

“I fought until he passed out,” said Alex. “That took hours. We’re going to hit it with everything we got until it’s too broken down to fix itself for a while.”

A weapons expert patted her rifle’s magazine. “Do we have enough ammo for that?”

“No. Jim – I mean Mister Griffin – installed pop-up machine guns in the lobby that didn’t deploy during the initial invasion. I’ll go to the mainframe and try to get them operational.”

“What if you can’t?” asked a demolitions expert.

“Then drop all the mines you got and retreat. We won’t be able to move on.”

The Bone Terror screamed again. Alex used his periscope to look around the corner.

“It’s not far away. Hit it with grenades and heavy rounds. Hold it back so I can get behind the elevator to the mainframe computer room. ”

The weapons experts emerged with their grenade launchers and assault rifles blazing. The thundering percussion of explosions and spent bullets almost drowned out the Bone Terror’s desperate roar.

The weapons experts and Jenny ran across the room and took their position in the other corner of the lobby. Their rifles’ dry cracks added another level of ear-splitting noise to the cacophony.

Jenny stood at the end. She put her hands into a cone and threw a burst of wind that sent debris slamming against the monster.

As the demolitions experts planted mines, Alex and the negotiators sprinted around the elevator. The door to the mainframe was wide open.

Alex turned his shotgun’s safety switch off and entered. “Vijay?”

Asura tapped furiously on the keyboard. The screen read “PLAN FAILSAFE INITIATED. 5:00” and the time counted down by seconds.

Alex put the shotgun’s barrel against Asura’s neck. “Hands up.”

Asura raised his hands and turned around.

“Turn it off.”

“Nope. Won’t do it.”

“I’m not kidding. I will shoot.”

“And then who will turn off Plan Failsafe?”

“I …”

“I’m the hero here, Agent O’Farrell. I’m saying that for your benefit, because I’m not sure you’re smart enough to figure that out.

“How are you the hero?”

“The Idea Man is about to enslave everyone, the Skreaks want to kill everyone, and Le Parrain and the Shade Blades want me dead. This is the only way.”

“You’re going to die too.”

“I’ll die saving the world.”

“We’ll die too.”

“Run away while you can.”

A negotiator tapped Alex’s shoulder. “Not to question your authority, team leader, but this is our area of specialty. Let us talk to him.”

Alex left them in the room and went around the corner.

The Bone Terror fell to the ground in a pile of shattered bony protrusions.

The weapons experts stopped shooting. “Looks like we got him.”

Jenny let the wind die down.

Alex shouted, “Keep shooting!”

The Bone Terror was more broken bone than flesh, but it still sprang to its feet and charged towards the weapons experts. Half of them fell back in pure terror. The remainders weren’t enough to hold it back. It knocked one of them down the stairs with a backhanded swing.

Alex got close enough to hit it with his shotgun. “Fall back behind the mines.”

“But you’re cut off,” said a weapons expert.

“Do it!”

The Bone Terror stared at Alex. His giant eyes blinked.

“Remember me?” said Alex. “I beat you before, and I’ll do it again.”

The Bone Terror let out its loudest, most bloodcurdling scream and ran after Alex.

Alex ran towards it at an angle. When the Bone Terror swung its arm he ducked and dove. In his mind Sergeant Hammer said, “If the time comes to sacrifice, remember everyone’s worth more than you.” He acted through pure reflex and dodged the beast’s huge fist.

The weapons experts saw a clear shot and fired their last shots into the Bone Terror’s legs. The monster fell again but started healing before it even landed.

Alex fired his shotgun at the Bone Terror’s face until his rifle clicked with an empty chamber. Each round blew away a chunk of thick skull and fangs, but the monster wouldn’t go down.

“We’re out of rounds,” a weapons expert said.

“Go around the back,” said Alex. “Retreat.”

There wasn’t much left of the Bone Terror’s head – even parts of its brain were exposed – but it still stood and screamed at Alex.

Sergeant Hammer’s voice: “Any idiot knows a club never runs out of bullets.”

Alex held the shotgun by the barrel. He swung it like a baseball bat into the monster’s gaping maw and ducked.

This time the Bone Terror anticipated the move. Instead of swinging high, it scooped the ground and caught Alex’s bulletproof vest. It swung him in a wide arc and slammed him on the ground. His suit’s reflexive hardenings was the only thing that kept his bones from breaking.

It lifted him again when a chilling burst of wind shot up from right below them with enough force to take the Bone Terror off its feet. Sergeant Hammer’s words: “Armor doesn’t do a dead man any good, you dumbass.” Alex tugged at his vest’s straps but couldn’t get it off.

The gust of air ripped him free from the Bone Terror’s grasp and lifted him to the ceiling. A cyclone of dust and spent ammo appeared below him and cushioned his fall.

Jenny stood in front of the elevator. The Bone Terror regained its balance and screamed at her. She made a cone with her hands and threw bursts of wind against the monster.

The wind slowed the monster down but didn’t stop it from getting closer to Jenny.

Alex avoided the wind by staying directly behind the Bone Terror. When the beast was almost in punching distance of Jenny, Alex leapt on its back. He shoved his pistol into its flesh and pulled the trigger until it grabbed Alex and threw him across the lobby.

Alex rolled to his feet. The Bone Terror plodded towards Alex. It was slower and its breathing was labored. It was tired. Alex remembered seeing the monster look like that before it passed out.

The light fixtures fell from the walls. The glass shades and bulbs hit the ground simultaneously. Mounted machine guns pop out of the holes.

“Take cover,” Alex shouted.

The machine guns pointed at the Bone Terror as Alex dove behind the security desk. Jenny ran behind the elevator.

The machine guns opened fire on the Bone Terror. The monster screamed as it was reduced to a mess of twitching tissue. Only then did the overheated guns stop.

