I Am Phantom (23 page)

“I’ll
ask you again, Drake, do you know anything about Phantom? Withholding evidence,
that’s some jail time. I can make it much, much worse.”

“I
don’t know anything. And neither do you. You’re so focused on Sykes you can’t
even see the real enemy.” Oh, boy, my mouth was running now. But I was too
angry to care. Ryans had worked for Project Midnight, had stood by and watched
as Carlyle turned Sykes into the monster he was today. And now he wanted to pin
the blame on Sykes. And me.

           
Ryans swept around his desk in an instant. I let him wrench me up and
slam me against the wall so hard he cracked a picture frame. His eyes shone
violently and when he spoke it was in a metallic rasp so deadly it was worse
than if he had been yelling.

“You
little
shit
. I am this close, this
close! To finding Sykes and every time he slips away. And now this—this
Phantom freak—waltz’s in here and screws up my system? I will crucify him
and if Sykes is not stopped soon we are all going to burn. You think you’re
being tough, hiding it from me? You’re not. I know you’re Phantom, I know about
the police scanner you, or maybe your friends, are using and I know you can’t
stop Sykes any more than I can. But I do know this: Sykes will stop at nothing
in his quest for his own twisted justice, and when that time comes there will
be no power in heaven or hell that will save you from me. You will tell me.
Now.”

I
stared back into his eyes, boiling with rage. His grip tightened on my shirt.

“How
could you?”

Ryans’
breathing stuttered. “What?”

I
tried to keep my words steady though my heart was racing. “You stood by and
just
watched
while Carlyle destroyed
Sykes.” Ryans dropped me and stepped back. I saw shock and fear on his face.

“I
know, Ryans,” I said. “Yes, I’m Phantom, but you already knew that. But I’m
more than that. I’m Project Midnight’s little experiment, the one they didn’t
completely screw up on.”

“I—I
don’t believe you.”

My
anger rose “You’re the problem, Ryans, not Sykes. You and Project Midnight. Maybe
by becoming police chief you thought you were doing some great service to right
a wrong—”

“I
left Project Midnight—”

“But
they never left me!” I yelled. “Stop denying them! Project Midnight is still
alive, Ryans! They’re still out there and now they want me alive and Sykes dead.
Just because you left doesn’t mean they disappeared. All I hear is Sykes this
and Sykes that. Well Sykes wasn’t the one who made me what I am. Sykes didn’t
drive himself insane, and Sykes sure as hell didn’t stand by and let Project
Midnight do their twisted experiments on innocent people, himself included.
Innocents are dying because you can’t face the truth.”
And neither can you,
a small voice said.
You’re too busy pretending to get answers because you can’t really face
him. Coward.

My
voice finally faded into the wood paneling of his office. Ryans clutched one
edge of his desk. “You—You’re one of—”

“The
whole time,” I said. “Before I was even born. Are you proud, Ryans? Proud of
what the Project has accomplished?”

“I
didn’t know,” Ryans said softly. I turned away in disgust. Here was someone
else who wasn’t willing to own up. By now my anger had abated a little bit and
I realized how stupid it was to announce my identity in a police station. Oops.

Someone
pounded on the door. “Sir?”

We
didn’t move. Ryans eyes were still locked on me. There was more hammering.

“Sir!
Sykes has been seen on Queensbury University grounds. They have a full lockdown
of the school and request police intervention.”

Ryans
unlocked the door for a younger officer.

“Get
our men split into teams. We left five minutes ago.” He turned back to me. “And
arrest Mr. Sinclair. We’re keeping him as a suspect for the identity of
Phantom.” The young officer’s eyes widened and he reached for some handcuffs.

Before
he could grab them I struck him in the chest and he collapsed, unconscious.
Ryans took a step back and grabbed his gun. I ripped it out of his hand and
threw it at the window, shattering it.

“You
can’t run from me, Drake,” Ryans said, backing up.

I
stepped to the window and looked down. The ground was much closer than I
thought it was and there were some nice bushes to cushion my fall.

“I’m
not going to,” I said. “I’m going to stop Sykes and then Project Midnight.
Something you never tried to do. You need me to take them down.”

“I
don’t trust that you will.”

“You’ll
have to.”

I
jumped.

Chapter
Fourteen

Lockdown

I
heard the sirens start up by the time I had reached campus. I unclipped the
earpiece from my shirt and put it in my ear as I walked.

“You
there?” I said.

“You
alive? I heard a whole bunch of banging. I thought for sure he was going to
kill you.”

“We
had a little disagreement. The police force should be on my trail any minute.”

Silence
on the other end, then, “Yeah…I’ll guess we’ll just make this up as we go?”

“Right.
Sykes is the priority now.”

I
took a short cut that I knew ran past the gym where they were holding the pep
rally.

“I’m
almost to the gym. You still there?”

“No,
I’m at the dorm, but don’t come back here. Melanie’s at the pep rally. I’ll
sneak out and meet you there.”

“The
whole school’s in lockdown. We won’t be able to get into the gym.”

