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  The woman swore at her.

  “Slaughter, you know what’s going on here. We can’t control the Fifth King. He’s going to defeat us and he’s going to remake the world in his own image. Do you honestly believe that he’ll let you live?”

  “Go to hell, Dalton!”

  “We need you. With your strength and speed we might be able to turn this around. All of us working together. You, me, Abby, Max, Thunder, and Pyrokine. That’s a lot of firepower right there. The deal is this: You help us defeat him and everything is forgiven.”

  “You know you can’t trust me—why should I trust you?”

  “Because if he wins he’s going to destroy you anyway. Max told him, spoke into his mind,” she lied. “At that level they don’t need language—only images. The Fifth King knows that it’s The Helotry’s fault that he was taken from his time. He’ll never see his wife and children again. So your only chance is to work with us. What do you say?”

  For a long moment, Slaughter was silent. Then, “I’ll do it. Get this thing out of me.”

  Roz reached down and grabbed the sword’s hilt with both hands, pulled the blade out of Slaughter’s stomach.

  The woman winced in pain. “Give . . . Give me a few minutes to recover.”

  Roz nodded. The sword floated from her grip and sailed over to Abby, who snatched it out of the air.

  And when Roz looked back, Slaughter was gone.

  CHAPTER 34

  Abby ducked under the Fifth King’s reach and slashed at his thigh with her sword—though she knew it wouldn’t do any damage. She’d already struck him dozens of times, blows that would slice a normal man in two, and each time the wounds healed within seconds

  He made a grab for her and she threw herself backward, rolled head over heels, and landed on her feet.

  Before he could get any closer, Pyrokine swooped at him, his body wrapped in a sheath of blue-white fire. The Fifth King swept out his arm and knocked Pyrokine to the dirt.

  Abby darted in again before the king’s powerful foot could stamp down on Pyrokine. Her sword flashed twice, and for a moment twin streaks of red appeared on the warrior’s bare back.

  From a hundred yards away, Max Dalton shouted, “Abby, pull back! Roz, take over!”

  Abby threw the sword into the air as she retreated—Roz caught it telekinetically and resumed her attack.

  “You holding up OK?” Brawn asked as Abby collapsed next to him.

  She nodded. “Think so. Exhausted, though. How long have we been fighting?”

  “About four hours,” Max told her. “Brawn? You’re up next.”

  The giant pushed himself to his feet. “Yeah. I know. Don’t see you taking a turn, Dalton.”

  “That’s because I’m not much stronger than an ordinary human. I wouldn’t last a second against him. Get ready.” Max resumed barking orders at Roz and Pyrokine. He’d been doing that almost since the moment he was cured.

  Abby found Thunder lying on his back, still trying to catch his breath. A few minutes earlier, the Fifth King had struck Thunder a glancing blow across the chest—they had all heard his ribs crack.

  “Anything I can do?” Abby asked.

  He shook his head. “No. . . . Look, don’t worry about me. I can’t fight him physically, but I can still use my power.”

  “He’s not even tired yet.”

  “Abby . . . I don’t think he gets tired. I think he’s actually enjoying himself.”

  A familiar low whining noise came from the west. Abby raised her head and saw Paragon preparing to land—he was holding on to Lance with one arm.

  With every muscle burning and every joint feeling like it was made of sandpaper, Abby slowly walked over to them.

  “I got to Quantum,” Lance said. “Passed the cure on to him. He’s spreading it everywhere else.” He grinned. “It’s working, Abby. The geniuses at the CDC created an airborne strain from Quantum’s blood and right now Titan, Heimdall, Energy, and—uh, the guy with the thing . . .” Lance tried to describe it with his hands, and gave up. “Can’t remember his name. Anyway, they’re seeding the atmosphere with it.”

  Paragon said, “Abby, I got the police to check on your family. Your mom and sister are worried about you, but they’ve recovered. They’re fine. And so are the boys.” He looked toward the battle: Brawn had the Fifth King in another headlock. “Nothing’s working, is it?”

  “He’s unstoppable.” Admitting that out loud made Abby’s heart pound faster. “I can cut him, but he heals almost immediately. I’m hoping that eventually he’ll pass out from loss of blood.”

  Max Dalton approached, shook Paragon’s hand. “If we can stop him long enough . . . I have an island off the coast of Newfoundland. Nothing but sea and rocks for fifty miles in every direction. I’m thinking that we can strand him there. I doubt he can breathe underwater.”

  Lance said, “Yeah, but maybe he can swim.”

  Max briefly looked at him, then back to Paragon. “The other option is to wait for Titan.”

  “The Fifth King is stronger than Brawn,” Abby said. “And Brawn is stronger than Titan.”

  “I know that,” Max said. “But Titan is still strong enough to lift him. Strong enough to carry him out of the atmosphere and throw him into the sun.”

  Abby’s mouth dropped open. “What? You’re serious?”

  “Do you have a better solution? Abby, if we don’t stop him he’ll kill us all and keep on killing.”

