The New Rangers emerged from the trees, all four of them walking with chins held high, the golden starbursts on their chests gleaming in the sunlight. Shade’s eyes rested on her son for only a beat before scanning over the others. She gave no indication that they’d just had a lengthy conversation inside his head. For a second he wondered if he’d dreamed the whole thing.
They stopped just past the trees. Volt’s fingers twitched at his sides, sparks of purple falling from them. Titan carried a metal case, his expression smug. Photon’s face was blank, ready for his master’s commands.
“We’ve got Omegas flanking us,” Bug said. “Legion to the east and Novo to the west.”
“We know our targets,” Amp said quietly. “Stick to them, but keep an eye on your teammates.”
“You know,” Shade said, “we were going to let you enjoy your freedom a little while longer.”
“We won’t sit idly by while you plot to take over the world,” Lone Star said, stepping forward and pointing a finger at them.
“Spoken like a true Ranger. I must say, Star, that I’ve missed your unique sense of bravado. Pity you don’t look so well.” She turned to Photon. “EMP.”
The brainwashed Ranger closed his eyes and shot his arms out. Alex’s earpiece powered down. Just as Gage had predicted, their electronics were wiped out by a single electromagnetic pulse.
“Well that didn’t take long,” Alex murmured.
“Electronics are out across the park,” Photon said.
“Excellent,” Shade said. “Titan, if you please.”
Alex tensed up. Titan flipped up two levers on the case in his hand, and lifted the top open.
“Insulated against electromagnetic waves,” Gage said. “That must be the Umbra Gun.”
“I know what you’re all thinking,” Shade said, wagging a finger. “You’ll just pry this gun out of my fingers and take it, right? First of all, Photon can keep it in my hands. But just in case . . .” She pointed to a silver cuff on one of her wrists. “There’s a small microchip buried inside all this metal. The gun is rigged to become an Umbra Bomb should the need arise.” She pulled out the weapon, holding it up for everyone to see. “But it’ll also go off if the gun isn’t within five feet of me at all times. You take it, and everything goes boom. All of us and half of Sterling City are in another plane of existence. Now, if anyone wants to go ahead and give up, it’ll save everyone a lot of trouble. Honestly, I don’t know why you’ve bothered with all this. Even if you succeeded in defeating us, the entire city would be against you.”
“You don’t get it,” Lone Star said with a smile. “We’re not here to beat you. We’ve already done that.”
Shade said nothing, but one of her eyes twitched.
“You gave us a way to win,” Alex said. “You told me yourself. Cloak had never intended to become Rangers.”
“What—,” Shade started.
“We have video and photo evidence connecting the Cloak Society and the New Rangers,” Lone Star said. “You and Barrage out in public together. Volt and Phantom running errands.”
“Titan in his Cloak uniform throwing a fire hydrant at me,” Kirbie added.
“It’s already mailed out to every government agency and media outlet in the state. And beyond.”
“As we speak, our operatives are hand-delivering it to the CIA, FBI—even letters you’ve never heard of.” Lux couldn’t help but smirk.
That was mostly true. Their “operatives” were really just Carla in a rental car driving to the closest big city with copies of the footage they’d put together and what the commissioner had sent to her office.
“You’re done,” Lone Star said. “This whole sham is over. We didn’t broadcast it because we figured it’d cause you to run. We’re only here to make sure you don’t slither away and come back in another ten years.”
Confusion fell across all of the New Rangers’ faces. Shade took a step forward, sneering.
“You’re lying.”
“Read our minds,” Alex said. “It’s over.”
His mother was enraged. Then she laughed. “You may have changed our plans, but we are far from beaten,” Shade spat. “We’ve made our way this far and by God, I won’t stop fighting until this entire world is bowing before me. I am a third-generation member of the Cloak Society, and I will destroy this city before I give it back to the Rangers.”
For a brief pause, her speech reminded Alex of one he’d given on the steps of Silver Bank. Then the sound of his mother’s voice overwhelmed him. At first he thought she was screaming in his mind, but then realized that it was his ears that were being assaulted.
“I am a third-generation member of the Cloak Society, and I will destroy this city before I give it back to the Rangers.”
