Portal Combat (2 page)

"Ted, will you be going back to high school in the fall?"

"What's it like saving the lives of hundreds of people every week?"

"Will you go to college next year or be a full-time hero?"

The last question was one he'd been pondering all summer. And all the time he'd spent thinking about it didn't get him any closer to an answer. He let out a polite "no comment" before Harding brought Ted into a vehicle that seemed to combine an SUV and an armored car. This was the kind of vehicle they built for hurricanes.

Ted wiped his face on a DHS embroidered towel and looked up at his handlers. "So, how are we gonna do this?"

Vott smiled. "I like it when you're all business."

"Two weeks left." Ted turned his head to the side, allowing the accumulated liquid in his ear to dribble out. "I might as well do as much good as I can."

Vott explained they'd go just outside the city's most populated area. Once they'd set up camp, Ted would go off and do his thing. They'd be in radio contact the entire time through the earpiece Ted was putting in place. Just as Ted thought the vehicle was about to speed away, a man who seemed vaguely familiar popped into the seat beside Ted.

It was becoming instinct for Ted to learn as much as he could about a person by doing a quick scan of his thoughts. Before he could help himself, he often knew the name, occupation and general disposition of an individual. As the man began to speak, Ted already knew everything he needed to.

"Ted Finley, it's an honor."

Senator Christopher "Kit" Kable looked stronger than most politicians he'd encountered, and during the last few months, that number continued to grow. Congressmen in particular had a thing for roping him into selfies. Kable filled out his black suit from top to bottom and had a beaming smile that illuminated the vehicle.

"Senator Kable." Butterflies fluttered in Ted's stomach. "I'm surprised to see you off the campaign trail."

Kable smirked. "It's a trail with many paths. Your associates here said I could have a few minutes of your time."

Ted raised his eyebrows at Vott and Harding. The latter gave him a shrug in return.

"Sure." Ted fumbled with his earpiece. "If you're trying to get my vote, keep in mind that I won't be 18 by Election Day."

The senator let out a belly laugh. While his physique was that of a body builder, his laugh reminded Ted of a cartoon Santa Claus.

"Of course. Of course. Despite that technicality, you hold a lot of sway in this country. After the earthquake in California and the wildfires in Colorado. Heck, what you did off the coast of Louisiana was–"

"Senator."

"Please, call me Kit."

Ted had been given too many names to remember this summer. He wished people hadn't given him the permission to be more personal.

"Kit. What do you want?"

"All business, I see." The senator straightened his tie. "Ted, I'd like you to endorse me for President of the United States."

Ted had figured that was coming. With election season impending, he'd been asked to join dozens of campaigns, from the school board to the office of local representative, but none of them came close to a request for a Presidential endorsement. Ted didn't know much about either candidate's platform; all he knew was that his parents voted for President Blake in the last election.

The car pulled to a stop. Agent Harding hopped out and Vott made a gesture that showed how little time they had to talk.

Ted nodded. "I'm flattered, Senator... Kit. Get up with my manager, Dhiraj Patel. He handles these kinds of decisions. I just do the dirty work."

Kable laughed again. "And you do it so well, Ted." He extended his hand. "Good luck out there."

Ted thanked him and followed Agent Vott to a makeshift shelter. The howling winds were so strong they almost pushed Ted over.

"He sure went to a lot of trouble." Ted yanked the shelter door closed behind him. "And I can't even vote."

Vott furrowed his brow. "If you told people to vote for Kable in November, he'd win the election."

Ted didn't need to read Vott's thoughts to know that was true. He also wasn't sure that was the kind of responsibility one person should have.

A gruff-looking man in his late 50s greeted Ted and the agents as they walked into an emergency operations center for the city. The man barked orders to over a dozen people sitting in front of laptop screens. It was like a disaster movie, and he was the reluctant star. With Ted's help, this would be the team that would save as many lives as possible during the Category 3 storm.