“You’re
Phantom. You can find a way in for us.”

I
was about to say no again when my phone buzzed. It was a text from Melanie.

           
Something weird going on at the pep rally.
You here?

                                               
Melanie

“Fine,
it looks like I’m needed at the pep rally. I’ll find a way in and you let me
know when you’re here.”

“Got
it.”

I
started jogging towards the gym. When I arrived I tried the front door just to
be sure, but they were locked tight, the windows covered. I went around the
back, where nobody could see me. Hopefully there would be a vent I could climb
into on the roof.

I
took the grapple from the costume and, making sure nobody was around, fired it
to the ledge above me and pulled myself up.

“No
go,” Cody said once I reached the top. “I tried to leave but some guys caught
me. I have to stay put.”
                       

“That’s
fine. I’m almost in. Stay on the line.”

I
spied a vent and popped the cover off. I looked down but couldn’t see too far
into the blackness. I put on Phantom’s gloves in case I slipped, attached the
grapple to the lip of the vent and started to repel down.

Cody’s
voice came again, sounding slightly worried. “I got Melanie’s text, but when I
called I got a dead tone. I’d get Matt to check on her but he’s at the Lab
finishing up the water molecule materializer. The lockdown’s keeping him there,
I’m sure.”
“Can you call him?”

The
gloves managed to grip the slick interior of the vent and I paused, listening to
the dial tone of Cody’s phone.

“You
are so lucky I picked up,” Matt said. “Do you have any idea how close I am to
finishing this?”

“His
call went through,” Cody muttered.

“Sorry,
Matt, But I need to see if you can find out where Sykes is,” I said. I waited
until Matt was done sighing heavily into the phone and said, “Listen, this is
urgent. They’re not going to lift the lockdown until Sykes is gone, Matt.”

“What
lockdown?”

“Are
you working under a rock?” Cody said in disbelief. “Sykes is on campus. The school’s
in lockdown. I’m stuck in the dorm and Drake’s breaking in to the pep rally.”

There
was a brief pause. “I see,” Matt said.

“Since
he’s on campus then it should be easier to find out where he is. Call Cody if
you find him.”

“And
please see what’s going on in the gym. I can’t get through to Melanie. I think
something’s up.”

“Okay,
I’m doing it.” He hung up.

“I
love that guy, but he’s totally clueless,” Cody said. I continued repelling
down the shaft. I saw a faint light below me and a minute later touched down on
some squishy air vents that gave under my weight. “At least he’s safe,” I said.
“I think I’m in a maintenance shaft. Yep, there’s the ladder.” I took the
gloves off, descended the ladder and opened the door to find myself in one of
the back hallways near the locker room. A hum of voices came from some double
doors to my right. I glanced through the windows to the inside.

 
Hundreds of students checkered the stands
raised high above the sunken basketball court. I went back into the hallway. The
stairs would take me up the side to the higher bleachers and I raced up them,
past a maintenance room and through another set of double doors.

A
nervous buzz of voices blasted my ears. Despite the lockdown, the band was
still playing in full force while cheerleaders tumbled beside them. It all
looked normal, but something was off. I couldn’t put a finger on it, but this
was the calm before the storm.

I
quickly busied myself with looking for Melanie.

“Drake!”
She was coming from the top of the bleachers. She hopped down the last few
steps and ran over to me.

“Is
everyone okay?” I asked.

Melanie
took a deep breath. “I don’t know. Everybody’s phones stopped working just
after I texted you.”

“Okay,
okay,” I said, trying to think. I spotted Liz in the stands and exhaled a sigh
of relief. She was here and safe. “Is there any help here? Anybody who might
have connection with the outside, like an officer or someone?”

“There
were a couple here earlier, but they left to check on the lockdown and haven’t
come back yet. I know Sykes was spotted on campus but I don’t think he would
dare come here—”

“He
would,” I said. “He definitely would.” Other than sad faces at a pep rally,
nothing else looked too bad.

“Listen,
go back up into the stands and—”

Melanie
clamped her hands over her mouth to stifle a scream, looking at the gym doors
behind me. I spun around. Two masked gunmen cradling Uzis had pushed through
the doors.

A
rising tide of screams gradually rose at my back as I guessed more gunmen had
appeared. Students sprang from their seats but a smattering of gunfire came
from the gym floor. A couple of people collapsed and a voice roared into a
microphone,

“
Sit down
!”

The
gunman nearest to us shoved me. I thought for sure I was going to get herded
right along with the other kids, and then I heard Melanie.

“What
do you think you’re doing here? Don’t you know this is a pep rally?”

She
stood near the door, hands on her hips. The determined look on her face almost
hid her shaking shoulders.

Melanie
tossed up her hands.

“How
are we supposed to have a rally with people like you here?”

The
men glanced at one another. I almost missed Melanie’s slight nod my direction,
but the second the men stepped towards her I went for the back of their necks.
Both dropped. I kicked their guns under the bleachers. The gunmen on the gym
floor were too distracted with terrorizing people to notice.