He turned to see Amp standing behind him with his palms held up to the sky. Shade’s voice boomed out of his body, echoing her speech through the park and out into the streets. Alex stared dumbly at the Junior Ranger, who smiled before letting loose the entire monologue again.
“I will destroy this city.”
Anyone within a half mile would hear it.
Shade’s body began to tremble with rage. She spoke only a few words.
“No quick exits.”
Alex’s father grinned. He raised one arm. A bolt of crackling purple electricity flew through the air so quickly that it was nothing but a flash to Alex as it passed by him. Misty had just enough time to gasp before the electric blast hit her, snaking over her body. She let out a strange, startled noise before falling backward, her curly red hair frizzed out around her.
“Misty!” Alex yelled out.
The Cloak Society charged.
In all his training, Alex had never been on the field with so many different people at once. It could easily devolve into chaos, but they had a plan. Kyle disappeared into the trees. Kirbie made a beeline toward Titan, in her wolf form, her teeth chomping at the air in anticipation of attack. Alex and Amp sprinted toward Shade. Lone Star carried Misty off the field while the others stayed back, ready to take on the Omegas.
Something huge and hulking came through the trees: on top of a giant, spidery creation of twisted roots and branches and tree trunks almost two stories tall stood Kyle, who held thick clumps of vines in one hand like reins. His other hand was out, fingers spread wide as he muttered to himself, directing the giant plant creature. The behemoth moved with shocking speed, and that, coupled with the unexpected sight of a monster made up of parts of Victory Park itself, caught Volt and Titan by surprise. One thick arm reached out and wrapped Titan in its clutches, lifting him high into the air, while another slammed down onto Volt, roots growing over the man’s body, pinning him to the ground.
Shade bared her teeth and her eyes flashed. Above her, Photon raised one arm and pointed straight ahead.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she said. “I’ve invited some old friends to help.”
Out of the trees walked a dozen figures that Alex recognized immediately. Their silver bodies reflected the light of the sun and trees and grass around them. Their eyes stared forward, vacant. Alex could even name some of them. Storm Lad. Ms. Light. And Amp’s parents—the Guardian and the Sentry.
Walking toward them were the statues of the old Rangers that lived permanently in Victory Park. Photon had breathed life into their metal forms. Through the trees behind Shade, Alex could see a few more of the figures stepping down from pedestals and platforms in the memorial sculpture garden and walking across the park to serve as Cloak’s disposable soldiers.
“What?” Alex whispered.
“Don’t look so surprised,” Shade said. “You did arrest our Deputies. I look forward to interrogating each police officer personally once this is over to figure out who is and isn’t on our side. The disloyal will be made an example of. You have yourselves to thank for that.”
The statues charged forward, some carrying tree branches, others carrying weapons that had been sculpted into their hands. Alex concentrated on one of the forms, straining his thoughts as he lifted it off the ground. He swung the twisting figure back and forth, knocking others off the battlefield. There was a low electronic pulse as Shade fired the Umbra Gun, aimed at Kirbie. Alex caught the dark energy bolt just in time, deflecting it into one of the moving statues instead.
“Maybe I trained you a little too well with all those rubber bullets back home,” Shade lamented as the statue melted into the Gloom.
Amp’s metal parents charged straight toward him. A sonic blast bounced off his father. They were just like Titan, immune to his powers.
“Kyle, cover me!” the boy shouted.
The plant monster lurched forward, but Photon twisted his hand and brought the statue of the Guardian flying up through the air. It tackled Kyle, sending both of them falling to the ground with a thud. Kirbie started after him in her wolf form, but Titan stopped her, batting at her with a thick piece of wood he’d pulled off Kyle’s plant creation as he escaped its grasp.
“Bug Bomb!” Alex shouted over his shoulder.
Bug nodded, and out of the trees behind Shade came a swarm of insects, buzzing around her eyes, mouth, and ears. She yelled, but opening her mouth only gave the insects a new place to explore. She swatted at them desperately. Across the lawn, the statues started to move more slowly. It was an unexpected attack, but more importantly to Alex, it would keep his mother occupied without actually hurting her. At least not much.
