The Rebellion (The Viral Superhero Series Book 6) Read online

  He looked toward the two fallen staffs. "Yoshi gets a little too caught up in himself sometimes. If he thinks he has an easy fight, he'll leave himself open to counterattack. Play opossum then strike. That's how you're going to win."

  Natalie nodded. "Thanks. I won't let you down."

  "Never have."

  Ted used his powers to place both staffs back on the rack. "Never will."

  Ted's instincts told him to grab Natalie. They told him to put his hands on her lower back and pull her close. They told him to ignore his inhibitions and kiss her deeply. But Ted resisted his instincts. Instead, he walked to the doorway and paused there. "I'll go get Doren. He's been looking to fight somebody ever since we met the angels."

  "Thanks, Ted. Should be a fun fight."

  He sighed as he thought about his instincts once more. "Let's hope."

  Ted walked out of the room and hoped that he'd have another chance to show Natalie how he felt.

  25

  Natalie stepped into the arena, which was sort of a reverse Sea World. There was a platform for her and Yoshi in the middle, but everything else surrounding it was water. Natalie saw Ted and the others standing on a small dock the mermen had brought out for them. But aside from her small cheering section, this was definitely an away game. The mermen and mermaids that looked on cheered for their god of the sky when he arrived on the platform. Erica was right that the samurai had put on a few pounds since his fighting days, but he still looked to be in better shape than 99% of the middle-aged men she knew. Yoshi had agreed to Natalie's terms of using staffs as the only weapons. She figured that would severely decrease her chances of being stabbed to death.

  I think I'd much prefer a bludgeoning death. Seems like a very mean streets way to go.

  As Natalie held the staff tightly in her hands, she watched Yoshi step up to the center of the square. The moment he raised his staff high, loud cheers echoed throughout the chamber.

  Natalie could barely hear herself think, but that didn't stop Ted from sharing his thoughts telepathically.

  “I know you'll never walk away from this, but if you tell me to do it, I'll transport us out of here. Together.”

  Natalie looked out to Ted and the rest of the team and gave a thumbs-up. She wasn't sure if Yoshi had taught the mermaids how to boo or if they had learned it all on their own, but the jeers made Natalie feel right at home in a battle of wills. Natalie stepped forward until she was just a few feet away from the samurai. Yoshi put his staff forward to touch hers. "It's still not too late. You could leave with your life and your friends. We don't have to fight if you don't want to."

  Natalie pressed her staff forward into his. "Leaving without getting what we came for would be dishonorable. Though I have a feeling you've forgotten what honor is at this point."

  Yoshi smiled and turned back toward the crowd. "Let the fight begin!"

  The crowd cheered once more and chanted Yoshi's name as he made the first move. His quick series of swings was faster than anything Doren or Ted could provide in the sparring room. But Natalie's quick reflexes kept her from taking a staff to the face. She blocked a barrage of high swings and leapt twice over swings toward her ankles. The samurai looked a bit frustrated that none of his attacks had hit. "You're faster than I expected."

  Natalie smirked. "And here I thought you weren't going to banter."

  Yoshi spun the staff in his hands a few times and came in for another attack. This series of strikes was even faster than the last one, but Natalie continued to back up and play defense. When she felt herself get close to the edge of the platform, Yoshi ran toward her. Rather than move backwards and take a swim, Natalie rolled to the side and used her staff like a pool cue into the samurai's crotch. When Yoshi bent over Natalie cracked the samurai just under the chin. He grunted in pain as he rolled himself backwards and out of harm's way. Yoshi's chest appeared to heave as he got his staff back into fighting position.

  Maybe he is out of shape after all.

  He came running for her once more, but now he was even faster than the last few times. She tried to bring up her staff quickly enough, but now the samurai had gone into turbo mode. She took a blow to the side of the head and one to the stomach before backing away. Her ears rang as the pain spread through her body. Natalie ignored her eardrums and focused on Yoshi's shoulders. When he came in for another barrage, she telegraphed his every move. She blocked a dozen strikes before Yoshi pressed his staff into hers and breathed heavily. "You're a much stronger opponent than I imagined."