"We're happy to have you here, Finley." The man had a gruff tone of voice to boot. "What you've done in just the last few months has been inspiring."

Pride ballooned in Ted's chest. "Thanks, sir. How can I help?"

The first pressing need was a levee that was about to break on the east side of town. Vott and Harding radioed in the directions on his headset as he took to the skies. Flying through the rain and wind took some getting used to, but it was much easier than zipping through smoke and fire in a full fireman's getup as he'd done in Colorado. By the time he reached the levee, Ted could see the problem. There was so much water attempting to stream through the sandbags, it would be a matter of seconds before things got hairy.

Ted landed behind the levee. Two firefighters called out to him, but he could only hear half their words. Ted instructed the men to stand back as he floated above the scene. He pushed his hands outward and watched as the water began to recede. As he did so, he used his powers to move a few dozen sandbags from the back of a truck to the levee. When he let the water go, he watched as the waves lapped harmlessly at the reinforced wall. The firefighters' cheers filled Ted with confidence. He grinned at the men behind the levee when the he heard Vott's voice.

"There's a problem, Ted. We need you on the other side of town."

"Ten-four."

Ted followed the instructions from his handlers and rocketed across the city much too fast to take in any sights. When he reached the front of a seven-story hospital, his feeling of strength and pride diminished. He could hear the crunching of metal and see the building start to lurch to one side. Somehow, the water had caused the building's foundation to crumble. He thought of Natalie recovering from her stab wound last year, and his mother coping with her second-degree burns from the Go Home Alien attack. Nobody he loved was inside that building, but they still deserved his best effort.

"How many people are inside?"

Vott paused. "At least 20 who haven't gotten out yet."

Ted sighed. "Alright."

He took a deep breath.

I wish Erica were here.

Ted flexed his hands and zipped in through the building's front door.

Chapter 3

Erica LaPlante felt the sun beaming down on her exposed midsection. While her eyes were closed beneath her designer sunglasses, she could still hear the sounds of the pool by her feet: children playing, the spring of the diving board and the lifeguard's whistle. The part of her that cared about teenage life told her to turn over to get a tan on her back as well. The part that wasn't in the 17-year-old mindset was itching for a bad guy to punch. Things had been quiet in Treasure since Ted hopped on that government plane. Too quiet for Erica's liking.

Erica turned her attention away from the blazing sun to her right. In the chair beside her, Natalie Dormer squirmed as she failed to relax in the beach chair. Her legs were too long to fit, and below her black bikini she proudly displayed a strip of white skin from her sports bra tan. Natalie noticed Erica's eyes and swung her body in that direction.

Erica suppressed her urge to mock the basketballer's discomfort. "Isn't this relaxing?"

"Yeah." Natalie rolled her eyes. "My favorite thing to do."

As a Treasure classmate passed by and looked them up and down, Erica had a sneaking feeling she was doing what everyone expected of her. In over a dozen lives, conformity was never her strong suit.

"Me too." She sat up and placed her sunglasses on a white, plastic table. "Race you 20 laps?"

Before Erica could blink, Natalie had leapt off the chair and into the lap lanes on the near side of the pool. Erica chuckled and dipped her toes in the chilly water. It sent a shiver through her body. The discomfort almost comforted her.

"Here goes."

Erica dove in and let the water cool off the heat she'd absorbed from the sun. It perked her right up, and she took one of the hairbands from her wrist and tucked her blonde mane back in a ponytail. By the time Erica began her swim, Natalie was already half a lap ahead.

As she started her crawl stroke, Erica flashed back to a previous life she'd lived on a tropical island. An evil force from another world was attempting to subjugate the community, and Erica inhabited the body of a fisherman's daughter to thwart the threat. The girl had practically lived in the water before her death, and Erica inherited every last aquatic muscle memory when she'd crossed over. As she blew by Natalie on lap five, Erica thought back to that simpler mission with a clear start and end. Things were much more complicated with a living soul/boyfriend in the mix. When she looked up at the end of 20 laps, Erica saw that Natalie was a full two laps behind.