Behind Alex, Lux and Lux’s mirror image, Novo, were facing off against each other like two sparring twins.
The real Lux kicked high, slamming the sole of her boot into the Omega’s nose—into a reflection of herself. The attack left an imprint on Novo’s face, which quickly scrambled and re-formed.
“You must really hate looking at yourself,” Novo said, jeering. “That almost hurt.”
Novo’s arm shot forward, wrapping around Lux’s neck like a tentacle. The genuine Ranger choked.
“You know, I think I’m going to enjoy being you.”
“Stop, Novo,” Gage shouted as he caught up to the two of them. He stood in front of the Omega, a tree branch in his one good hand, lab coat billowing in the slight breeze. “Let her go.”
“HA!” Novo laughed. “Oh, this is wonderful. The broken little inventor whose toys are all useless thanks to big, bad Photon. You’re going to come at me with a stick, now, is that it?”
Gage rushed forward, branch reared back, letting out a battle cry. Novo tossed Lux aside and grabbed his unbroken arm, holding him up to her eye level.
“It’ll take more than that to get rid of me,” Novo seethed, her words a mixture of high and low voices all speaking at the same time. “I’m going to take my time with you. Shade may want your mind, but the rest of you can be as mangled as I want it to be.”
“Do you really think I can’t design something without EMP protection?” Gage asked. He smiled. “Fiat Lux.”
There was a whirring inside his goggles.
“What, is that some sort of Latin curse or—”
Twin lasers shot from the sides of Gage’s goggles, searing holes into Novo’s face. Novo let out a shriek, her image turning in on itself and regenerating, this time as her own face and not a copy of Lux’s.
When she re-formed, she found Mallory, whose jaw was clenched and hands shaking, as if she was holding in an immense amount of energy. Then, as Novo’s entire body shot toward her, she unleashed a supercharged subzero blast that flash-froze the Omega. Novo’s body smoked like dry ice, her face distorted—an abstract sculpture with vaguely human elements.
“Beat the boss once,” Mallory said, “and it’s a lot easier the second time.”
One frozen appendage still held Gage in the air.
“Cold,” Gage said, his teeth chattering, “Very c-c-cold.”
He shook his body, until the thin fingers around his bicep shattered and he fell. He let out a cry as his broken arm hit the ground.
“You okay?” Mallory asked.
“Fine,” he said, though his voice was full of pain. “Go help the others.”
She hesitated briefly before running farther up the battlefield to Alex. He had his arms outstretched, trying to direct one of the metal statues, but was sweating against Photon’s powers.
“Protect Amp,” he called to her as she approached. “I’ve got this.”
He turned his attention to Volt—now free from the plant monster’s clutches—and swung the metal statue at him, slowly enough that if it actually hit his father, it would just knock him down for a bit. Volt dodged and sent an arc of electricity flying through the air at his son, who raised a telekinetic shield just in time.
“Incoming!” Lone Star shouted from somewhere behind them.
Alex looked over his shoulder to find Legion tumbling in front of Bug, clones rolling out of him. Lone Star followed behind, swinging and kicking and brawling with copy after copy as they vanished one by one. But the Ranger looked as if he’d been beaten to a veritable pulp. Already one of his eyes was swelling shut and his bottom lip was busted and bleeding. Bug started forward to help him, but one of the Legions held out a strong arm, clotheslining the boy. The Omega was on top of him in an instant.
“Sorry, Bug boy, but this is it for you,” Legion said. “We can’t just let you keep spying on us with all your little flying friends.”
Before Bug could respond, another Legion separated from the one holding him down. The copy moved so quickly that he was little more than a blur as he solidified, snatching Zip out of the air.
“NO!” Bug shouted.
Legion bared his teeth as the clone closed his fist around the dragonfly. When he opened his hand again, Zip fell to the ground, motionless.
Bug didn’t say anything at first. He just shook, and his eyes began to glow an intense golden green. When he did finally speak, he had only a question.
“If a copy came out of you, you must be the actual Legion, right?”