  Lance said, “No. We don’t kill. We have to stop him long enough that we can talk to him, let him know what’s—”

  Max jabbed a finger at Lance. “You don’t have a say in this. You’re not a superhuman. You shouldn’t even be here.”

  Lance muttered, “Saved your life, you ungrateful jerk.”

  Then a roar echoed over the battlefield.

  Abby saw the Fifth King slam his fist into Brawn’s throat, grab his arm, and throw him into the air. The giant collided with the floating Pyrokine.

  “Enough!” the Fifth King roared. “I have had enough!” He began to stride toward them. “You—mind-speaking man!” He pointed at Max. “You lead these people?”

  Max nodded. “I do.”

  The Fifth King stopped ten yards away. “I grow . . . weary of this . . . confrontation. You cannot best me—you know this to be true. You will stop. Now.”

  Lance said, “OK, exactly when did he learn to speak English?”

  “I am Krodin, the undefeated!” the warrior bellowed. “Ruler of Assyria, Sumeria, Egypt, and all the lands of the world. In my time no man could stand against me. My word was law. I have beaten your . . . champions again and again. If this does not stop, I will kill them. Do you understand? I am invincible. I am immortal.” He glared at Max. “You lead these people, so you are the most powerful warrior of this land, this . . . America. Yet you have not faced me in battle. Do so now. Prove your worth and I might allow your people to live.”

  Max swallowed. “I . . . I am not the most powerful warrior.”

  “You are a coward, then. You are not fit to lead.” Krodin turned to Paragon. “You, man-of-metal. Strike him down.”

  “I will not,” Paragon said. He took a step forward, putting himself between Max and the warrior. “You have no dominion here. You have great strength, but we do not follow strength. In this time, we follow wisdom, and justice.”

  The Fifth King seemed to consider this. “Your ways are no more.” He raised his hand, clenched his fist. “This is justice: Power. And I am your king. You will kneel in my presence or you will die.” He watched them for a moment. “You fear me, yet you do not obey. I have seen such courage before, sometimes even from the weakest of men, but bravery is a poor weapon against an enemy who cannot be defeated. You will die. I will hunt down your families and kill them slowly. By the end they will be cursing your names.”

  Max roared, “Everyone at once! Now!”

  Abby charged at Krodin with her sword raised. Paragon aimed and fired his armor’s grappling gun
. Brawn launched himself into the air and came down on the Fifth King’s back. Pyrokine streaked in low over the ground, slammed into the king’s legs. At the same time, Thunder hit him with a sonic shock wave and Roz attacked the loose ground under Krodin’s feet.

  The Fifth King grabbed the grappling gun’s hook out of the air, backhanded Abby and sent her soaring, threw Brawn over his shoulder, and jabbed down at Pyrokine with his elbow.

  Then he wrapped the grappling gun’s thin cable around Pyrokine’s neck, pulled it tight. There was a loud snap, and Pyrokine slumped to the ground.

  “No!” Roz screamed. She reached out with her telekinesis, lifted Pyrokine up, and pulled him back to the others.

  The Fifth King said, “He is but the first.”

  Brawn’s massive hands locked around Krodin’s head from behind, lifted him off his feet. The giant roared, raised his arms above his head, slammed Krodin downward with every ounce of his strength.

  Even as he was plummeting, Krodin tucked his legs up, kicked back at Brawn’s face, sent the giant stumbling backward. Then he closed his eyes, spun on one foot, and whipped the other out at Brawn’s stomach. Krodin doubled his fists and his arms were a blur as he hit the giant again and again.

  Abby dug her hands into the dirt, hauled herself toward Roz and Pyrokine. Lance rushed up to her, took her arms, and helped her to stand.

  Thunder too was standing now, one arm clutched tightly around his ribs. He shuffled awkwardly over to Lance. “You were a fool to come back, Lance.”

  “Well, I haven’t finished picking on you yet.”

  “Shut up!” Roz yelled at them. She was crouched close to Pyrokine’s head. “Oh God. . . . His neck is broken.”

  Twenty yards away Brawn staggered under the Fifth King’s onslaught, collapsed to the ground, and lay still, moaning weakly.

  Krodin stopped, turned to the others. “The flame-boy still lives? He is stronger than I thought. Step aside, girl. I will finish him. He was a powerful opponent and deserves a quick death.”

  Roz got to her feet, stood over Pyrokine. “No.”

  Abby shouted, “Roz! Get back!”

  The Fifth King suddenly reeled as though hit by an invisible force. He staggered once, twice. “Still you resist me? You are a fool, girl. You will die next.”

  Abby and Lance grabbed Roz’s hands. “Come on!” Abby said. “You can’t help him now!”

  Before any of the others could react, the Fifth King struck: He knocked Abby and Lance aside, locked his hand over Roz’s face, and lifted her into the air. “Little witch. . . . You. Are. Next!”

  From the ground at his feet, Pyrokine screamed, “No!”

  He rose into the air, his limp, broken body crackling with blue, white, and green fire. “Let her go!”

  Burning brighter than ever before, he launched himself at the Fifth King, crashed into his arm, forcing him to drop Roz.