Alex came out from behind the desk. “Clear. We got him.”

Deon was at Alex’s side in a second. “That dude who got thrown broke his leg. He’s heading out.” He looked at the pile of tissue and viscera that was the Bone Terror. “Is that thing still alive?”

“It’ll regenerate and be uglier than ever,” Alex said as he put his bulletproof vest back on. “It’s come back from worse. Demolitions, shovel anything still moving into the back of our van. Jenny, where are you?”

Jenny came around the corner. Alex went to her, took off his helmet and hers, and whispered into her ear, “Don’t stop being a hero. You’re brave enough to face monsters, loyal enough to take orders, and smart enough to question leaders when they’re being stupid. I don’t care what anyone else says, you have what it takes to be one of the greats. The world needs you.”

Jenny smiled. Alex kissed her forehead and put her helmet back on.

Asura and the negotiators were on the other side of the elevator.

“We made a deal,” said a negotiator. “He stopped Plan Failsafe and told us Lady Amazing is in the bioscience lab with the Skreaks, Stardancer is in the penthouse with Le Parrain, and Rock Jock and Mind Dame are both with the Idea Man in Doctor Von Pyme’s lab.”

“Where’s Doctor Von Pyme?” asked Alex.

“Didn’t see him,” said Asura.

“We shut down power to the bioscience lab, so whatever the Skreaks are doing there they’re doing it with emergency generators, and sealed off the penthouse,” said the negotiator, “but something is blocking our efforts to depower Doctor Von Pyme’s research lab. Somehow the Idea Man gained enough hacking knowledge to take his system offline from the mainframe.”

“What does Asura get out of this?”

“I get to walk away,” said Asura. “No charges, no hassles.”

“I don’t like this deal. He worked with our enemies. He’s practically a supervillain himself.”

“Our objective is to rescue hostages,” said the negotiator. “He helped.”

“Too bad, agent,” said Asura. “I outsmarted you at every step.” He pointed to Jenny and yelled, “See you in the funny papers, Panda Bear.”

Alex grit his teeth as Asura walked by the rest of the team as they came up the stairs. When Kayleigh walked past, he pinched her butt.

The reflexive fabric instantly tightened, holding his fingers in place for an instant.

Kayleigh spun around and slugged Asura. She hit him hard enough to knock him out if she didn’t have the extra five million volts from her stun gloves.

“Everyone saw that, right?” said Alex. “That was assault.”

“But he grabbed me,” said Kayleigh.

“And now we have an accusation. Agents, arrest Asura. Cuff him, book him, and have our guys outside run background checks until they find something else we can charge him with. When you’re done, we’re going to the bioscience lab.”

When the team reached the bioscience lab, Alex pointed his new assault shotgun at the door. “No plan. Go in there and open fire. Lady Amazing can withstand more bullets than we’ve got. Legally the Skreaks aren’t people and their presence here is an act of interplanetary war. Don’t worry about making arrests.”

“Watch the goat,” said Deon. “That one there in the cage near the door.”

A weapons expert said, “Take five, team leader. We got this.”

Alex wanted to refuse, but he also wanted to have enough energy to rescue Trista. He nodded and stepped back. “Deon, a medic never leaves a patient behind. Get Billy Two.”

“Right.” In a white flash Deon grabbed Billy Two and got him back to the stairway.

The weapons specialists and a psychic defense expert loaded their guns and entered the room. The Skreaks’ radiation machine still emitted an eerie pale green glow. It still glowed as the agents unloaded their assault carbines and shotguns. The Skreaks emitted high-pitched warbling shrieks over the percussive gunfire.

When the shooting ended, some of the agents screamed. “What is that thing?”

A voice barely recognizable as Charlene’s said, “Kooonnn … taaayyyy … jissss…”

Alex looked between the agent’s legs. He never would have guessed the moving mass of slimy misshapen flesh was his old teammate if didn’t have a few scattered locks of blond hair and the shredded remnants of the Lady Amazing costume.

“Did it just say ‘contagious?’” said the psychic defense expert.

Alex took off his helmet, pulled his hood over his face, and tapped a keypad near a glass door. “Anyone who went into the main room, in here, now.”

After the agents filed into the room, Alex pressed a button. A clear door with QUARANTINE written in big red letters fell and sealed itself.

“We can’t take any chances,” said Alex. “An alien virus could wipe out mankind. There’s MREs and water in there. They’ll get evaluated after the tower is secured.”

The agents screamed about betrayal as Alex ran back to the bioscience lab. He pressed a large red button against the wall. A clear plastic wall fell and bisected the room.

The creature formerly known as Lady Amazing put her hand against the plastic wall. Alex put his hand against hers. She shuttered and let out stuttered moan.

“Don’t give up, Charlene,” Alex lowered the hood and looked into the now uneven bloodshot eyes that still held the memories of his friend. “We’ll find a way to restore you.”

“It’s horrible to see her like this,” said Kayleigh. “She was my hero.” She put her hand on the glass. “Stay strong. Remember, you are Lady Amazing.”

Lady Amazing turned away and fell to the floor.

Deon looked down at Billy Two. “You think he’s okay? Should we be quarantined too?”

“I truly have no idea,” said Alex, “I can’t imagine the viruses spreading this far and jumping species, but these are alien viruses. We’ll shower in sanitizer before we leave. Who do I have left on my team?”

The weapons experts, demolitions experts, negotiators, and a psychic defense agent stepped forward.

“Only one left for psychic defense?”

“One’s shot and one’s in quarantine,” he said.

Alex locked the psychic nullifier on his own head. “There’s no turning back now. You, come with me. We’ll take the maintenance stairs to Doctor Von Dyme’s lab. Everyone else, take the west stairs to the penthouse office.”