There was a near-deafening buzz in the air, and suddenly Legion was covered in hornets. He tried to bat them off, but they were a seemingly endless cloud of eyes, wings, and stingers. Clones fell out of him but vanished as they hit the ground, all writhing in agony. He ran blindly into the brush, away from Bug and the battle.
Bug picked Zip up and stood silent for a moment. The insect’s body curled in on itself. Her beautiful, fragile wings were crushed. Bug swallowed hard as he moved her to the foot of a tree, where he brushed some soil over his fallen companion, whispering a few words. Then, with a crown of hornets circling his head, he continued to fight.
A few yards away, the statue of the Sentry that was attacking Amp began to slow, and then smoke. It took a step forward, but in doing so its leg cracked and broke off.
“Go!” Mallory said from behind Amp. A few beads of sweat had crystallized around her hairline. “Stop Shade!”
“This is for my parents,” he said.
A wave of ear-piercing sound shot out of his hands, all focused on Alex’s mother, the woman who was now on her knees with the Umbra Gun in one hand as she swatted insects away with another. When the sound reached her, she shrieked, shaking her head.
All around the battlefield, the statues stopped moving.
Alex wrapped all the energy he could muster around Photon, who floated above Shade, looking as if he’d been stunned himself. With a wave of his hands, Alex ripped the Ranger from the sky, sending him flying across the lawn. He landed near Lone Star, bouncing twice before stopping. Lone Star and Gage were at his side almost immediately.
“He’s unconscious,” Gage shouted back to the others.
There was an explosion at the other end of the clearing, erupting from the entrance to the once-secret underground tunnel.
Barrage, Alex thought.
The metal drain fell on the ground not far from Alex, who picked it up with his thoughts instinctively and sent it flying toward Volt. It was within a few feet of hitting his father’s head when Alex realized the repercussions of such an attack and changed its course. The drain dipped and turned, bouncing off his father’s shoulder. As Volt staggered backward, falling to the ground, Alex watched smoke and dirt billow up out of the tunnel hole, followed by Barrage and Julie and a dozen armed Unibands.
Alex made it to the middle of the battlefield, where Lone Star, Lux, and Gage hovered over Photon. Barrage sent waves of explosive energy balls that smashed against Alex’s telekinetic forces, creating a cloud of fire and debris. Alex planted his feet and peered through the dust. Kirbie was in her bird form, swooping down and picking up Unibands, throwing them this way and that and into one another. Finally she picked Julie up by her hair and flung the girl into the trees, which closed in around her—Kyle was controlling them from somewhere.
“What’s the story, Gage?” Alex asked.
“He’s out of it,” Gage said, nodding at Photon’s still form. “I don’t know. I’ve never exactly dealt with someone who’s had their brain tampered with.”
Alex glanced back at his mother, still pinned down by Amp and Bug. If she got to her feet again, he couldn’t protect Photon and handle the Umbra Gun.
Lone Star slapped the side of Photon’s face.
“Come on, old friend,” he said. “You’ve gotta wake up.”
“These Unibands,” Lux said, “they don’t have powers, right? Just weapons?”
“Laser pistols and Tasers and things, yes,” Gage said.
Lux nodded. “Good. I’ve got some pent-up aggression I’d like to take out on them.”
She left their side, sprinting toward the few Unibands Kirbie had left standing. She moved faster than Alex had expected, her palms smashing against noses and feet sending her opponents flying, even as she dodged all kinds of attacks.
Barrage let out a shout, clutching a shoulder where his coat was now scorched, smoking slightly. Mallory was hurling superheated energy at him, drawing his fire away.
“All right,” Alex said. “I’ll keep a shield up around you and—”
Something slammed into him, sending him tumbling to the ground. It was Bug, unconscious. Alex checked to make sure the boy was still breathing, and then looked up to see Titan grinning at him. Farther up the battlefield, the insect army around Shade’s head dissipated.
“Crap,” Alex muttered. Amp was now the only thing keeping Shade down. Alex had to keep Titan occupied.
He sprinted directly at the metal boy. To collide with him would no doubt break half the bones in Alex’s body, but seconds before the two of them hit each other, he used his powers to give himself a boost. He jumped over the boy. Titan’s feet dug deep grooves into the ground as he skidded to a stop.