  As their staffs locked, Natalie could feel something coming.

  "And you're already sweating off some of that seaweed weight."

  Yoshi pushed his staff high in an attempt to open up Natalie's body to a kick. As he swung his foot, Natalie let go of her staff and caught the samurai's ankle. She twisted it against the joint and the samurai went down in pain. Natalie took the opportunity to swing her foot for his crotch once more. As he ducked over to protect himself, she grabbed her staff once again and slammed him hard in the face. The samurai groaned in response and Natalie stepped back from the fallen god. The room was silent aside from the cheering of her friends.

  She turned toward Ted, and just at that moment, she heard him enter her mind.

  “Watch out!”

  Natalie felt a slice across her ankle before she saw Yoshi's hidden dagger. But Natalie had felt the stinging pain of a stab wound before. Rather than react to the attack, she whipped the staff into Yoshi's wrist. The dagger slid off the platform and into the water. After Yoshi kicked up, Natalie threw the staff to the ground.

  She adjusted her jaw and crouched down. "No more weapons. Come at me, bro."

  Yoshi was faster than ever with his fists, but even he seemed to know that his endurance was coming to an end. He gave it everything he had, but Natalie deflected every blow. When he wound up for a shot to her head, the former basketball all-star caught his fist and promptly broke the bones in his hand.

  Yoshi screamed in agony.

  She pushed him down to the ground and gave him a kick in the stomach. "I'm tired of losing. So give me my damn army."

  Yoshi got to one knee but bowed his head low. "My army is yours. As long as you can get me a stiff drink."

  Natalie smiled and raised her hands high in the air. At first the mermen were confused, but after watching her celebrate for a few seconds, their jeers turned into rapturous applause. Natalie hadn't just won their services, she'd won their admiration too.

  She sent a thought Ted's way. “It's time for you to stop doubting me.”

  Ted sent a thought back. “Never again, Nat. Never again.”

  Natalie soaked up the cheers of the crowd and took a headfirst dive into the water to cool off.

  26

  Dhiraj felt an emptiness in his chest when he and Jennifer pulled out of the garage and toward freedom. He wasn't sure how Kristen had done it, but the reformed dark soul had somehow kept the cavalry from following after them. He was on edge as the nondescript four door pulled out of Washington DC proper and drove toward the settlement.

  Jennifer had a concerned look on her face as she turned to her right. "I think she was always planning to do this. I doubt the explosives were a backup."

  Dhiraj stayed face forward in the passenger seat. "I know. That's what pisses me off. It's so weird how these dark souls treat life and death. If they aren't willing to sacrifice themselves for the General, they'll do it for some turncoat schmo on TV."

  Jennifer pulled onto the near vacant highway. "You did the right thing, Dhiraj. You weren't going to help the cause by making the General kill you over principle."

  Dhiraj looked in the rearview mirror. He was still amazed that there weren't a fleet of vehicles behind them, ready to take them out.

  "Maybe we should talk about something else. So this settlement is where Van Housen had been hiding out?"

  Jennifer nodded. Her hands tightened around the steering wheel. "Beth and Winny are there. With the billio
naire dead, who knows how organized they'll be."

  Dhiraj put his hand on hers. "The first step of any good CEO is to have a plan of succession. They'll be ready, as long as we can give them enough advance notice."

  Jennifer sighed. "I hope you're right."

  Dhiraj's stomach felt strange from the first vehicular motion in over a month. He kept his eyes trained on the horizon, attempting to keep any embarrassing sickness at bay. It was odd seeing the world as it was now: full of fear and vacant of gridlock. He wondered just how many people were holed up in their homes waiting for either the war or the world to end.

  Jennifer pulled the car onto a slightly trodden path of grass.

  Dhiraj gripped the handhold above him and willed his stomach to settle. "Are you sure this is right?"

