Heroes Lost and Found (21 page)

Steve dropped down, putting both his hands on the super’s face. “Stop it. You’ll bleed to death,” the strongman snapped. “Don’t change your hurt arm back. Don’t change.” He gave the traumatized man a shake, his voice demanding obedience. “Listen to me. Don’t change.”

Thrasher faced Steve with bleary eyes, confusion spreading with fear and pain. The shifting stopped shy of his elbow as he gave out a strangled cough. His entire body had returned to flesh with only part of his injured arm remaining solid.

Steve looked away for a second, long enough to nod to Hunter.

Hunter stepped behind the thug. He pressed the pistol to the back of Thrasher’s skull and squeezed the trigger. The super slumped into Steve’s arms.

“Hunter.” I approached him, unsure what I was witnessing.

He spun around and grabbed Harris, repeating the maneuver with the pistol.

Harris didn’t fight. He released me and slapped his hand over the back of his neck, dropping down on one knee and cursing up a storm.

Hunter pulled me into a hug, the pistol pressing against my bare back. His lips caressed my ear with a wet kiss.

I felt the barrel push against the plug scar, move a fraction lower.

He fired.

It burned, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, and I screamed as I collapsed in his arms, wondering why my Guardian, my lover, had just shot me.

A wave of heat slammed into my back. I struggled to get up and break free of Hunter’s grip but couldn’t, my body having more common sense than my mind at that point.

“It’ll take a second to work,” he mumbled, his lips to my ear. “If you want to pass out, it’s okay. I’m here. I won’t let go.” Dampness brushed my cheek. “I won’t let go.”

The ground vibrated with a handful of steps and then went silent.

I couldn’t turn, still trapped in Hunter’s embrace. I knew what was going on behind me, and I couldn’t do anything about it.

Dykovski was here.

Rachael stopped beside us, rage written all over her face. Her hands stayed in front of her, shooting out wind blast after wind blast, her fingers twitching and jerking into odd shapes and patterns. She stared at Dykovski with a visible hatred, her lower lip trembling even as she unleashed another barrage.

Goose bumps rose on my bare skin as the heat vanished, replaced by a cool breeze. It shifted within seconds, the two elements fighting for domination. I could imagine Dykovski standing behind me, scowling and rolling the flamethrower around, trying to get past the strong air waves buffeting the flames away from us. He’d worry about scorching himself and cut back on the weapon’s intensity, if he could.

Rachael glanced down, her gaze darting between us and Dykovski.

“She’s good,” Hunter murmured into my hair. “She’s good.”

I opened my mouth to tell him that I was not good, that he had just shot me and when I got my strength back I was going to kick his ass into next week, but nothing came out.

“Shit!” Rachael yelled.

I fought my way free of Hunter’s arms and turned around to fall on my ass on the cold floor. The little bit of hope I’d gathered in Hunter’s embrace vanished when I spotted Dykovski, his massive power armor suit almost filling the entire corridor.

Rachael yelped, spinning around towards us.

The same type of ebony goo trapping the bobcat now encased her hands, effectively crippling the super. She stumbled back towards Hunter as the power suit moved forward, liberated from her elemental attack.

Rachael fell on the ground, her legs thrashing as she tried to free herself. The panic on her face grew as Dykovski advanced on us in a slow, steady march of doom.

I reached out and grabbed Rachael’s arm. A sharp tug backwards and sideways and she was with us, weeping as she leaned into my shoulder.

“It’s over, it’s over, it’s over,” she whimpered, her eyes closed.

I covered her face with my hand. I didn’t have any words left for what was about to happen, nothing to offer to make our exit memorable. All I could do was keep her from staring into her killer’s face and having that as her last memory.

A low whine came from the suit as Dykovski stopped advancing. He smiled as he looked down on us.

“Welcome back to the fold, Wind Witch.” His hand landed on the wristband, inputting another trio of numbers. “I’m in a bit of a hurry, so let’s get this over with. Dillon, consider this your termination notice as a Guardian.”