  Abby darted forward, dragged Roz away.

  Krodin tried to shake him off, but Pyrokine continued to press himself against his arm. The blue flames seared Krodin’s skin, and for the first time in his long life he screamed in pain. “No! Enough!”

  With the last of his breath, Pyrokine said, “No. You don’t get to decide when you’ve had enough. We have had enough!”

  The flame was so bright now that Abby could barely look at Pyrokine. It continued to spread, burning through Krodin’s flesh faster than he could heal.

  “Shield your eyes!” Paragon yelled. “Everyone get back!”

  His warning was almost too late: Pyrokine’s body flared.

  Krodin screamed, now completely consumed by the fire. He thrashed and roared, collapsed to the ground.

  There was a final, searing flash so hot that it scorched the earth. And there was nothing left of them but cinders.

  CHAPTER 35

  “What do we tell the rest of the world?” Lance asked Abby and Roz.

  Thunder limped over to them. “That flash . . . I’ve never seen anything like it. How did he . . . ? I thought he just turned everything into light, but there was heat too.”

  Slowly, they moved closer to the blackened circle on the ground. Lance saw Roz’s knees start to buckle—he grabbed for her, held her upright.

  “He’s gone . . . ,” Roz said. “We only just found each other again and now he’s gone.” She pushed herself away from Lance, whirled around to stare at her brother. “I will never forgive you for this!”

  Max Dalton looked at his sister for a moment, then turned away. “Roz, it was the only way. I was trying to protect you. To protect all of us.”

  “You wiped our memories! You framed him, sent him to prison! Why? Why?”

  There was no answer.

  In the failing light Lance saw Paragon approaching.

  “Radio’s down,” the armored hero said. “Could be a side effect of the flash. But the last I heard was that everyone is recovering. There are reports coming in from all over the world. It’s going to be a long time before everything is back to normal, but we’ll get there. You kids should be proud of yourselves.”

  Quietly, Abby said to him, “But Pyrokine died.”

  Paragon put his hand on her shoulder. “I know, Abby. But . . . I’m sure you don’t want to hear this now, but sometimes that’s the price we pay.” He paused for a moment, then said, “Max? You and I need to have a talk. Back this way. Now. And Thunder? This is not for your ears, or anyone else’s. Understood?”

  The tall boy nodded, and the four of them watched as Paragon led Max back toward the power plant.

  They were silent for a few moments, until there was a long, low moan followed by scuffling sounds as Brawn regained consciousness and climbed to his feet. “Did we win?” the giant rumbled.

  “Sort of,” Lance said. “Pyrokine beat him. Killed himself in the process.”

  Brawn looked down at the scorched patch of ground. “Oh man. . . .” He looked over to where Max was returning, and said to Roz, “Has he admitted what he did yet?”

  “What do you mean?” Roz asked.

  “Pyrokine,” Brawn said. Seeing her frown, he added, “The way Max made you forget you were ever with him.”

  She laughed. “Are you nuts? What are you talking about? I never met Pyrokine before today!”

  Abby said, “My God, he’s done it again! Roz, you were . . .” She frowned. “You were . . . What was I talking about?”

  “Well, if you don’t know, how are we supposed to?” Lance asked. “We’re not mind-readers, you know. Anyway, this guy Pyrokine. I guess we should find out who he was.”

  Roz nodded. “I’ll get Max on to it.” She looked down at her bandage-wrapped hand. “I guess he wasn’t a bad guy, in the end.”

  Thunder said, “Good and bad . . . it’s all a matter of perspective.” To Brawn, he said, “You get what I’m saying?”

  “What are you looking at me for? I helped you, didn’t I?”

  “I guess.” Thunder turned to Lance. “And I really hope your thieving days are over.”

  “What? After all the great new tricks I’ve learned?”

  Max Dalton said, “All right, kids. Time to clear out. We still can’t get a signal on the radio so we’re just going to have to walk back to the perimeter.”

  Abby moved to give Roz a hug, but Roz held up her bandaged hand and backed away. “Better not.”

  Thunder said, “Me either. I can barely stand.”

  She looked at Brawn, but the expression on his face told her he wasn’t the sort of person who was into hugs.

  Then she turned to Lance, who was grinning at her and had his arms already outstretched.

  “Oh dream on!” Abby said.

  There was a crunch of heavy boots on the rubble as Paragon returned. He was holding a thick jacket in one hand. “All right, kids. Max will get the rest of you home. Stick with him. Brawn, you’re probably going to have to go back to Oak Grove, but I promise we’ll put in a good word for you.” He tossed the jacket to Lance. “Put this on. I’ll fly you
home.”

  “Yes!” Lance pulled on the jacket and zipped it up. To the others, he said, “OK, guys. It’s been fun. I don’t suppose we’ll ever meet again, but I shall always treasure this short time we’ve spent together.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Thunder said. “Go. You’ve already outstayed your welcome.”

  Abby smiled at him.

  Then Lance felt Paragon take hold of his arms. The jetpack whined into life, and suddenly they were soaring into the air.