“It’s just like the bank mission,” Alex said, thinking out loud. “We thought it was a reward for us—my mother told me it was a birthday present—but the diamond was for one of Gage’s projects.”
“They needed to see how we’d do in actual battle and to distract the Rangers while Barrage and Gage analyzed their building,” Mallory added. “None of which we knew until after the fact.”
“Right.”
“Which makes me wonder what we haven’t been told about this mission,” she said.
“You have a point,” Alex said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what they’re going to do.”
“Me neither,” she said. “But I’m guessing it’s probably something big. This attack is only the beginning. Everything’s happening so fast. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”
“I’ll talk to Gage,” Alex said.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Let me know if you find anything out,” she said, moving toward the door. “I’m going to grab dinner. Want to come?”
“Huh?” he said. She hadn’t yet left and already he was sinking into his own thoughts. “Oh. No. I’m not hungry. Thanks.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later,” Mallory said.
With a rush of air from the sliding door, she was gone, her footsteps barely audible from the hallway.
Alex had so much to think about that he wasn’t sure where to begin. His meeting with Kirbie was fast approaching. He wanted to warn her of the terrible fate that waited for her in one week, but that meant the betrayal of his friends and family. He had to choose between the two: between his birthright and the unfamiliar feelings conjured up by a girl he hardly knew. Not only feelings toward her, exactly, but toward the world at large. She thought he was good. She thought the Rangers could use him as a person, not just as a tool. That he was more than just a weapon.
Kirbie had been right all along. He did have a choice. But now he wished he didn’t have that responsibility.
He tried to weigh his options rationally. He could perform his role in the attack on Justice Tower, facing Kirbie in combat and fighting for Cloak as he was born to do. But the thought of going up against her made Alex feel short of breath. Besides, Mallory had been right. He suspected there was more to the capture of Justice Tower than the council was telling them, and if his mother’s talk of the world cowering before Alex was any indication, he didn’t even want to consider what Cloak’s next move would be.
Of course, he could always tell Kirbie what was going to happen. But then what would he do? Go back to the base, carry out the mission, and act surprised when the Rangers were waiting for them in a week, the Umbra Gun destroyed? What if Mallory or his parents got hurt? And if Cloak was able to escape, would he stay with them, gearing up for another assault, and give up contact with Kirbie?
Alex’s head was beginning to ache. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, unwittingly releasing a mild wave of telekinetic energy that rocked the lighter objects in his room. The box that the Tutor had given him earlier slid across the floor, smacking into his closet door. Alex stared at the container, remembering the pictures inside. The obituaries. The city in lamentation. The twisted faces of mourners. It was no longer a box of his proud history, but proof that the world would fight them. That taking over wasn’t as simple as the council made it out to be. That maybe Cloak was wrong. He thought of the sculpture garden, of Amp’s parents. Of the figure lost in the Gloom. And he imagined the look that Kirbie would give him as the energy released from the Umbra Gun covered her body. Could he live with himself if she too became a skeletal wretch in the Gloom? A sculpture in Victory Park?
For now, Alex had to get out of the base or he’d miss Kirbie completely. He walked over to his mirror and, patting down his hair, realized that he was again wearing all-black clothes. He dug through his dresser until he found a T-shirt that looked lighter than the others, one Misty had given him a few months before. He threw it on and walked out the door, trying his best to be quiet. With any luck, the council was still meeting down in the War Room. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found the elevator empty, and pushed the button for the first level.
He stopped just a few feet from the open doors to Gage’s workshop. Gage was inside, hunched over something mechanical, a soldering iron in one hand. He had goggles pulled down over his eyes and looked intently focused on whatever creation was on the table in front of him. Alex tiptoed past the wide entryway.
“I’m happy that you are here,” Gage said just as Alex was halfway across the open space. “I have something for you.”
Alex froze midstep. Gage turned around and stared at Alex through the thick goggles. Maybe it was just the soldering iron in his hand, brandished like a dagger, but Gage looked uncommonly intense.
“Oh, I . . . ,” Alex said, fumbling over his words. “I was just dropping in to see what you were up to. And to talk about the meeting today. It’s really exciting, right? Especially since you’ll be going with us.”
Gage set down his tool and motioned for Alex to come inside.
“I am looking forward to finally having a chance to inspect my father’s invention up close,” Gage said, pushing his goggles to the top of his head. “I can’t say that being so near combat is appealing, but I’m happy to be of service.”
Alex nodded, nearing his friend.
“I built you something,” Gage said, handing Alex a rectangular steel box with black rubberized corners. A series of buttons were located on the top, and one side appeared to be an electronic screen. “It’s an alarm clock just like your old one, only this one should be virtually indestructible.”
“Wow,” Alex said, feeling suddenly very guilty for even entertaining the idea of betraying his best friend. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. Think of it as a belated birthday gift.”
The two of them stared at each other. Gage inspected his friend’s expression, and Alex tried his best not to appear anxious.
“Well, I should be going,” Alex finally said. “You look really busy, and I’ve got a lot of work to do before tomorrow.”
