The Ascension: A Super Human Clash (24 page)

Slaughter got two, I got two…Should be twelve left.

On the right, two of the Skimmers broke away from the pack, then two Jetmen peeled off to the left.

That leaves eight
, Roz thought.
We might just…There's only seven! Where's—

She sensed something behind her and whirled about: A Jetman was zooming toward her from the front of the Raptor.
Sneaky—came up from beneath.

She threw a telekinetic shield in front of her, a curve passing from the front of the craft over her head. The Jetman smashed into the invisible shield and bounced away in a shower of metal and plastic debris. One of his colleagues zoomed after him.

Roz sagged, almost lost her grip. Using her telekinesis so much always weakened her for a moment, but on the ground that was much less of a problem.

Another Skimmer zoomed up over the side of the hull. Roz struck at it, knocked it away. The craft tumbled for a moment, then righted itself and fell back.

It was then that the two Jetmen who had peeled off to the left chose to come back, shooting. A bullet sparked off the hull inches away from Roz's hand.

Roz lashed out at them. She struck one, but the other arced up, passed over the hull, and disappeared beneath it.
He's going full circle!

The Raptor juddered again as the Jetman came back around for another attack. Roz lashed out with her shield but missed: He had abruptly altered his course and zoomed straight for the side of the Raptor.

The hatch—it's open!

The armored man slowed a little, reached the hatch—and was suddenly knocked back.

Roz had a brief glimpse of the Jetman tumbling away from the Raptor. He wasn't alone—Solomon Cord had leaped out and was tackling him in midair. They dropped out of view.
Please let him survive that!

Then she spotted a dark shape approaching from the left, much bigger than a Skimmer. Another Raptor was bearing down on them.

To Roz's left a line of small pits suddenly appeared in the hull.
They're firing at us!

Roz felt her weight shift suddenly and tightened her grip on the rail: The Raptor had tilted back and was now climbing almost vertically, spinning as it did so. She realized that Brandon was trying to shield her from the second Raptor's attack.

Three more Skimmers came at them from below, angling their ascent to bring them onto the top of the hull.

Then the Raptor stopped almost instantly and the Skimmers shot past. But the Praetorians' Raptor fired again, a powerful volley that sparked off the hull and tore through the far end of the handrail.

No!

The rail came away from the hull and Roz was suddenly falling.

She didn't know how high up she was, but the fall seemed to take forever. She had plenty of time to watch Slaughter attack the other Skimmers, and to see the Praetorians' Raptor slamming into the side of her own craft.

Then strong arms were around her, slowing her fall, lifting her up. Dazed, Roz saw Solomon Cord's face only inches from hers.

“Easy now,” Cord said. “You're OK. I've got you.”

ABBY KEPT CLOSE to Brawn as they waded knee-deep through the swamp. Not only did his massive size provide good protection from the sun but she'd noticed earlier that something about him kept the mosquitoes away.

They were approaching Krodin's complex from the north. By listening to the voices and footsteps of the workers, James had figured out that the northern part of the structure was the least visited.

James, taking the lead, stopped and briskly shook his head. “Sound's fading. We're on the edge of the power-damper's range.” He took a few steps backward, and Abby and Brawn stepped aside to let him pass. “Yeah, we're not going to get any closer and still be able to use our powers.”

“We need to get Max out of that place,” Abby said. “
Without
killing anyone,” she added, glaring at James.

Brawn said, “Krodin's not going to let him out of his sight now.”

“So what do we do?”

“Hold on,” James said. “I can hear Krodin talking to one of the Praetorian commanders…. Listen.”

Then Abby could hear it too: “We're not sure exactly who's on board,” the commander was saying. “They've got at least one unknown superhuman with them. Female, strong, fast, flight capability. Rosalyn Dalton and Solomon Cord are present. Cord managed to get the jetpack and armor from one of the Jetmen.”

“How many people have you lost?”

“Eight Skimmers, four Jetmen, one Raptor—it attempted to ram the stolen craft, but it looks like Dalton shielded it with her telekinesis. Our Raptor was forced to make an emergency landing. No hands lost.”

“Take them down, Agent Paquette,” Krodin ordered. “Whatever it takes. Destroy their Raptor if you have to.”

Abby gasped. “No!”

James said, “Quiet, Abby…. I've got it.”

Then they heard Krodin's voice say, “No, forget that. Pull back. There's nothing they can do to stop me.”

“Sir?”

“You heard me. Return to base. Refuel and reload. Dalton and her people are a distraction, that's all. If they reach Louisiana, I'll deal with them personally; otherwise your resources are better employed elsewhere. We don't know what Unity are planning and we need to be on full alert, understood?”

“Sir, I—”

“I'll remind you of the penalties for contradiction, Agent Paquette.”

“Yes, sir. Paquette out.”

James opened his eyes and grinned. “That'll do it.”

