Fall of Heroes by Jeramey Kraatz Page B

exactly a lie. Do you really want to add the death of one of their New Rangers on top of that?”
    As his father spoke, his voice grew slightly more panicked, as if he actually thought that Alex might execute him then and there. Alex’s eyebrows knit together.
    â€œI’m not a killer,” Alex said firmly. “That’s not who I am. That’s who you wanted me to be.”
    â€œBesides, didn’t you hear?” Kirbie asked, barely able to contain herself. “We’ve rescued the Rangers.”
    Volt was laughing now. A soft, quiet laugh.
    â€œYour mother’s on her way to the Rook with two powerhouses,” Volt said. He tapped on the communicator around his ear. “Phantom and the others have been alerted and are probably there already. It was a good plan, Alex, but not good enough. Your friends are done for.”
    â€œThey would be,” Alex said as he narrowed his eyes in concentration. Inside the bubble, his father’s communicator floated from his ear, sparked with blue energy, and then broke apart. Alex smiled. “If they were actually still at the Rook.”
    â€œBut—,” Volt started.
    â€œâ€˜Retreat to the Rook’ is just code. For you to hear. It means they’re long gone by now.”
    â€œWe figured anything radioed in would be intercepted or overheard,” Mallory said. “We’re not stupid.”
    â€œAnother deception,” Volt said.
    â€œOur Cloak training’s paid off.”
    Alex picked his coat up from the ground and shook a few bits of rock and dust off it.
    â€œIt’s over now,” Alex said, taking a few steps toward the bubble, until he was only a foot away from his father. “Why not tell us what else Cloak has been doing? I’m sure there’s a lot we haven’t uncovered yet.”
    Volt began to laugh once more.
    â€œEven if that’s true, do you think that pulling them out of the Gloom really changes anything?” he asked. “You think we haven’t factored that remote possibility into our plans?”
    â€œIt changes everything ,” Kyle said, taking a step forward.
    â€œYou’re all so naive,” Volt spat. “Your mother may like to talk and play games, but I’m a much more straightforward parent, Alex. Trust me when I tell you that there’s no defeating us. Let me out of this bubble and come back to the base with me. It’s only going to get worse from here, and when the time comes that we see each other again, I can’t promise that you’ll survive. You’ve had your fun, your little act of rebellion. But this isn’t training. There are no more practice rounds. Come back, and we’ll fix all of this.”
    Alex had rarely heard his father sound so sincere. The man had never been much for words. He was reminded of the day after his last birthday, when Volt had stopped him in the hallway of the underground base and given him a
family photo from when Alex had been just a few months old. His parents were younger and smiling as they held a baby up. As they held him up. It was one of the few things he’d taken with him when he’d left Cloak’s underground base to warn Kirbie about the impending attack on Justice Tower. Everything else he’d brought that night was pinned to a wall at the lake house, but he had the family photo with him now in the inside pocket of his coat. He could almost feel it there. It was something he’d kept to himself, had hidden away. He didn’t know why, really. Only that he wanted to keep it private. Some small memory that couldn’t be touched by Cloak or the Rangers or anyone else.
    â€œIs he . . . frozen?” Misty asked. She’d materialized off to the side of the others, and now stood staring at Volt, who stood completely still, resting his forehead against the telekinetic prison and looking at his son. Waiting.
    â€œI’ve got him trapped in a bubble,”