The Secret of the Supers (The First Superhero Book 4) (15 page)

I
felt
weird buttoning up my collared shirt. Getting dressed up felt like the last thing I should be doing. But, of course, I made a promise. I straightened out my red plaid shirt, and looked at myself in the mirror.

I had fifteen minutes before I needed to be down stairs to meet with the rest of the group. We were all going to head to Ellie’s parent’s house together. I wished we would be going on a more productive note, but after spending all day today and yesterday searching for any sign of Jigsaw and his men, Selena and I had found nothing. I wanted to go back out there, scouring London until he and his men were found. I wanted my debt to be paid to Athena. I wanted her to tell me where Samantha was located. I wanted to find her, and tell her about all the things she missed out on.

But instead, there I was, getting ready for a dinner.

I sat down on my bed, slipping on my shoes. I thought about the things I would tell Samantha whenever we were finally reunited. Where would I begin? Did I just start at the beginning, or did I tell her all the best and most important parts first? I wasn’t for sure, although I had a feeling that once I was there, actually telling her, I would know what to do. Whenever I was around Samantha, that usually seemed to be the case.

A knock at the door pulled me from my train of thought. I realized I’d only had one shoe half tied. “It’s unlocked!” I shouted as I rushed to finish my shoes.

Doug walked in wearing a gray long sleeve t-shirt, jacket, and jeans. “What kind of food do you think they’re going to have?” he asked, not even saying hello.

“I don’t know,” I said as I stood. I grabbed my jacket from the back of my desk chair. “Probably the kind you eat.”

Doug rolled his eyes. “Are you sure you’re Tempest and not Batman, Mr. Detective?”

I put on my jacket and walked towards the door. “I’m ninety-five percent sure.” I flipped off the lights and the two of us walked out of the room.

“Is it weird that I feel nervous?” Doug asked.

“Kinda,” I said. The two of us walked down the hallway, the sound of all the agents and employees who lived on this floor eating in the food court behind us. “What are you nervous about?”

“I don’t know, meeting Ellie’s parents? I don’t really like meeting new people. Too many chances for things to be awkward.”

“You think things are going to be awkward with her parents? What the hell are you expecting to happen?” I asked, laughing.

Doug shook his head and threw his hands up. “I don’t know! I just always get this way.”

“The number of people you know that are going to be there outweigh the number of people you’re going to meet. You’ll be fine,” I said we reached the elevator. I pushed the button and we stepped inside. “Is it weird that I really don’t want to go?” I asked as we rode the elevator down.

Doug scoffed. “Is it too late for the two of us to bail?” he said, answering my question.

“I think so. It’ll probably be good to do something a bit normal for a change,” I said, trying to convince myself as much as I was him.

“Let’s hope you’re right.”

The elevator slowed to a stop, and the doors opened. The two of us stepped out and walked across the foyer. Just a few feet away was the spot where Doug and Avery had been held hostage by Jigsaw. That was the last time we’d encountered him. The feeling to bail on Ellie to go out searching for him came on me strong, but I fought it. I owed it to her to do this, although what for I wasn’t sure.

I began to panic. Why was I even doing this? Why was I going to do something so mundane? Why wasn’t I out there doing what I came here to do?

And why the hell was I feeling so damn nervous?

We stepped out of the building, the hum of the Eximus wiring all around. Selena, Avery, and Eddie stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting. Doug and I joined their small circle, Ellie the only person missing.

“What are we waiting on?” Doug asked.

“Ellie. She’s went to go get her car,” Selena said.

I shifted my weight between my feet, a pit growing in my stomach and a chill settling in my shoulders.

“You okay?” Avery asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, I haven’t really eaten much today and it’s starting to catch up with me I think,” I said. That was true, maybe a bite to eat was all I needed. Suddenly I was looking forward to getting to Ellie’s parent’s house a bit more, since it meant there’d be things to eat.

Right on cue, Ellie pulled up in her large maroon SUV. We all piled in. Avery in the front, Selena and I in the middle, Eddie and Doug in the back.

“Nice to see you all looking spiffy,” Ellie said.

“I haven’t worn something other than a t-shirt in a long time,” I said.

“Haven’t put on that Tempest suit either,” Ellie said, eyeing me in the rearview mirror with a mischievous look on her face.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. I thought about that suit they’d made for me, how it was sitting at the bottom of my dresser. It’s not that I didn’t want to wear it, I just never really think to put it on. I guess if I really wanted to though, I’d remember. “I didn’t think your parents would appreciate me showing up in all leather. Wouldn’t want to give your mother a heart attack.”

Avery laughed from the front seat. “Can you imagine? The face on your mum if he’d have done that.”

“I don’t even want to,” Ellie said. She turned up the radio a bit, and pop music was playing.

“Oh my god,” Selena said.

I knew exactly what she was thinking. “It’s been so long since I’ve heard music,” I said.

