burst open and the room filled with yelling figures in ski masks.
“Down! Down! Down!”
Rough hands grabbed Danny and forced him to the floor. He managed to turn his head. Nala had dived behind the sofa. He stuck a foot out, tripping one of the squad and hitting him on the head with a glass lamp. The man groaned and lay still. Nala grabbed the man’s gun and opened fire. Another attacker went down, bleeding from the legs. One of the squad aimed his gun.
“No!” Danny tried to squirm out from under theman who held him, but the grip was strong. In slow motion Danny saw the trigger finger tighten. Flame blazed from the muzzle. Nala took the shot full in the chest, the power of the round lifting him off his feet and flinging him against the back wall. He fell to the ground, convulsed once and was still.
It had happened again. Everyone who got close to Danny or became his ally was taken away. He could feel the blood pounding in his ears, and a red mist formed over his eyes. The power was rising in him, the power of the Fifth, against which none could stand. He would destroy them all this time. They would never take anything from him again. The power kept rising in him.… He would let it build this time, to maximize the destruction.
Two of the squad dragged Danny to his feet and searched him, though he knew they would find nothing in his coat. Only Danny had access to its hidden pockets.
He was thrown back to the ground then, and cord was wrapped around his wrists and tightly cinched. A heavy boot crashed into his side, and he knew it was revenge for what Nala had done. Danny was able to crane his neck to see that the two fallen squad members were being attended to. Attend all you like, he thought. In a few minutes’ time none of it will matter.
He was calm now, filled with terrible power, his decision made. He watched the soldiers move around him with huge detachment. When a small blond girl appeared beside the television, he barely blinked. The appearance was so unlikely that it was moments before the elite squadreacted and one of the women shouted and brought up her weapon. The gun blazed fire, but the blond girl was no longer there. Instead, she was standing by the door. Bullets stitched up the wall, but this time the girl appeared right beside the woman, snatching the gun and disappearing. At the same time the skylight above their heads crashed open and a winged figure burst through, grabbing two of the remaining weapons as they were raised to fire. But there was still one gun left.
Danny watched these events unfold with a certain admiration for the attackers’ skill coupled with mild regret that their courage didn’t really matter. It’s Dixie and Les, a small voice said in his head. You can’t unleash your power on them. But he’d seen Nala gunned down. He had to do something. Besides, there was still one armed squad member left. The man’s hard eyes had picked out Les; his gun barrel swung upward. There was no time to disarm him. They were all too far away.…
From out of nowhere a small figure struck the man behind the knees. He went over backward, the gun discharging harmlessly into the ceiling. Nala! Confusion gripped Danny. Nala was dead! Momentarily he lost hold of the power seething within him. He felt as if his temples would burst as he fought to control it. With a supreme effort he restrained it, his whole body shaking, the desire to destroy receding.…
He had done it. They were safe from his power, at least. Then he saw that Nala had trained his gun on the squad members and his finger was tightening on the trigger.
“No!” Danny screamed the word. More than a word. Some of the residual power had remained unsuppressed and burst from his mouth as he yelled. The windows shattered. Part of the ceiling collapsed. The hardened members of the elite squad fell to the ground. Dixie flickered in and out of view. Even Nala whimpered and dropped the gun, while Les flew in an aimless circle.
Danny
“Down! Down! Down!”
Rough hands grabbed Danny and forced him to the floor. He managed to turn his head. Nala had dived behind the sofa. He stuck a foot out, tripping one of the squad and hitting him on the head with a glass lamp. The man groaned and lay still. Nala grabbed the man’s gun and opened fire. Another attacker went down, bleeding from the legs. One of the squad aimed his gun.
“No!” Danny tried to squirm out from under theman who held him, but the grip was strong. In slow motion Danny saw the trigger finger tighten. Flame blazed from the muzzle. Nala took the shot full in the chest, the power of the round lifting him off his feet and flinging him against the back wall. He fell to the ground, convulsed once and was still.
It had happened again. Everyone who got close to Danny or became his ally was taken away. He could feel the blood pounding in his ears, and a red mist formed over his eyes. The power was rising in him, the power of the Fifth, against which none could stand. He would destroy them all this time. They would never take anything from him again. The power kept rising in him.… He would let it build this time, to maximize the destruction.
Two of the squad dragged Danny to his feet and searched him, though he knew they would find nothing in his coat. Only Danny had access to its hidden pockets.
He was thrown back to the ground then, and cord was wrapped around his wrists and tightly cinched. A heavy boot crashed into his side, and he knew it was revenge for what Nala had done. Danny was able to crane his neck to see that the two fallen squad members were being attended to. Attend all you like, he thought. In a few minutes’ time none of it will matter.
He was calm now, filled with terrible power, his decision made. He watched the soldiers move around him with huge detachment. When a small blond girl appeared beside the television, he barely blinked. The appearance was so unlikely that it was moments before the elite squadreacted and one of the women shouted and brought up her weapon. The gun blazed fire, but the blond girl was no longer there. Instead, she was standing by the door. Bullets stitched up the wall, but this time the girl appeared right beside the woman, snatching the gun and disappearing. At the same time the skylight above their heads crashed open and a winged figure burst through, grabbing two of the remaining weapons as they were raised to fire. But there was still one gun left.
Danny watched these events unfold with a certain admiration for the attackers’ skill coupled with mild regret that their courage didn’t really matter. It’s Dixie and Les, a small voice said in his head. You can’t unleash your power on them. But he’d seen Nala gunned down. He had to do something. Besides, there was still one armed squad member left. The man’s hard eyes had picked out Les; his gun barrel swung upward. There was no time to disarm him. They were all too far away.…
From out of nowhere a small figure struck the man behind the knees. He went over backward, the gun discharging harmlessly into the ceiling. Nala! Confusion gripped Danny. Nala was dead! Momentarily he lost hold of the power seething within him. He felt as if his temples would burst as he fought to control it. With a supreme effort he restrained it, his whole body shaking, the desire to destroy receding.…
He had done it. They were safe from his power, at least. Then he saw that Nala had trained his gun on the squad members and his finger was tightening on the trigger.
“No!” Danny screamed the word. More than a word. Some of the residual power had remained unsuppressed and burst from his mouth as he yelled. The windows shattered. Part of the ceiling collapsed. The hardened members of the elite squad fell to the ground. Dixie flickered in and out of view. Even Nala whimpered and dropped the gun, while Les flew in an aimless circle.
Danny
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