“
You
did that?” Brawn said. He slapped James on the shoulder and almost knocked him over. “That was way cool! But what did Krodin hear?”

“He heard her saying that they're forcing the Raptor to land and she'd contact him when she knew more. Should buy Roz and the others some time.”

Abby stood up. “Good work. Can you contact Roz from here?”

“No, they're way too far.”

“Then fly up and see if you can see the base yet.”

James silently rose until he'd cleared the treetops, and then his voice appeared next to Abby. “Yeah, I see it. It's smaller than I thought it'd be. It's about the size of your school, Abby. Two floors, walls slope in a little. Looks like there's a garden covering the entire roof.”

“Camouflage, probably,” Brawn said. “From overhead it'll blend in with the rest of the swamp. Makes it very hard to spot.”

James descended. “Maybe, but having the Carrier right next to it is a bit of a giveaway. There's no easy path between here and there.” He pointed to the right. “So we'll go this way. We can't get within eight hundred yards of the base, but as long as Max isn't in the very center, we should be able to get closer than this.”

A few minutes later they found themselves on the far side of the shallow lake, crouched among the reeds, facing the northern side of the building. Krodin's massive Carrier was between them and the base, providing them with some additional cover. On top of both the Carrier and the base, armored Praetorian guards stood watch.

“Yeah, the whole exterior is alarmed,” James said. “Motion sensors—they have a very distinctive hum.”

Brawn was too tall to crouch down with the others: He was lying almost flat, half submerged in the muck. “So if we can figure out a way to get in and still have our powers, then what? Krodin's just gonna come after us. We split up?”

“No other way, really,” Abby said. “You and James, me on my own. Whichever team finds Krodin first keeps him busy—the other one destroys the teleporter.”

Brawn nodded. “All right. Except you two stick together. I'll do it alone—come in from the roof. James, they don't know we're here, do they?”

“If they do, they're not talking about us,” James said. “I'm thinking there might be another way to do this. Instead of breaking in and all that…Why don't I just destroy the whole building from here? I'm pretty sure I can do it. The fact that I can hear them inside the base means the power-damper only affects us directly; it doesn't cancel out the effects of our powers, if you know what I mean. One massive shock wave right in the heart of the foundations and the whole thing will collapse and sink into the swamp.”

“You can't. There are civilians in there,” Abby said.

“So we warn them. Give them five minutes to get out.”

“Won't work,” Brawn said. “Think about it: Nothing we do will hurt Krodin.”

“That's not the purpose of the mission.”

“Oh, we're on a mission now, are we? But that's not what I'm saying. The point is that Krodin won't
let
the civilians leave. Not even if we ask him nicely. He knows we wouldn't hurt innocent people. So we stick to the original plan…. Which brings us back to how we get inside the building with our powers still working and without the alarm going off.”

“I can muffle the sirens, no problem there,” James said, “but that won't be much use if they have flashing lights or doors that seal automatically.”

Abby sighed. “Wish I still had my bow. I could—”

Brawn interrupted her. “Heck with all this talking!
This
is how we get in!” He grabbed hold of the nearest tree and wrapped his massive arms around it, ripped it free from the ground.

The others dodged a shower of dirt, leaves, and flakes of bark as Brawn hoisted the tree over his head.

With a yell of exertion, Brawn threw the tree as easily as an ordinary man would throw a football. It arced through the air, sailed over the base, and crashed into the swamp on the south side.

“You missed,” Abby said.

“Depends on what I was aiming at. Thunder?”

“I can hear Max. He's moving with most of the others to see what the noise was…. They're going outside….” James's voice shifted in tone. “Max, this is Thunder. I'm aiming this sound directly at you. If you've still got the power-damping thing with you, get out of the base now! Head south, fast as you can.”

“Did he hear you?” Abby asked.

“I think so…. Yes! He's left the building!” James grinned. “Keep going, Max.” He looked at the others. “Get ready. A few more seconds and he'll have taken the power-damper out of range of the building…. Now!”

Abby raced forward, wading through the lake, but had barely gone ten steps before she felt herself rising out of the water.

“Better to fly than run,” James said, appearing beside her. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Don't read anything into this. It's just easier.”

She heard Brawn splashing through the water behind them. “Finally! Time for some needless property damage and wanton destruction!”

They were halfway across the lake when the building's alarms sounded and then instantly cut out.

Abby said, “James—the wall!”

“Got it. Cover your eyes.”

She felt his muscles tense for a moment, heard what sounded like rapid gunfire, and when she opened her eyes again, a four-foot-wide ring of three-inch holes had appeared in the wall. “Brawn?”

A growl rose from the giant. He raced past Abby and James and threw himself shoulder-first at the wall. The weakened circle of foot-thick reinforced concrete was smashed through into the building.

“Go for it!” Brawn yelled. He stepped back, jumped, and landed on the roof.