“Go,” I yelped as Hunter’s arms went around me, pulling me and Rachael into his embrace. “Get out of here. Go.”

“Never.” His lips brushed my left temple. “Fight alone, die alone. I don’t want you to ever be alone again.”

“How adorable.” Dykovski sneered. “And a waste of your last breath.”

He slapped the button on his console.

I cringed and closed my eyes, bracing myself against the horrible deaths about to happen.

Silence. But only for a second.

A roaring started up, the flamethrower renewing its attack. But the strangest sound I’d ever heard wrapped itself around us, rising in intensity from a low buzzing to a high-pitched drone.

Dykovski yelled, the panicked scream forcing my eyes open. I blinked in astonishment, not sure what I was looking at.

A flowing wall of flying insects stood between us and the power-armored man, hundreds or maybe thousands of bees, wasps and other insects. Just as quickly as one would fall from the concentrated flames, another would fill the spot, the swarm effectively blocking Dykovski’s attack. Heat waves raced over us, increasing the temperature several degrees, but we were still alive even as a stack of tiny bodies rose in front of us, the charred remains growing by the second.

“That’s not going to last forever,” I rasped.

“Doesn’t have to.” Peter’s voice came from behind me, joined by a loud, roaring inhuman sound.

A large furry wall interrupted my vision, the intense animal smell driving me deeper into Hunter’s embrace.

One of two black bears rose on his hind feet and bellowed, the long, off-white claws reaching out towards the living wall and the power armor behind it. The second shuffled from side to side before moving forward on all four paws beside its partner. Each of them had to weigh hundreds of pounds, maybe a thousand between the pair.

Dykovski took one step back and then another as the insect wall moved towards him, the loud humming rising in intensity. The flamethrower coughed once before falling silent, either from lack of fuel or lack of nerve on Dykovski’s part to continue the fight against our animal allies. Whether it was the danger of a hundred stings or a concentrated attack by the bears, it was enough to force him back.

The grinding of gears grew as Dykovski retreated under the continued assault. I waited for the ominous thump of the goop gun or the hiss of the flamethrower starting back up again, but there was nothing. Either he had a conscience about killing innocent animals or limited ammunition and couldn’t afford to waste it on bears and bugs.

I guessed the latter.

The bears moved forward with the wall of insects, pushing Dykovski back around the corner. I could barely make out the swearing and cursing under the buzzing and the noise but knew the ex-Guardian couldn’t be happy.

Peter knelt beside me, sweat dripping off his nose and looking like he’d just run a marathon. “You guys okay?” His hand dropped down to stroke Rachael’s long blonde hair, trying to soothe the trembling woman.

“We’re good,” Hunter answered before I could.

“It’s okay,” Peter whispered to Rachael. “It’s okay.”

She opened her eyes, tears flowing freely.

Peter smiled, putting all of his charm and personality into a twitch of his mouth. Rachael returned it with a second of hesitation, the timid smile growing as she maintained eye contact.

He rose, standing tall in his black uniform. “You three stay down. We’ll clean this up.” The strength in his voice washed over us, making me feel like a proud parent watching her son at graduation.

The ground shook with a violent shudder, the vibrations rocking us from side to side. I brushed off Hunter’s grip and forced myself to stand, moving forward on shaky feet towards the corner and where Dykovski had been.

A short hop over the low wall of dead insects and I was near the turn in the hallway. Behind me Hunter yelled something but I didn’t catch it, all of my focus set on charging up and getting ready to continue the fight. There was no way I was going to allow the animals to finish the job and incapacitate or kill Dykovski.

Booming thunder came from around the corner, a strangely familiar sound. I grabbed the edge of the wall and pulled myself around.

One of the bears roared as smoke billowed out of the power armor’s oversized feet, the white exhaust rolling outwards. The wave of flying bugs wavered under the assault while the bears hesitated, unwilling to move forward into this unknown danger.

