encountered.”
I didn’t want to accept that, but I could feel the electromagnetism squeezing my powers as I walked around the cell. It felt like my head might burst. “The island. Is it—”
“Taken? Yes.”
My stomach knotted. “And the rest of the Resistance?”
Orion lowered his head.
“Lot of ’em dead,” Ember said. “Some of ’em still living. Most of ’em, we don’t have a clue where they are.”
“They split us up,” Stone said. “And you didn’t help matters.”
“Look,” I said. “I saw someone was controlling you all. I tried to stop him.”
“You tried to kill me.”
“Yes. Yes, I did. But only because—”
“‘Only because’ what? Because you thought it might get you closer to Saint? ’Cause you thought as long as you put Saint through a little bit of pain, nobody else mattered?”
I didn’t want to answer that question. Of course I wanted revenge for everything Saint had done. But at the expense of my people—my ULTRAs, my Resistance? That was way off the mark.
“Look,” I said. “I know… I know what I did was wrong. And I’m sorry for that. Really.”
Stone didn’t look too convinced.
“But right now, our focus should be on getting out of this place.”
“I already told you,” Orion said. “It’s too strong.”
I smiled. Shook my head. “You really think I’m gonna take that for an answer?”
Orion looked at me, as did the others. Vortex had a smile on her face now too.
“These bars and these walls might be tough. But we’re gonna break out of them and we’re gonna get out of this place.”
“And then what?” Roadrunner asked.
“Hmm?”
“When we get out of here? Then what?”
I knew what she was getting at. The whole world had fallen. We had nowhere to go to. All we could do? Fight.
“We’ll figure that out when we figure this out,” I said. “You ready?”
There was a moment where the faces of my peers looked happy. Optimistic. But that soon diminished.
They were looking outside the cell bars.
I felt someone’s presence there. A presence I knew I’d felt before already.
I held my breath. Turned around. I couldn’t accept my suspicions. I couldn’t believe they could possibly be true.
When I saw who was standing there, all of my optimism crumbled.
“Hello, Kyle,” Daniel Septer—Nycto—said. “We’re making an awful bad habit of bumping into one another lately, aren’t we?”
14
“ W ell ? Aren’t you even going to say hello to your old friend?”
I walked along the metal walkway, Nycto moving behind me. My hands were tied behind my back with some kind of cuffs that repressed my power, like a more focused form of the electromagnetism in the cells. Nycto had got me out of the cell and left the rest of my peers in there. I had no idea where he was taking me, only that wherever it was couldn’t be good.
I looked around at the tower. It was even bigger than I’d first thought. The cell openings stretched on further than I could see. Above, I saw little hovering specks. I didn’t know what they were at first until it clicked that they were ULTRAbots.
“Quite something this place, isn’t it?”
I felt a knot in my throat every time I heard Nycto speak. “I thought you were supposed to be dead?”
“Well, I probably should be. I mean, you should’ve killed me when you had the chance. But you didn’t, things happened, and then here we are.”
“Saint. He knocked you out of the sky like an annoying little fly.”
“He did. And it hurt; I’m not going to lie. It took me some time to regain my pride and confidence after that. But when I did, I saw the way the world was. I saw just how glorious and powerful Saint was, and how much I could help him.”
“You sound just as insane as ever.”
Nycto chuckled. I felt him tighten his mind powers around my throat. “I always love it when you say that.”
We walked further down the metal walkway. We must’ve been walking a while because my knees were starting
I didn’t want to accept that, but I could feel the electromagnetism squeezing my powers as I walked around the cell. It felt like my head might burst. “The island. Is it—”
“Taken? Yes.”
My stomach knotted. “And the rest of the Resistance?”
Orion lowered his head.
“Lot of ’em dead,” Ember said. “Some of ’em still living. Most of ’em, we don’t have a clue where they are.”
“They split us up,” Stone said. “And you didn’t help matters.”
“Look,” I said. “I saw someone was controlling you all. I tried to stop him.”
“You tried to kill me.”
“Yes. Yes, I did. But only because—”
“‘Only because’ what? Because you thought it might get you closer to Saint? ’Cause you thought as long as you put Saint through a little bit of pain, nobody else mattered?”
I didn’t want to answer that question. Of course I wanted revenge for everything Saint had done. But at the expense of my people—my ULTRAs, my Resistance? That was way off the mark.
“Look,” I said. “I know… I know what I did was wrong. And I’m sorry for that. Really.”
Stone didn’t look too convinced.
“But right now, our focus should be on getting out of this place.”
“I already told you,” Orion said. “It’s too strong.”
I smiled. Shook my head. “You really think I’m gonna take that for an answer?”
Orion looked at me, as did the others. Vortex had a smile on her face now too.
“These bars and these walls might be tough. But we’re gonna break out of them and we’re gonna get out of this place.”
“And then what?” Roadrunner asked.
“Hmm?”
“When we get out of here? Then what?”
I knew what she was getting at. The whole world had fallen. We had nowhere to go to. All we could do? Fight.
“We’ll figure that out when we figure this out,” I said. “You ready?”
There was a moment where the faces of my peers looked happy. Optimistic. But that soon diminished.
They were looking outside the cell bars.
I felt someone’s presence there. A presence I knew I’d felt before already.
I held my breath. Turned around. I couldn’t accept my suspicions. I couldn’t believe they could possibly be true.
When I saw who was standing there, all of my optimism crumbled.
“Hello, Kyle,” Daniel Septer—Nycto—said. “We’re making an awful bad habit of bumping into one another lately, aren’t we?”
14
“ W ell ? Aren’t you even going to say hello to your old friend?”
I walked along the metal walkway, Nycto moving behind me. My hands were tied behind my back with some kind of cuffs that repressed my power, like a more focused form of the electromagnetism in the cells. Nycto had got me out of the cell and left the rest of my peers in there. I had no idea where he was taking me, only that wherever it was couldn’t be good.
I looked around at the tower. It was even bigger than I’d first thought. The cell openings stretched on further than I could see. Above, I saw little hovering specks. I didn’t know what they were at first until it clicked that they were ULTRAbots.
“Quite something this place, isn’t it?”
I felt a knot in my throat every time I heard Nycto speak. “I thought you were supposed to be dead?”
“Well, I probably should be. I mean, you should’ve killed me when you had the chance. But you didn’t, things happened, and then here we are.”
“Saint. He knocked you out of the sky like an annoying little fly.”
“He did. And it hurt; I’m not going to lie. It took me some time to regain my pride and confidence after that. But when I did, I saw the way the world was. I saw just how glorious and powerful Saint was, and how much I could help him.”
“You sound just as insane as ever.”
Nycto chuckled. I felt him tighten his mind powers around my throat. “I always love it when you say that.”
We walked further down the metal walkway. We must’ve been walking a while because my knees were starting
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