  Jennifer's glare forward intensified. "I sure as hell hope so."

  Dhiraj tried to think of anything to talk about besides the bumping of the decidedly not four-wheel-drive vehicle. "How do you think Ted is doing with his army?"

  "I'm sure they're fine."

  "Does he talk at all about his time as the General? Is he coping with all of that?"

  Jennifer spared a quick glance in his direction before turning back toward the road. "How do any of us cope with this stuff? A team of 20 psychiatrists couldn't figure out a treatment plan for all the crap we've been through. I think Erica and Natalie will do a pretty good job keeping him from the loony bin."

  Dhiraj thought back to the first time he met the sensitive, nerdy superhero-to-be. Ted wasn't exactly what he'd call resilient for most of his adolescence. But he imagined that when the light souls picked the teen out of anybody else in Treasure, they had to have a feeling that he could handle the responsibility.

  The car lurched to a stop in front of a chain link fence. Jennifer quickly opened the door as Dhiraj eased himself back onto solid, nonmoving land.

  Dhiraj put his hand near the chain link and listened for any kind of humming. "Doesn't seem electrified or anything."

  Jennifer waved Dhiraj over. "Think I see a little opening down a ways."

  Dhiraj gingerly walked toward her as they both zeroed in on the small hole in the fence. Dhiraj crouched down. "I don't think either of us can fit through that."

  Jennifer gripped the fence tightly and pulled back with what seemed like all her might. Incredibly, she tore the fence a new one. The metal bent toward them and within seconds, there was just enough room for the two of them to fit through.

  Dhiraj's eyes widened. "Holy crap, Jen. You spend all your time trapped in that bubble in the weight room?"

  She raised an eyebrow. "You calling me bulky?"

  He laughed. "I don't think bulky is the right word. Perpetually impressive might be better. Ladies first."

  As the two of them snuck through, a sound in the distance caught Dhiraj's ear. It only took a moment for him to realize with dread what the noise was.

  "Helicopters. Are we too late?"

  Jennifer only answered by breaking into a jog. Dhiraj did his best to keep up as they spied the aerial vehicles landing just outside the entrance to the settlement. They watched dark souls pour out of the copters and Dhiraj and Jennifer hid in some nearby bushes.

  Dhiraj clenched his fists as he watched the armed soldiers ready their weapons. "I'm not going to let this happen anymore. I know we've got no chance, but we are going to stop them from killing a single human. Are you with me?"

  Jen let out a deep breath. "Till the end. Let's go figure out how to kill some bad guys."

  "Ladies first?"

  27

  Ted was on bandage patrol as he helped Natalie stitch up her leg. It reminded him of years ago when he would help his then-girlfriend remedy her in-game wounds. He'd seen a lot of blood since then.

  Natalie gritted her teeth as Ted applied some ointment to the slice on her ankle.

  He looked up at her. "How'd you do that? I know you're incredible, but it's still amazing that you beat him."

  Natalie met his eyes. "I'm glad you had so much faith in me." She peered off into the distance at what used to be their prison cell. "I had a choice. I was either going to die or I was going to win. If he'd cut my throat instead of my leg, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation."

  Ted continued to dab at the bloody mark and he finished by tightening a bandage around what would likely be another scar. "I feel like the only time I had that killer instinct was when I was an actual killer."

  Ted attempted to stuff away the faces of the dark souls he'd executed before he realized the truth. He tried but failed to keep their images at bay.

  Natalie touched the side of Ted's face. "You're not a killer. You are a hero who had someone else's mind jacked into yours for a few weeks. Let's just focus on undoing some of the things that bastard did to us."

  He nodded. "I know you're right. I'll figure out how to suppress it."

  Natalie withdrew her hand. "Talk about it as much as you need to. No need to give you another complex to go along with your God complex."

  He chuckled. "I would say it's a mild superiority complex. Not so much a God one."

  "Six of one, half a dozen of the other." She looked toward the entrance. "Looks like break time is over."