Slowly, agonizingly, Dykovski rose. His head smashed into the ceiling within seconds, the thick metal shell absorbing the impact as a clear Plexiglas mask slipped down to protect his face. Large hunks of concrete and soil fell away as the armored man burst through the top of the hallway and out of the underground bunker.

A metallic scream signaled the final retreat as the jets kicked in full, and he shot out of sight, the boots kicking fire as he ascended.

Bright sunlight charged in from above, blinding me with its intensity. I staggered back under the fresh assault and felt a strong pair of arms wrap around me again.

The first bear let out a whiny snort and dropped to all fours, looking at Peter. His partner spun around and around, seemingly lost as to what to do. The mass of insects dissipated within seconds out the hole, leaving behind hundreds of tiny corpses in their wake.

“He’s gone,” Hunter snarled. “Peter, we have a trace on him?”

Peter nodded. “Tucked a bee up under his collar. Saw it in a movie once. We’ll know exactly where he’s going now.” The animal telepath looked at me and smiled. “Missed you, Jo.”

“Thanks,” I sputtered. Hunter half-carried, half-dragged me away from the gaping hole and the bears.

“Give him a minute to do his magic with the animals,” Hunter offered. “I don’t know about you but I always worry they’re going to want a snack after helping out and not wait for Peter’s guidance.”

I gave a weak chuckle. “Yes, that could be a problem.”

The two bears lumbered around the corner, sniffed at us for a paralyzing second of fear on our part and kept going back towards the entrance.

Peter followed, rubbing his nose. “Damn. I think I’m allergic to bears.” He sneezed.

Hot Foot groaned, oblivious to the bobcat still perched on his chest.

The feline yowled, and the two bears moved into position on each side of the speedster, swaying as they glared at the super.

He stopped moving.

Peter knelt by Rachael and helped her to her feet. “Bet the boys outside have something to take that off.” He rapped the hard black plastic shackles. “Sort of kinky, if you ask me. Saw something like that in this shop once. I tell you, I didn’t even think about it but…” His voice went to a whisper as he continued to talk, his arm around her shoulders.

Rachael giggled and allowed Peter to lead her away, still listening to his story.

I looked back where Steve sat on the floor, trying to calm the shocked Thrasher. The shattered remains of the super’s right hand lay nearby. I suspected if and when he changed back to flesh, it’d be a sudden and bloody amputation.

Steve caught my eye and nodded before turning his attention back to the injured man.

Hunter turned me around so I faced him. “I’m not sure whether to kiss you or toss you over my knee and spank you for all the worry you’ve caused me,” he murmured.

“Kiss first, kink later.” I burrowed into his neck, wallowing in his body heat. “And I’d love a hot bath.”

“I’ll take care of you.” He stripped off his jacket and placed it on my shoulders.

I shivered, feeling the warmth from the soft lining surge on my bare skin.

“Let’s get you out of here.” He turned back the way they’d come in. I tightened my grip on his arm.

“No. Wait.” I looked behind me. “Not yet.”

He frowned. “Outrager’s got a clean-up team outside waiting. Not to mention paramedics.” He put a strong emphasis on the last word.

I paused, torn between what I needed to do and what I wanted to do.

My pride decided to step up and be heard, having been ignored for several hours.

“Please say there’s no media outside.” I struggled to stand, settling on a compromise of holding on to his waist for dear life. “Don’t want them to get a shot of me like this.”

He shook his head. “No media, at least not as far as I know. Came only with some Agency resources and kept that under wraps. Besides, anyone says anything or dares to take a picture and I’ll rip their throats out.” His fingers clenched and unclenched on my skin, pressing on fresh bruises.

“There’s something we have to do first.” I struggled to find the words, exhausted beyond my limits. “He was one of our own, one of us. We can’t leave him there, alone.”