“Gagh,” Titan groaned. “Just stand still so I can snap you like a . . . stupid twig.”
“That wouldn’t be very smart of me, now would it?” Alex asked.
“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”
“Well, you’ve always been the brawn, so that does make me the brains.”
“Ha,” Titan scoffed. “If you were half as smart as you think you are, you’d have checked your three o’clock.”
Alex spun to his right just in time to see Julie flying toward him from the trees. He ducked and pushed her away with his thoughts, but she managed to drag her claws across his left shoulder. Before he could counterattack, Titan was on him, holding him up with one hand around his neck.
“Well?” Titan asked. “Where’s all your smarts now?”
“Not just smarts,” Alex half gagged through Titan’s grip. “I’ve got friends, too.”
Kirbie swooped low and pecked her oversized beak at the back of Titan’s head. Alex used the moment of confusion to let loose a mighty telekinetic blast that sent Titan into the trees, splintering several trunks. But he was hardly fazed by this and started back after Alex almost immediately.
“Don’t you ever get knocked out?” Alex asked. He raised Titan into the air, anger and fear pouring out of him as his thoughts tightened around his opponent. Beside him, Kirbie was in her wolf form, trading swipes with Julie.
“I will skin you and make you into a rug, little doggie,” Julie spat.
Kirbie tackled her with a bone-rattling roar. The two toppled over each other. Farther back, Shade was crawling on the ground, hands clasped over her ears from Amp’s continued assault. The Umbra Gun sat on the ground in front of her. Alex wondered briefly if he could somehow pry the bracelet off his mother’s wrist, but Titan was struggling in the air, and he had to keep his energies concentrated on the metal boy.
“Barrage,” Shade shouted, pain tingeing her voice. “Take out Amp.”
Several crackling orbs of red energy shot forward from Barrage’s palm, sailing straight for the Junior Ranger. There was only one way to stop Amp from taking a direct hit—one that he probably wouldn’t survive. Alex hurled Titan forward to intercept the attack. Titan and the very air around him erupted into flames as Barrage’s fireballs slammed into his son’s body one after the other, each exploding with the force of a small bomb, pushing him out of Alex’s grasp. Titan fell to the earth, thick black smoke trailing behind him.
Alex stopped and stared at the wall of dirt and debris where Amp had just been standing. The tree branches were now crackling with fire. He searched for movement. The whole battlefield seemed to pause. And then, something emerged.
At first Alex thought that it was one of Photon’s statues, but there was no denying that it was Titan once he got a look at the rage on the boy’s face. The entire upper half of his body had been burned away, leaving nothing but shiny metal. The flames reflected off his arms and torso as if they were dancing on his body. He dragged an unconscious Amp on the ground behind him. Alex wasn’t sure if it had been the force of the explosions or Titan who’d knocked out the Junior Ranger.
“You . . . ,” Titan growled at Alex with narrowed eyes.
Alex could just make out the hint of white teeth through Titan’s sneering lips. It was impossible for him not to think of the grinning silver skull of Cloak, as if it had come to life and manifested on the battlefield before him. Titan tossed Amp to the side. Julie ran to her brother, her arms turning human and fleshy again.
“Titan,” she said tentatively, reaching her hand out. When her fingers met the searing-hot metal of his arm, she yelped, pulling them back and to her mouth.
“Don’t touch me,” Titan muttered. His every movement seemed to be made through intense pain as he lumbered toward Alex.
Off to the side, Shade was regaining her composure. Her hands were shaky as she tapped at something on top of the Umbra Gun.
“Do you have any idea how much that hurt?” she asked, shaking her head. She turned her gaze to Alex. Her eyes went silver. Inside Alex’s head, it felt like his brain was being torn apart. There was a high, piercing ringing that was penetrating his thoughts. He fell to his knees. “I’m betting you regret your decision to turn down my offer earlier.”