I
turned to Melanie. Her shaking had increased but she was holding it together. I
gently grasped her arms and said in my most reassuring voice, “Melanie, that
was great. You’re okay. We’re all going to be okay.”

She
took in a shuddering breath. “I don’t know how you stand up to men like that. I
about fainted.”

I
laughed weakly and double-checked the gym floor. “You were really brave. I need
you to get back to the bleachers and stay safe—”

“Drake!”

Great.

“Liz!”
She joined me and I pushed them both to the side of the bleachers, just out
sight of the chaos around us.

“Don’t
draw attention to yourself,” I said. “I’m going to find a way to take out the
gunmen.”

I
looked over her shoulder. There were two gunmen at each of the other three
exits, corralling students back to their seats. At least ten masked men had
made a wide ring on the gym floor around their leader. I saw at least three
bodies.

“Please
go back to the stands,” I said.

“The
lights,” Liz said quickly. “Cut the lights. Melanie and I will try to get some
students ready to jump the gunmen when you cut them.”

“The
lights will work but don’t get the students involved in this. Stay here—”

“We
can help!” Melanie insisted. Something about standing up to the gunmen must
have hardened her resolve. “Leave before they notice. Don’t worry about us.”

Liz
shoved me towards the door and with a quick glance back I slipped through it
and into the vacant hallway.

I
changed into my costume in record time and stuck the earpiece back in.

“Cody,”
I said.

“Matt
told me somebody put a jamming signal on the gym. Sykes—”

“Is
here,” I said. “Keep me updated with anything outside the gym. I need to work.”

“Is
Melanie—”

“She’s
fine. Most everyone is.”

“Most
everyone?” Cody said. I brushed the image of the bodies from my mind. I had
other people to take care of.

I
tried to find where the lights to the gym might be. The switches were probably
inside but there had to be a breaker or something out here. I spotted the
maintenance door I had passed coming up the stairs. I found a bolted handle
attached to a circuit breaker inside. The glove contracted on the lock and with
a huge tug I tore it off.

“Things
are about to get dark,” I said. Then, to myself. “Here we go.”

One, two, three.

I
pulled the handle down and a monstrous humming in the background died. Screams
erupted from the gym but I was already moving, the darkness growing brighter as
my mask amplified whatever light was still left.

The
moment I re-entered the gym there came a smattering of gunfire into the ceiling
directly across from me that quickly stopped. I guess Melanie had distracted
the gunmen enough. I grappled to the other side of the gym. Two more guards
near the other double doors came in to view, sweeping blindly in front of
themselves and thankfully not firing.

I
shouldered one to the ground and kicked another in the face, making his gun
discharge into the wall. I heard more gunfire and screams from the floor and
picked up the pace.

The
guards at the other set of doors went down easily enough. A second later I hung
above the gym floor, like spider dangling over the remaining men. Most of them
had spread out in the darkness. The leader had no gun. He hadn’t moved, as though
waiting.

I
dropped on the outside of the circle of men. One of them heard me and spun
around, but I kicked his leg and smashed his face as he collapsed. Someone
tackled me from behind and we both fell. I felt his fingers struggle towards my
throat. I freed my elbow and hammered it back. I was rewarded by a nasty crunch
as it met his nose. He screamed and I chopped his throat.

Three
more went down from chops from behind before the lights came back on, but by
then it didn’t even phase me. The rest of the gunman waved stupidly around as
their eyes adjusted to the light.

“There
he is!” one yelled. I dove as he fired and came up under his jaw. The remaining
four, minus the leader who still hadn’t moved, surrounded me. They didn’t fire,
either because they thought they would hit their own guys or were waiting for
their chance.

“Arms
up, freak!” One yelled and all four leveled their guns. A sudden hush had
fallen on the stands as I circled to face each of them.

“Hands
up!” The man screamed again. I raised my arms. And fired the grappling hook at
his arm, wrapped it around his bicep and with a massive heave swung him
sideways into another man.

The
last two rushed me. My arms came up to block. Jab to the side, duck, roll out
of the way. One went down, and then a strange, faint sound started from the
stands, so soft I thought I had heard wrong.

I
must have heard wrong.

“Drake?”
Cody said confusedly as I dodged a punch. “Are they…chanting your name?”

And
they were. “
Phantom! Phantom! Phantom!”
The cheer rose and fell among the stands like waves. Students leapt from their
seats and escaped while I had the men distracted, all the while still chanting,
still cheering.

I
sidestepped a man and hit him in the back of the head before kicking him down. What
few students were still left cheered as they ran out the doors.

“One
to go,” Cody said.

I
turned to the last man. He hadn’t moved the entire time. His masked face looked
up as though observing the stars, except there weren’t any stars in the gym and
his eyes were closed.

“What
did you expect to do here?” I said.
     

“Take
him down, Phantom,” Cody urged. Sykes’ eyes snapped open and he pulled the mask
off as if he hadn’t really wanted it on in the first place. He looked so…
normal, so clean cut that I had to remind myself there were murderous scars
under his shirt and utter madness behind his eyes.