James let go of Abby as they reached the opening. She hit the floor, rolled, and came up on her feet. They were in the complex's sleeping quarters, a large dormitory containing thirty lockers and the same number of bunks, many of which had been crushed by flying lumps of concrete.

“Where's the machine?” Abby asked.

“The largest room. Straight down the corridor.”

Abby tore the steel leg from one of the ruined bunks as James destroyed the dormitory's doors with a sonic blast.

James whispered, “Four men outside. Armed.”

“I can take four,” Abby said.

“No need.” James concentrated. “They're down.”

Abby stepped into the corridor. The Praetorian soldiers were lying on the ground, their arms and legs waving and twitching.

“I messed with their sense of balance,” James said. “They think they're falling. They're screaming too, but I'm blocking that.”

From somewhere above came the sounds of gunfire, then shouts of panic.

“Krodin?” Abby asked.

“No, just Brawn beating up the Praetorians with other Praetorians. Krodin's…He's in the teleporter room. Looks like you're the one facing him. Just keep him busy long enough for me to destroy the machine.”

They took off down the corridor and found that the doors to the teleporter room were open. They skidded to a stop.

Krodin was standing, arms folded and with no sign of concern on his face, next to what she assumed was the teleportation device.

The machine was much smaller than Abby had expected. She'd imagined something the size of a bus, a complex piece of machinery covered in lights and wires. Instead, it wasn't much bigger than a refrigerator.

A group of twenty men and women were standing behind Krodin. Some were soldiers; most looked to be technicians. One of the soldiers spun around, aimed his rifle at Abby.

Krodin reached out and gently pushed the gun aside. “That's not necessary, Remington.” He smiled at Abby and patted the top of the machine. “Here it is. But to get to it, you have to get past me.”

Abby muttered to James, “Now!”

“I've already tried a dozen times,” James whispered back. “It's not working.”

Krodin put his hands into his pockets and casually walked back and forth in front of the machine. “I'm waiting. Go on. Do something spectacular. Something heroic. I know—James, use your sound-manipulation ability to blast the teleporter into atoms.” Krodin smiled. “You can't, can you? Abigail, why don't you make a run at it? Smash it to pieces with that lump of steel in your hands.” He stepped aside. “I'll give you one free shot. Go on.”

He strode toward them.

“It won't work,” Krodin said. “You might scratch the paintwork, but that's OK. This thing doesn't have much of a resale value anyway.” He laughed. “And now you're wondering whether I have another power-damping device, yes? No, there's only one, and it's still chained to Max's wrist. And Max is on the run, right? Desperately splashing through the bayou, keeping the power-damper out of range of this building. Even without his powers, he's a resourceful man, more than capable of outrunning my men long enough for you to destroy the teleporter. Even if they've already found him, they wouldn't have been able to bring him back so quickly.”

Abby felt a knot tighten in her stomach. “No…”

“Yes. I'm not an idiot, Abigail. The power-damper has a transmitter that allows us to know its exact location at all times.”

She heard dragging footsteps in the corridor behind them, and turned to see Max—soaking and splattered with mud from the waist down—standing between two Praetorian soldiers.

Krodin said, “Why would I send my men out to bring in Dalton when I have a perfectly good teleporter right here beside me?”

Max was dragged into the room and thrown to the floor at Krodin's feet.

Krodin crouched down and held up the power-damper, which was still attached to Max's wrist. “We have our late friend Casey to thank for this. Tell them how it works, Remington.”

Remington cleared his throat and said, “It, uh, it strips away the energy that makes you superhuman. It's just temporary, though. When it's switched off, you get your powers back.”

Krodin let go of the device and hauled Max to his feet. “And who took Casey's design and made it work?”

“Cord.”

“Solomon Cord,” Krodin said, smiling. “My favorite human.” He leaned close to Abby and in a fake whisper said, “You're my
second
favorite, but don't tell anyone.”

Remington said, “Casey was hoping that he could come up with a way to harness—”

“Shut up, Remington,” Krodin said. “Your bit's over. So, James and Abigail. Your cerulean companion is at this moment on the roof wondering why he's not so bulletproof anymore. Or he's dead and not wondering anything. Remington, organize a squadron comprising whatever men are still standing and able to pull a trigger and get Brawn down from the roof. You'll probably need ropes and hooks. I want him on the landing pad. If he tries to escape, your men are to immediately open fire.”

Krodin resumed his pacing back and forth. “It's traditional, at times like these, to ask the prisoners a question. Which of you should I kill first?”

At the same time, both James and Abby said, “Max.”

Krodin suddenly laughed, the deep, honest belly laugh of a man genuinely amused. “I like that. That's great. But I can't kill Max—he's useful to me. For the moment. No, it has to be one of you two, or Brawn if he's not already dead.”

Abby took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Can I ask you something? Something personal?”