“Yeah, one of the local stations is keeping their lights on to help lift everyone’s spirits. It’s really nice,” Ellie said.

“That’s awesome. I forgot how much I missed music,” I said. I looked out the window as we drove through an empty London, listening to music that I’d totally forgotten existed.

****

I
t didn’t take
us long to reach Ellie’s parent’s house, given the fact that there was really no one else on the road. She parked in their small driveway behind another car that I assumed belonged to her parents. The house itself was wedged between a long line of identical looking houses. It was two stories, red brick, and had a large green front door. There was a small garden in the front yard, filled with all sorts of flowers.

“The garden is lovely,” Selena said as we walked up.

“Yeah, it keeps my mum busy,” Ellie told her as she inserted her key into the front door. She twisted it open, and we all stepped inside.

“Hello!” Ellie’s mother said, running up to greet us. She was a short pudgy woman who looked to be in her late fifties. A pair of bifocals sat on the bridge of her nose, and she wore a pair of blue scrubs. She pulled Ellie into an embrace. “How was the drive?”

“Quick as usual,” Ellie answered. She turned to the five of us who were crammed in the entryway. “Mum you know Avery of course,” she said.

“How are you doing, Mrs. Montgomery?” Avery asked, taking a step forward.

“I’d be doing better if Mr. Montgomery would get a move on in the bathroom so I could get cleaned up, but he’s too old to do anything fast anymore,” she said. She let out a loud staccato laugh, turning to the rest of us to see our reactions.

We all chuckled along with her, not thinking her joke was actually funny.

“Mum this is Kane Andrews,” Ellie said, gesturing towards me.

I put my hand out and Ellie’s mom grabbed it and pulled me into a hug. “Oh I know who this lad is! Kane Andrews, in the flesh,” she said, beating her hand on my back. She pulled away, looking me up and down with the biggest smile on her face. “Can you believe it, El?” she said, turning to Ellie. “Kane Andrews in my house!”

I smiled and laughed with her. “Thank you for inviting me in, Mrs. Montgomery.”

“Oh please, call me Gene. Or Genevieve. Or whatever you like!” She let out another set of laughs, and I realized that she actually seemed to be nervous.

I offered her a warm smile. “Well, Gene, thank you.” Cacophony of food smell wafted up to my nose. I took in a deep breath. “It smells great.”

“Well once Ellie’s father gets himself off the bathroom and I can get changed out of these scrubs, we’ll dig right in.”

“Let me introduce you to the rest of my friends,” Ellie said.

I stepped past Gene and Ellie, standing out of the way while Ellie introduced her mother to the rest of the group. I looked around at the interior of the house. Everything seemed to be a bit crammed together, but it was all very nice. The polished wood floors, the dusted surfaces, the pictures that hung on the wall. Everything was perfectly cleaned. I could tell that Ellie’s mom had put a lot of thought and effort into getting the place ready.

Then, moments later, right as Ellie finished introducing Doug, the walls imploded.

B
ricks and rubble flew everywhere
, and everyone fell to the ground. I felt debris rain down on me, and I covered my head out of instinct.

“Mum!” I heard Ellie shout.

I sat up and looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. I looked and saw Ellie trying to wake her mom who’d been knocked in the head by a flying brick. Blood trickled down her head.

To the left standing in the living room stood Jigsaw, an evil smile on his face. “I hope I’m not too late,” he said as he stepped towards me.

Ellie lunged at him but he quickly tossed her aside. I jumped up, ready to fight. I stepped over some rubble and swung at Jigsaw. He stepped to the side and grabbed my arm. He pulled me in and stabbed a knife into my shoulder.

I screamed in pain as I fell to the ground. The knife released Eximus into my body, leaving me useless.

I watched as Selena lunged at him, but he drew another Eximus knife at her and she fell to the ground in a shout of pain. Jigsaw got on a knee and held something over my face. I tried my best to fight the darkness that flooded the edge of my vision, but there was nothing I could do. It took over, and I fell unconscious.

****

M
y eyes shot
open as my powers returned just enough to wake me up. I felt them leave me as a metal clasped around my wrists.

I took in my surroundings. An abandoned subway car. Lights hanging from the handrails. The hum of a generator.

And Jigsaw’s face just inches from mine.

I jerked forward to try and attack him, but my hands were tied around a pole, Eximus cuffs secured around my wrist.

Jigsaw let out a laugh, his breath disgusting. “Careful, Kane. Wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Some of his men laughed behind him. I shot them glances that said I wasn’t going to go easy on them, but as of right then and there, there was really nothing I could do.

“What do you want, Jigsaw?” I spat out.

Jigsaw placed a hand on his knee and pushed himself up. “I just want to ask you a few questions, Kane. You’ve been holed up in that building for so long though I couldn’t get my hands on you. Thankfully Mrs. Montgomery decided to be so kind and inviting,” he said with a smirk.