“Yes,” Gage said as Alex turned away. “I’ve been trying to figure out how exactly my father managed to tame Phantom’s power. Inspecting the transporter configurations has proven most useful, though I am in no way ready to build anything so complex myself. Still, it’s an impressive system, wouldn’t you say?”
Alex exhaled. Gage knew that he’d been sneaking out. There was no use trying to lie to him.
“How long have you known?” Alex asked.
“Like I said, I’ve been studying the readouts. The link between the base and the safe house is one that is rarely used, especially late at night. But traffic has been up lately. It wasn’t until the Tutor told me that you had visited his library asking for maps that I realized it was you.”
“Have you told anyone?”
“Of course not,” Gage said.
“It’s just so stifling down here . . . ,” Alex offered.
“This has to do with the Ranger girl, doesn’t it? This is about Kirbie.”
Alex looked away, but was silent.
“Do you have any idea what the council—what your mother—will do to you when they find that you have been sneaking out to consort with the enemy? We are preparing to attack them.” Gage’s voice was threatening to become far too loud for such conversation.
“Be quiet, Gage,” Alex said, his eyes shifty with paranoia.
“You are walking an incredibly thin line, Alex. Why would you risk everything for something like this?”
“Because she’s a friend,” Alex said. “And because I’m not sure I agree with what we’re doing. What we’re planning to do. Do you ever ask yourself why you’re here? Why you’re working for Cloak?”
“For the memory of my father,” Gage said.
“The Rangers didn’t kill your father, Gage. Cloak killed your father. He worked himself to death after what happened in Victory Park. And now you’re doing the same th
ing. Have you even slept this week? You’re going nonstop to help a bunch of people who treat you like you’re a second-class human.”
“It’s because I don’t have powers.”
“Gage, look around you. There are weapons in this base that are decades ahead of anything people in the outside world have dreamed of. Same with our security system. And with our computers. And you are twelve years old. If that’s not a superpower, I don’t know what it is.”
“My father would have wanted me here,” Gage said. “He devoted his entire life to Cloak, and it is my duty to pick up where he left off.”
Alex couldn’t hold back any longer. Every doubt, every question raised in his mind over the last week came spilling out.
“What if he was wrong? We should be worried about math tests and gym class, not whether we are going to survive a battle, or if we have what it takes to destroy the life of someone we don’t know, just because our parents say that’s what we’re supposed to do. How do we know they’re right? Tell me you haven’t wanted to be a normal kid.”
“But we are not normal,” Gage said.
“Okay, fine. But tell me you haven’t wondered what it’s like to be looked up to instead of treated like a tool. Like a servant.”
Gage cringed at the word. Alex softened his tone.
“Someone called me a good person recently. And it felt nice. I think you are a good person too, Gage. And rational. Maybe we’re just here because we’re afraid of leaving. Or because we pretend that we don’t care, or don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ve seen what happens to people in the Gloom, and I don’t think I could live with myself if I sent Kirbie there. Maybe it’s time we stopped doing things for our parents and started doing what we think is right.”
“Not just Kirbie,” Gage murmured.
“What?”
Gage’s eyes fell to the floor.
“The prototype I’ve been working on,” he said, speaking quietly. “It’s an accessory to the Umbra Gun. When attached, it changes the flow of energy. Instead of shooting a single round, it releases all the stored energy at once. It becomes a sort of bomb capable of spreading Phantom’s energy out over a large area, transporting anything it touches into the Gloom.”
“How large of an area, Gage?” Alex asked, his voice shaky.
“It’s untested but . . . I estimate a three-mile radius.”
“That’s impossible,” Alex said, refusing to believe it. “You don’t know how the gun works.”
“The gun was never the issue,” Gage said. “It was the harnessing of Phantom’s power I couldn’t replicate. I assure you, the bomb works.”
All at once, everything made sense to Alex. If Cloak destroyed an area that large in a single attack, the entire world would tremble before them. No one would be able to stop their rise to power, because everyone would fear that at any moment they might do it again.
No. Alex wouldn’t let it happen. He couldn’t let Cloak banish so many people—so many unknowing people—to the Gloom. He had to tell Kirbie. He had to warn the Rangers. Betrayal was the only option. Slowly he backed away from Gage.
“You are going to meet Kirbie now, aren’t you?” Gage asked quietly. “You’re going to warn her about the attack.”
Alex said nothing.
“I wish you had not told me,” Gage said grimly. “I’m sorry that I called you in here tonight. Your mother is a telepath. You may have found some way to keep her out of your mind, but I haven’t. One stray thought, one misstep, and she will—”
Clang. Near the entrance, something metallic fell to the floor. They both turned, startled to see Titan at the end of a long workshop table. He stood there, a soda in one hand, staring at the two boys, looking intrigued. In front of him, one of Gage’s inventions was scattered in pieces on the floor.
“Dude, Gage, this place is a mess,” Titan eventually said, taking a sip from his soda can.
“Titan, hey,” Alex started. How long had he been standing there? “We were just—”
“Yeah. Whatever. I don’t care. Gage, my dad is waiting to see you in the War Room.”
