HER EYES STREAMING from the smoke that billowed from the burning battle-tank, Energy limped across the shrapnel-strewn battlefield to where Titan was sitting propped up against an overturned jeep. The hero was tearing his blue cape into strips â heâd already used several to bind a stick to his broken right leg.
He looked up as Energy approached. âHeyâ¦You OK?â
âIâll live.â Holding on to the jeep to steady herself, Energy carefully lowered herself down next to him. âJust so you know, the medics are bringing their own bandages.â
Titan forced a smile. âHad to keep busy. Didnât want to pass out.â
âSo, did we win or lose today?â
Titan dropped the shredded cape and took hold of her hand. âI donât think thatâs something weâre going to know for a long time.â
Energy nodded, then paused. âDiamond didnât make it. She was in her crystalline form when it happened. Without her powers, she wasnât able to change back.â
âGodâ¦What was her name? Her real name?â
âShe never told me. Max said he didnât know either.â
âHow are we going to find her family, tell them what happened?â
Energy didnât answer.
Titan leaned his head back against the jeep. âShe was just a kid.â
âI know.â
A voice called, âSo how are you guys doing?â
They looked up to see Paragon striding towards them.
âWeâre alive,â Energy said. âThanks to you.â
âThatâs all part of the job description.â Paragon unclipped his jetpack and checked a tiny read-out on the back. âDamn. Left thrusterâs just about blown. Not that itâs worth repairing now. If itâs true that you superhumans have all lost your powers, then Iâm going to quit the business too.â
Titan began, âNo, you shouldââ
Paragon raised his hand to his helmet. âHold itâ¦Go ahead, Maxâ¦Got it. Iâm on the way.â Slinging his jetpack back into place, he said to Energy and Titan, âHe thinks theyâve just found Ragnarökâs base.â
He soared into the sky.
Energy activated her communicator. âParagon, youâre crazy! You canât go after him without your armour!â
His voice came back. âDioxin destroyed most of it. But maybe he did me a favour; the armour slows me down. Without it, I can get there a lot faster.â
âIâm on the way, Max,â Paragon said. âTell me everything.â
âRagnarökâs battle-tank was built a hundred and fifty kilometres west of here, big warehouse outside Westmoreland. My people have been checking the satellite images and traffic records. Their analysis shows a large SUV making regular trips between the warehouse and Shermanâs Bay, Chatauqua Lake. Same SUV came back today, arrived in the warehouse an hour before the battle-tank emerged.â
Paragon said, âMax, that doesnât mean it was Ragnarök!â
âThey also detected a vapour trail from Ragnarökâs escape craft going in the same direction. They were able to pick it up by analysingââ
âSkip the details,â Paragon interrupted. âJust give me the exact location.â
âIâm sending you the coordinates now.â
Paragon glanced at the map that was projected on to the inside of his visor. âI see it.â
âChecking it against the cityâs ordnance database. Itâsâ¦Good Lordâ¦Itâs an apartment block. Weâve been searching for this maniac for years and heâs been living in an ordinary apartment block!â
The army ambulance raced over the rough ground, hit a furrow and bounced. Inside, lying on the stretcher, Titan gasped as the pain in his right leg flared up again.
âTake it easy up there!â Energy called to the driver. She turned back to Titan and checked the temporary splint on his leg. âYou OK?â
Titan gritted his teeth. âNot really.â
The truck bounced again and Energy grabbed a handrail to steady herself. âYouâre going to be off your feet for the next few months.â
âI know.â He nodded. âLook, if our powers never come backââ
âWeâll survive.â
âYeah, butââ
The ambulance swerved sharply to the left.
âHey!â Energy shouted. âWatch where youâre going!â
âThat wasnât me!â the driver called back. âSomething hitââ
Titan was thrown from the stretcher as the explosion ripped through the side wall of the ambulance.
âParagon, this is General Piers. Back-up is about ten minutes behind you.â
âIâm not waiting,â Paragon said. The visorâs readouts showed that the jetpackâs shuddering was caused by the left thruster. Just hope I can get there before this thing shuts down completely.
He dropped down to fifty metres â high enough to avoid the power-lines, but not as low as heâd have preferred to fly with a malfunctioning jetpack. He knew that even if heâd still had his armour, hitting the ground from this height would be fatal.