Fall of Heroes (19 page)

“Half of them would follow you on their own. You must know that by now. They'd need only the slightest nudging. The others could be taught to appreciate what we're doing.”

“You're asking me to betray my friends and what I think is right.”

“I'm asking you to come home,” Shade said. “You've seen how easy it was for this city to turn over everything to us. And it's been, what, only a month? The city has embraced us. The
world
will welcome us.” She stepped closer to him. “Your father and I miss you. I want my son to stand beside me in the spotlight. To love me.” Her voice started to wobble. Alex thought she might cry. “To love me as I love him.”

Alex didn't say anything, just stared at the ground. He was afraid to open his mouth. If he did, he wasn't sure what would come out. For a moment, nothing else mattered—not the future, or the past, or even his teammates. The only thing in the world was Alex and his mother and the glimmer of a future where they lived happily alongside each other. As a family.

And then the reality of the situation crushed him. She was talking about brainwashing his friends. About taking over the world. This whole thing in his head was a setup. She was probably just acting.

And even if she wasn't, he'd seen what she'd done to Sterling City. She—the Cloak Society—had to be stopped.

“For a long time, I wanted nothing more than to please you and the rest of the High Council,” Alex said. “Sometimes I just wanted to be a normal boy, with a normal family. To not have to worry about entire cities. And these past few weeks—I've missed you and Dad. You're my family. You'll
always
be my family.” He raised his eyes to hers. “But that doesn't mean I have to agree with you. Now . . . now I just want to be me.”

“You can be, my son.” Shade's eyes were wide, bordering on manic. “You can be the
best
you. Alexander the king. The warrior. The savior! The tyrant! Don't you see the endless opportunities before you? You can have anything you want. Just say the words.”

“I'll try my best to make sure you don't get hurt.” Energy started pouring from his eyes.

“What?” Shade asked, breathless with anticipation.

“Mother,” Alex said as his fingers curled into fists. “Get out of my head.”

The air exploded with blue energy, sending Shade smashing through one of the windows and out into nothingness. She disappeared as the room began to fall apart around Alex, the floor and ceiling crumbling until there was nothing there but a haze of blue energy all around him. Just energy and a single word, his mother's voice, in his head and all around him.

Disappointment.

His eyes shot open as he gasped for air.

“Whoa,” Mallory said. “Are you okay?”

Alex took a few deep breaths, looking around. No one seemed to have moved much since he'd last seen them. It was as if no time had passed at all.

“How long have I been standing here?” he asked.

“I don't know. Maybe a few minutes? I thought you were just focusing on getting the shield up. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Alex said. “Everything's fine.”

He blinked a few times, trying to calm himself down, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw the skylines of different cities. Cloak operatives across the world, his mother had said. When he'd met her on the stage at the groundbreaking, he'd been afraid to really use his powers against her. But now he knew he couldn't be afraid. He had to do everything he could to stop Cloak. The world depended on him, and on his team.

“You guys,” Bug said, his eyes shining. “They're coming.”

21
VICTORY PARK

T
he New Rangers emerged from the trees, all four of them walking with chins held high, the golden starbursts on their chests gleaming in the sunlight. Shade's eyes rested on her son for only a beat before scanning over the others. She gave no indication that they'd just had a lengthy conversation inside his head. For a second he wondered if he'd dreamed the whole thing.

They stopped just past the trees. Volt's fingers twitched at his sides, sparks of purple falling from them. Titan carried a metal case, his expression smug. Photon's face was blank, ready for his master's commands.

“We've got Omegas flanking us,” Bug said. “Legion to the east and Novo to the west.”

“We know our targets,” Amp said quietly. “Stick to them, but keep an eye on your teammates.”

“You know,” Shade said, “we were going to let you enjoy your freedom a little while longer.”

“We won't sit idly by while you plot to take over the world,” Lone Star said, stepping forward and pointing a finger at them.

“Spoken like a true Ranger. I must say, Star, that I've missed your unique sense of bravado. Pity you don't look so well.” She turned to Photon. “EMP.”

The brainwashed Ranger closed his eyes and shot his arms out. Alex's earpiece powered down. Just as Gage had predicted, their electronics were wiped out by a single electromagnetic pulse.

“Well
that
didn't take long,” Alex murmured.

“Electronics are out across the park,” Photon said.

“Excellent,” Shade said. “Titan, if you please.”

Alex tensed up. Titan flipped up two levers on the case in his hand, and lifted the top open.

“Insulated against electromagnetic waves,” Gage said. “That must be the Umbra Gun.”

“I know what you're all thinking,” Shade said, wagging a finger. “You'll just pry this gun out of my fingers and take it, right? First of all, Photon can keep it in my hands. But just in case . . .” She pointed to a silver cuff on one of her wrists. “There's a small microchip buried inside all this metal. The gun is rigged to become an Umbra Bomb should the need arise.” She pulled out the weapon, holding it up for everyone to see. “But it'll also go off if the gun isn't within five feet of me at all times. You take it, and everything goes boom. All of us and half of Sterling City are in another plane of existence. Now, if anyone wants to go ahead and give up, it'll save everyone a lot of trouble. Honestly, I don't know why you've bothered with all this. Even if you succeeded in defeating us, the entire city would be against you.”