“If I find out you—”

“—What? I what, Kane?” Jigsaw said, jumping in front of my face. “What’re you going to do about it?” Jigsaw slapped me across my face hard. My vision went away for a few seconds, and I thought I was about to be knocked out again. Slowly it returned, the pain in my cheek throbbing. “There’s not a thing you can do, Kane Andrews,” Jigsaw said with a smile.

I gritted my teeth. I wanted to yell at him. I wanted to fight back. So many things I wanted to do, none of them I could. I just had to sit there and try not to do anything that would make Jigsaw hurt anyone else. “Just tell me what you want,” I said.

“My friends and I, as you know, have been searching for something. Something that’s been missing for over a hundred years. We think you might know where to find it,” Jigsaw explained.

“I used to have a hard time remembering where I parked my car. I sure as hell can’t tell you where to find something that’s been missing since before I was born,” I said.

Jigsaw got down in front of me once again. “Ah, but you’ve done a pretty good job of finding an Artifact of Power before.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“The
asthenés plásma
, one of the three Artifacts of Power. You found it in Johannesburg, did you not?”

I scoffed and shook my head. “No, Raven’s the one who found it. I just took it from him. If you wanted to ask someone who’s found one of these Artifacts before, your boss should’ve asked Raven before he killed him.”

Jigsaw laughed inches away from my face. Then he jammed his fist into my chest. All the air shot from me like a rocket. I couldn’t breathe, and I was sure that one of my ribs had been broken. I winced and gasped in pain.

Jigsaw reached his hand behind him, and one of his men placed a piece of paper in his hands. He held it up in front of my face. “This. The
dýnami pétra
.”

I looked at the paper, still in pain. On it was a realistic drawing of a stone about the size of my hand. It was covered in a black rock, but some spot of its green penetrated the surface. It glowed green, and my mind immediately turned to the image of the green eyed man I saw all that time ago when Athena first came to me in Texas. Underneath the drawing were the words
dýnami pétra
. I had no idea what they meant, but I assumed it was something Greek given the
asthenés plásma
was also Greek.

“So you do recognize it,” Jigsaw said, his smile gleaming as he noticed my wide eyes.

I shook my head. “I’ve never seen it before in my life.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m serious,” I said. “I don’t have the slightest clue where it could be.”

“Don’t lie to me!” Jigsaw shouted, inches away from my face.

I turned my head away, wincing. “I’m not lying! I swear! The only thing I know about is the
asthenés plásma
, and Atlas is the one who has that!”

“Except he doesn’t!” Jigsaw screamed. “You and your bastard friends came and took it!”

I looked at him, shocked at what he’d just said. I shook my head. “What are you talking about?”

“Atlas only had it for a couple days before some white-eyed freaks came and took it. Atlas said it was you and your friends,” Jigsaw explained.

“No, that wasn’t me. I don’t have it, I swear. Somebody else must’ve taken it,” I said, my heart beginning to beat even faster. I didn’t know what it meant that the white-eyed Supers had the plasma, but I knew it probably wasn’t good. Then again, Atlas having it wasn’t good either. “What do you even want that rock for anyways?” I asked, gesturing towards the picture, hoping to glean some information from him. “It looks like a souvenir you’d get at Disney.”

“It’s an Artifact of Power,” Jigsaw said. “There are three. You know where the third one is, and you’re going to tell me.”

“I swear to you, the only thing I know about is the plasma. That’s it.”

“Liar!”

“I’m not! I don’t know how to prove to you, but I’m telling you I. Don’t. Know.” I put emphasis on the last words, pain shooting through me with every forceful syllable.

Jigsaw hit me across the head. “You know. And you’re going to tell me. I’m going to give you a few minutes to consider your options—or lack thereof—before coming back and asking you one last time.” Jigsaw stood, and he and his men walked out of the abandoned subway car.

The drawing of the
dýnami pétra
sat next to my foot. I could tell just by looking at it that it was something powerful. I thought about what Jigsaw said. Three Artifacts of Power. The
asthenés plásma
was obviously one, this stone another. What was the third? I assumed it had something to do with the amulet that Atlas wore. I didn’t want to know what would happen if all three of them were to come together, especially if the one wielding them was Atlas.

But thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about that right now. If what Jigsaw said was true, Atlas was back to just one Artifact. That meant the plasma was out in the wild though, which definitely wasn’t good.

“Having some trouble there?” I heard someone say, a pleasant lightness to their voice.

I looked up, and saw Samantha standing just a few feet away, her face terrified, at total opposite from the joking tone in her voice.

I blinked, and the form changed. It was no longer Samantha, but instead Athena, smiling at me. The pain mixed with the fact that I kept being hit in my head must’ve meant my mind was playing tricks on me.

“I guess you could say I’m caught in a bind,” I said. I nodded my head towards the drawing at my feet. “That stone. What is it?” I asked.

“That’s what you’re going to bring me.”