“At once,” Gage said, hurrying over to his desk and gathering notes.
As Gage shuffled through his cluttered workstation, Alex and Titan looked at each other. Alex shifted his weight and pretended to be interested in the alarm clock Gage had built for him. Titan stood still, a slight smirk on his face, his eyes never leaving Alex, even as he brought his drink to his mouth. Alex could feel his gaze, and it took all his restraint, every time the boy lifted the aluminum can, not to crush it.
Gage paused beside his friend. He stared at Alex, long and hard, then nodded slowly.
“Good-bye, Alex.”
“Good-bye, Gage.”
There was something about the way Gage said good-bye—as if he knew it was the last time they would see each other.
Alex suddenly felt cold. Alone.
Gage walked toward the exit. Before leaving, Titan turned back to Alex and smiled.
“What’s the matter, Knight?” he asked. “You look pale.”
“I was just thinking about how you must have felt when I was crushing you last weekend,” Alex retorted.
“Ha. Right.”
And with that, Titan was gone, and Alex was left standing alone in Gage’s workshop. The young genius had been right, of course. It was only a matter of time before Alex’s mother caught him off guard and she was alerted of his betrayal. Alex realized then that if—when—he told Kirbie, he could never go back to Cloak. He would have to leave, getting as far away as possible from his mother and Phantom’s ability to hone in on the skull branded on his right palm. He would have to say good-bye to his life, to his teammates, to Sterling City forever.
Alex hurried back to his room, where he tore a few of the clippings and photos off his wall—his grandfather’s picture, the family portrait, a Polaroid of the Beta Team taken a few months before their first mission—and shoved them in his pockets. In the bottom drawer of his desk was a small box full of cash he’d saved up over years of Thursday outings. What he needed was more pocket space. He threw open his closet door and took out the dark gray trench coat he’d been so excited to receive not two weeks earlier. His eyes lingered on the two silver bands on either shoulder. He slipped his fingers beneath them and ripped them off, one after the other. He stuffed his money in the coat pockets and carried it under his arm.
He was about to leave, when he caught sight of his origami animals, all pushed up against the wall from the wave of energy he had let loose earlier. He thought for a moment that he could see them in color, but he couldn’t be sure of that with the frenetic state of his mind.
He wondered if he should get Mallory and try to convince her to leave with him, but he couldn’t risk it. He thought of Misty, too. Maybe he could save her, could keep her from growing up to be someone like her aunt Phantom. But if he had to go on the run, he wasn’t sure he could take care of her. He didn’t know if he could bear to see her as an outcast. He couldn’t be responsible for her life.
Alex gathered up all the paper animals from his desk and, cradling them in his hands, walked outside. As he tiptoed down the hall, he let them fall, guiding them through the air behind him, so familiar with the design of the hallway, the place he had lived his entire life, that he could direct the animals to their new home without even looking over his shoulder. They came to a stop in front of Misty’s door, resting there on the cement. A paper menagerie. He hoped that she would understand that he cared. And he hoped that she would forgive him for leaving.
14
Betrayal
With every step he took toward Sterling City, Alex reminded himself that he was making the right decision. He had to tell Kirbie what was going on. He even kept his eyes open in the Gloom as a reminder of what he was saving her from, though he saw no spectral figures this time, only the cold, dark expanses of a world he hoped he’d never again have to visit. He cut through Victory Park. The light of the setting sun cast
a peaceful aura around the place. The air was cool, even in his Cloak trench. Alex wondered if the Umbra bomb would reach the statue garden, or Centennial Fountain, or even the gravel path he was rushing down.
It was seven fifteen by the time Alex made it to the other side of the park. He could see Kirbie sitting at a table outside a corner shop, surrounded by chatting customers, pushing a napkin-wrapped paper cup back and forth on the table in front of her. She stirred a spoon around in it with a slight frown. For a flash she appeared in full color again, wearing jeans and a red zip-up hoodie over a white shirt. A canvas messenger bag was at her feet, held in place by green sneakers with white rubber caps on the toes. She was a vision of colors for Alex, a masterpiece of golds and pinks and reds and greens.
Jogging across the street, Alex caught Kirbie’s eye. Her lips curled up in a wide grin as he approached.
“I didn’t think you were going to show,” she said.
“Sorry,” he said as calmly as he could manage. “I just got held up.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he lied. “I’ve just got a ton on my mind right now.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.
“Not yet,” he said, taking a seat.
He realized then that he hadn’t thought about how he should break the news to her. It wasn’t something you just blurted out. And deep inside, he was terrified that once she knew what Cloak was planning, she would hate him for it.
He stared down at the table. Maybe he could start by telling her that he was discovering that he had no ambition toward conquering and fearmongering. Or that he felt more comfortable and better about himself when talking to her than he ever did at the underground base. Maybe it would be better to start with that before he explained that soon Cloak would be at Kirbie’s doorstep, ransacking her home with the intent of destroying her and everyone she loved, and then part of the city.
The table began to shake.
“Um, Alex?” Kirbie asked, trying not to sound worried, “Is that you?”