“You don't get it,” Lone Star said with a smile. “We're not here to beat you. We've already done that.”

Shade said nothing, but one of her eyes twitched.

“You gave us a way to win,” Alex said. “You told me yourself. Cloak had never intended to become Rangers.”

“What—,” Shade started.

“We have video and photo evidence connecting the Cloak Society and the New Rangers,” Lone Star said. “You and Barrage out in public together. Volt and Phantom running errands.”

“Titan in his Cloak uniform throwing a fire hydrant at me,” Kirbie added.

“It's already mailed out to every government agency and media outlet in the state. And beyond.”

“As we speak,
our
operatives are hand-delivering it to the CIA, FBI—even letters you've never heard of.” Lux couldn't help but smirk.

That was mostly true. Their “operatives” were really just Carla in a rental car driving to the closest big city with copies of the footage they'd put together
and
what the commissioner had sent to her office.

“You're done,” Lone Star said. “This whole sham is over. We didn't broadcast it because we figured it'd cause you to run. We're only here to make sure you don't slither away and come back in another ten years.”

Confusion fell across all of the New Rangers' faces. Shade took a step forward, sneering.

“You're lying.”

“Read our minds,” Alex said. “It's over.”

His mother was enraged. Then she laughed. “You may have changed our plans, but we are far from beaten,” Shade spat. “We've made our way this far and by God, I won't stop fighting until this entire world is bowing before me. I am a third-generation member of the Cloak Society, and I will destroy this city before I give it back to the Rangers.”

For a brief pause, her speech reminded Alex of one he'd given on the steps of Silver Bank. Then the sound of his mother's voice overwhelmed him. At first he thought she was screaming in his mind, but then realized that it was his ears that were being assaulted.

“I am a third-generation member of the Cloak Society, and I will destroy this city before I give it back to the Rangers.”

He turned to see Amp standing behind him with his palms held up to the sky. Shade's voice boomed out of his body, echoing her speech through the park and out into the streets. Alex stared dumbly at the Junior Ranger, who smiled before letting loose the entire monologue again.

“I will destroy this city.”

Anyone within a half mile would hear it.

Shade's body began to tremble with rage. She spoke only a few words.

“No quick exits.”

Alex's father grinned. He raised one arm. A bolt of crackling purple electricity flew through the air so quickly that it was nothing but a flash to Alex as it passed by him. Misty had just enough time to gasp before the electric blast hit her, snaking over her body. She let out a strange, startled noise before falling backward, her curly red hair frizzed out around her.

“Misty!” Alex yelled out.

The Cloak Society charged.

In all his training, Alex had never been on the field with so many different people at once. It could easily devolve into chaos, but they had a plan. Kyle disappeared into the trees. Kirbie made a beeline toward Titan, in her wolf form, her teeth chomping at the air in anticipation of attack. Alex and Amp sprinted toward Shade. Lone Star carried Misty off the field while the others stayed back, ready to take on the Omegas.

Something huge and hulking came through the trees: on top of a giant, spidery creation of twisted roots and branches and tree trunks almost two stories tall stood Kyle, who held thick clumps of vines in one hand like reins. His other hand was out, fingers spread wide as he muttered to himself, directing the giant plant creature. The behemoth moved with shocking speed, and that, coupled with the unexpected sight of a monster made up of parts of Victory Park itself, caught Volt and Titan by surprise. One thick arm reached out and wrapped Titan in its clutches, lifting him high into the air, while another slammed down onto Volt, roots growing over the man's body, pinning him to the ground.

Shade bared her teeth and her eyes flashed. Above her, Photon raised one arm and pointed straight ahead.

“I hope you don't mind,” she said. “I've invited some old friends to help.”

Out of the trees walked a dozen figures that Alex recognized immediately. Their silver bodies reflected the light of the sun and trees and grass around them. Their eyes stared forward, vacant. Alex could even name some of them. Storm Lad. Ms. Light. And Amp's parents—the Guardian and the Sentry.

Walking toward them were the
statues
of the old Rangers that lived permanently in Victory Park. Photon had breathed life into their metal forms. Through the trees behind Shade, Alex could see a few more of the figures stepping down from pedestals and platforms in the memorial sculpture garden and walking across the park to serve as Cloak's disposable soldiers.

“What?” Alex whispered.

“Don't look so surprised,” Shade said. “You
did
arrest our Deputies. I look forward to interrogating each police officer personally once this is over to figure out who is and isn't on our side. The disloyal will be made an example of. You have yourselves to thank for that.”

The statues charged forward, some carrying tree branches, others carrying weapons that had been sculpted into their hands. Alex concentrated on one of the forms, straining his thoughts as he lifted it off the ground. He swung the twisting figure back and forth, knocking others off the battlefield. There was a low electronic pulse as Shade fired the Umbra Gun, aimed at Kirbie. Alex caught the dark energy bolt just in time, deflecting it into one of the moving statues instead.