He forced his mother out, pushing her thoughts away with a wave of telekinetic energy. Still, the attack had done its damage. He felt stunned, discombobulated, and looked around the battlefield for help. Kirbie was taking on Julie and Titan by herself. Mallory held off Barrage and a handful of Unibands beside Lux. Lone Star and Gage were dragging Photon toward the edge of the battlefield, out of harm’s way. Everyone else was either knocked out or missing.
“A Taser,” Gage was shouting. “Get me a Taser.”
“I’m on it,” Lux said. She charged one of the Unibands, weaving between laser blasts before finally catapulting herself feetfirst into the henchman’s chest. Lux disarmed him of several weapons and gave him a swift kick in the side before returning to Lone Star and Gage.
“I didn’t know which one for sure,” she said, dropping the haul beside them.
Gage picked up one of the gun-like items and looked at Photon.
“Will this work?” Lone Star asked.
“What have we got to lose?”
An electric bolt shot into Photon’s body, causing him to convulse on the ground for a moment. And then, nothing. The Ranger remained unconscious. Lux and Lone Star stared at him, waiting, but there was only his quiet breathing.
“Okay,” Gage said. “We need to get him as far away from here as we can. If you two—”
Photon sat up, gasping for breath, causing the others to jump back in surprise. He patted at his body, as if he hadn’t felt it in a very long time and needed to be sure that it was actually there.
“Photon!” Lone Star shouted. There was a hesitation in his voice. They couldn’t be sure it was actually their teammate and not some Cloak puppet.
“Lone Star?” The man looked up at him, recognition dawning.
“Is it really you?” Lux whispered.
Photon looked around the battlefield, blinking. Finally his gaze landed on Shade, who was staggering toward Alex. Photon’s eyes widened and his fists clenched together.
“We should get you out of here,” Gage said. “We don’t know how long—”
“No,” Photon said. “I’ve seen everything that woman has done and I haven’t been able to stop it. Until now.”
With that, he shot up into the sky, hovering in the middle of the battlefield. He raised one hand, and all around him Uniband weapons floated into the air. With a flick of his wrist, they became nothing more than a mangled ball of scraps. Around the lawn, the Ranger statues began to move again, this time attacking the Unibands, holding them off the ground as they kicked and struggled.
“You!” Shade shouted, her eyes wide and bloodshot, her hair a tangled mess standing out in every direction thanks to Bug’s previous attacks. “You’re mine.” Her eyes went silver, her limbs shaking.
“Not anymore,” Photon said.
He twitched his fingers. The metal bracelet around Shade’s wrist shattered, and the Umbra Gun flew out of her hands and up to him. He gave it a quick once-over before a piece of the weapon detached itself and disintegrated. The bomb was disarmed.
From the ground, Barrage shouted in rage, sending a series of blasts at the Ranger. Photon dodged. As he did, the Umbra Gun turned in midair, and he used his powers to fire off a single round. The dark energy hit Barrage in the stomach, the icy black seeping over him.
“No,” he grunted. “No, no, no!”
“Dad!” Julie shouted, running toward him, but Titan reached out and grabbed her arm, holding her up in the air. She tried to wriggle out of her brother’s grasp as she shouted at him. “What are you—”
“It’s not me, you idiot,” Titan said, glaring at Photon, who had taken control of his metal body. Several of the nearby Ranger statues ran to the brother and sister. They wrapped their arms around the pair before becoming lifeless once again, forming a cage around the siblings.
“Wrangle up what’s left of Cloak,” Lone Star shouted. “We’re taking them in.”
Across the battlefield, Barrage melted into shadow and disappeared. Julie screamed.
From the trees, a stream of purple electricity shot up and zapped Photon. He cried out, plummeting toward the earth, then landed in a heap in front of Lone Star, the Umbra Gun falling beside him. Mallory and Lux sprinted toward the direction of Volt’s charge.
Alex turned to face his mother, but she was nowhere to be seen. Gone.
“Where’s Shade?” Kirbie asked, running to his side. “Where’d she go?”
“This way,” Alex shouted, already headed toward the trees. “We can’t let her get away.”
He got several yards before Kirbie’s talons were on his shoulders, lifting him off the ground. They climbed into the sky. Together they would find his mother. Together they would keep her from escaping.