  Ted turned behind him and saw Erica walking in all business as usual.

  "I think she's going to make it, nurse. You ready for the next stop?"

  Ted stood and straightened his back. He was surprised that not sleeping on a real bed for the last couple of planets hadn't thoroughly wrecked him. "Are we almost done?"

  She smirked. "We'll keep working on the navy. Then we've got one stop for the army and it's time to put your plan into action."

  Ted warmed up the mental muscles required to make a portal. "Let's make sure to get a few souvenirs this time."

  The next few visits went better than Ted could have hoped for. While it wasn't his favorite provision of the trips, having Yoshi and a few of his mermen along the way certainly seemed to help things along. The samurai and his creatures described the threat in a way fellow underwater species could understand. A few worlds and portals later, and their navy had grown to hundreds of ships and thousands of soldiers. Throughout the worlds they visited, Ted was glad to have Natalie and Erica by his side. But there was something nagging at the back of his head. When he went down for a night's rest, it all came to the front of his consciousness.

  As Ted slept, his mind brought him once again to the streets of Treasure. He shook the same hands that he'd shaken before and basked in the normalcy of a world returned to the way it used to be. As he stood next to the little shirtless boy, he was surprised to hear him speak.

  "Why haven't you come for me yet?"

  Ted searched for the words. "Erica says that you're not important enough. She thinks you're just me trying to come up with some subconscious solution that doesn't really exist."

  The little boy smiled, as if wisdom pervaded his every thought. "Your protector has done incredible things in this war. You would be dead without her."

  "Ain't that the truth. But you're saying I should—"

  "I was meant to end this war, living soul. Just as my grandfather saved us from the enemy, you and I have the opportunity to save every world imaginable."

  Ted looked to the crowd of parade onlookers. He was surprised when his eyes focused on Erica LaPlante. But there was something different. The girl had her arms around Beth and Winny. She was laughing uproariously and having the time of her life. She wasn't the protector, Ted realized. Whatever the boy could do had even sent her back into a normal world.

  He smiled at the thought of everything going back the way it was. "Where do I find you?"

  The boy smiled back. "The next portal you create will take you to me. I'll see you soon."

  Ted awoke with renewed purpose. He quietly opened up his tent and walked softly until he felt he was far enough from the camp to stay unnoticed. He wasn't quite sure how he knew the boy's words would be the truth, but as he pictured th
e portal's destination in his mind, he could see a land unlike any he'd ever laid eyes upon. Somehow, the boy was showing him the way.

  "You're about to do something incredibly stupid aren't you?"

  Ted jumped and turned around. Natalie was looking right at him.

  "Maybe I am. Are you going to tell on me?"

  Natalie rolled her eyes. "This isn't fourth grade, Ted. You may only barely be an adult, but I think you can make your own decisions. If you think chasing after this dream is the right thing, I'm not going to stand in your way." She seemed to think for an extra second. "But if Erica is going to blame me for this, I'm going to be pretty pissed off at you."

  He sighed as he looked at her. He knew that staying on his current path could be the best thing for the war. It might also be his best chance for possible redemption with Natalie. "You can tell her I punched you?"

  Natalie snorted and opened her arms wide. "Come here and hug me before you maybe get yourself killed."

  Ted wrapped his arms around Natalie's waist and squeezed. The hug lingered, but neither of them seemed to mind.

  Ted pulled away and tried to save this event in his memory forever. "I'm going to get the weapon to end this war."

  Natalie grinned. "I have no idea why, but I believe you, Ted Finley."

  While it was nearly impossible to tear himself away from her, Ted felt his hands working and before he knew it there was a portal to an unknown realm before them.

  He turned and turned toward Natalie, starting to backup into the gateway. "I wish I had something clever to say like you always seem to."

  "Tell it to me when you get back."

  The living soul nodded as he strode backwards through the flickering portal.

  28

  Dhiraj and Jennifer watched as two-dozen soldiers filed out of the helicopters and ran toward the settlement's entrance.