“Maybe I trained you a little
too
well with all those rubber bullets back home,” Shade lamented as the statue melted into the Gloom.

Amp's metal parents charged straight toward him. A sonic blast bounced off his father. They were just like Titan, immune to his powers.

“Kyle, cover me!” the boy shouted.

The plant monster lurched forward, but Photon twisted his hand and brought the statue of the Guardian flying up through the air. It tackled Kyle, sending both of them falling to the ground with a thud. Kirbie started after him in her wolf form, but Titan stopped her, batting at her with a thick piece of wood he'd pulled off Kyle's plant creation as he escaped its grasp.

“Bug Bomb!” Alex shouted over his shoulder.

Bug nodded, and out of the trees behind Shade came a swarm of insects, buzzing around her eyes, mouth, and ears. She yelled, but opening her mouth only gave the insects a new place to explore. She swatted at them desperately. Across the lawn, the statues started to move more slowly. It was an unexpected attack, but more importantly to Alex, it would keep his mother occupied without actually hurting her. At least not much.

Behind Alex, Lux and Lux's mirror image, Novo, were facing off against each other like two sparring twins.

The real Lux kicked high, slamming the sole of her boot into the Omega's nose—into a reflection of herself. The attack left an imprint on Novo's face, which quickly scrambled and re-formed.

“You must
really
hate looking at yourself,” Novo said, jeering. “That almost hurt.”

Novo's arm shot forward, wrapping around Lux's neck like a tentacle. The genuine Ranger choked.

“You know, I think I'm going to
enjoy
being you.”

“Stop, Novo,” Gage shouted as he caught up to the two of them. He stood in front of the Omega, a tree branch in his one good hand, lab coat billowing in the slight breeze. “Let her go.”

“HA!” Novo laughed. “Oh, this is wonderful. The broken little inventor whose toys are all useless thanks to big, bad Photon. You're going to come at me with a stick, now, is that it?”

Gage rushed forward, branch reared back, letting out a battle cry. Novo tossed Lux aside and grabbed his unbroken arm, holding him up to her eye level.

“It'll take more than that to get rid of me,” Novo seethed, her words a mixture of high and low voices all speaking at the same time. “I'm going to take my time with you. Shade may want your mind, but the rest of you can be as mangled as I want it to be.”

“Do you really think I can't design something without EMP protection?” Gage asked. He smiled.
“Fiat Lux.”

There was a whirring inside his goggles.

“What, is that some sort of Latin curse or—”

Twin lasers shot from the sides of Gage's goggles, searing holes into Novo's face. Novo let out a shriek, her image turning in on itself and regenerating, this time as her own face and not a copy of Lux's.

When she re-formed, she found Mallory, whose jaw was clenched and hands shaking, as if she was holding in an immense amount of energy. Then, as Novo's entire body shot toward her, she unleashed a supercharged subzero blast that flash-froze the Omega. Novo's body smoked like dry ice, her face distorted—an abstract sculpture with vaguely human elements.

“Beat the boss once,” Mallory said, “and it's a lot easier the second time.”

One frozen appendage still held Gage in the air.

“Cold,” Gage said, his teeth chattering, “Very c-c-cold.”

He shook his body, until the thin fingers around his bicep shattered and he fell. He let out a cry as his broken arm hit the ground.

“You okay?” Mallory asked.

“Fine,” he said, though his voice was full of pain. “Go help the others.”

She hesitated briefly before running farther up the battlefield to Alex. He had his arms outstretched, trying to direct one of the metal statues, but was sweating against Photon's powers.

“Protect Amp,” he called to her as she approached. “I've got this.”

He turned his attention to Volt—now free from the plant monster's clutches—and swung the metal statue at him, slowly enough that if it actually hit his father, it would just knock him down for a bit. Volt dodged and sent an arc of electricity flying through the air at his son, who raised a telekinetic shield just in time.

“Incoming!” Lone Star shouted from somewhere behind them.

Alex looked over his shoulder to find Legion tumbling in front of Bug, clones rolling out of him. Lone Star followed behind, swinging and kicking and brawling with copy after copy as they vanished one by one. But the Ranger looked as if he'd been beaten to a veritable pulp. Already one of his eyes was swelling shut and his bottom lip was busted and bleeding. Bug started forward to help him, but one of the Legions held out a strong arm, clotheslining the boy. The Omega was on top of him in an instant.

“Sorry, Bug boy, but this is it for you,” Legion said. “We can't just let you keep spying on us with all your little flying friends.”

Before Bug could respond, another Legion separated from the one holding him down. The copy moved so quickly that he was little more than a blur as he solidified, snatching Zip out of the air.

“NO!” Bug shouted.

Legion bared his teeth as the clone closed his fist around the dragonfly. When he opened his hand again, Zip fell to the ground, motionless.