Erica pulled herself up on the edge of the pool and waited for her opponent to arrive. When she did, Natalie leaned on the plastic lane divider to catch her breath.

"You... people... are the worst."

Erica smirked. "What do you mean, you people?"

The two girls laughed as Erica helped Natalie out of the pool. A few moments later, they washed the chlorine from their hair in the outdoor shower.

"When's the last time you heard from the anti-disaster task force?" Natalie tilted her head from side to side to get some water out.

"Six days." Erica lathered some shampoo between her hands and ran it through her locks. "Maybe a week."

Natalie turned off her showerhead and grabbed a towel. "Don't lie. I bet you know how long it's been to the minute."

Natalie was right. Erica could count the numbers of seconds it'd been since she'd talked to her boyfriend. And that gap was nearly the same as the one before that had been.

Erica forced a smile. "He's helping people. He's doing what a hero should."

Natalie tossed Erica a towel. "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

Erica wrinkled her nose and started drying off.

Natalie grumbled. "You know why you and all your other popular friends make me angry?"

Erica wasn't sure why, but pissing off Natalie brought her a certain kind of satisfaction. "Why's that?"

"You can scrunch up your face or bug out your eyes and you still look like a supermodel. If I do that, people call the police."

Erica laughed, which elicited another scowl.

"Even your laugh is cute. You're terrible."

Erica slipped on her sandals. "If my ever-present sexiness makes you so mad, why've you been hanging out with me all summer?"

"I guess I just hate myself." Natalie wrapped the towel over her bikini. Are you mad that Ted hasn't called more?"

"I'm just ready to fight what comes next." Erica pulled on a long t-shirt. "Hey, you wanna come to the caves with me?"

Natalie's mouth opened. "Really?"

"I feel like company." Erica took a few steps before turning back. "You comin'?"

Natalie gritted her teeth. "Sure. As long as you quit it with those runway turns."

Erica made a kissy face. "I'm just a natural, I guess."

"If you weren't already dead..."

The humidity of the caves made it harder to breath. Between the strain on her lungs and the darkness that surrounded her, Erica appreciated the challenge. It was only when Natalie had stumbled twice that she turned on her smartphone for some light.

The caves were a refuge from the perfection of the suburbs. The mustiness cleansed Erica's palette of the flower-filled lawns and power-washed sidewalks. The rocky terrain was the opposite of the foam protection that seemed to lie underneath every playground in Treasure. It almost felt like home.

About a half mile down the light-free passageway was a room with remarkable power. While Erica had never taken Ted to see the messages being sent between worlds, she had a feeling that Natalie should be there. What had once helped Nigel communicate with the dark souls was now Erica's only connection with Gan, Reena and the rest of the light soul army.

"This is way better." Natalie inched closer to Erica. "There's no way I'll get a sunburn in a cave."

Erica laughed until something else caught her attention. She shined the light as she spun in a slow circle. All she saw was rock and dark caverns, no matter which way she looked.

She swallowed. "I thought I heard something."

"And here I am, the one who's supposed to be scared. You know, I got stabbed in this cave. I should be the one freaking–"

Erica shushed Natalie and put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Hold up."

Now the noise was becoming clearer. A low gurgling sound echoed throughout the cave.

"Okay." Natalie let out a short breath. "You said you wanted a fight. You should wish for better things."

Erica tried to grin, but the sound was starting to get louder. "Stay close to me."

"Man." Natalie placed her back against Erica's. "I knew I should've changed out of this. It's riding up on me something fierce."

The gurgling sound was right on top of them before it stopped. Erica flashed her light in the last direction of the noise, but she still couldn't see anything.

"Let's get out of–"

The crashing sound of rocks tumbling to the ground cut her off. The small bit of light coming from the entrance to the cave cut off completely. Erica grabbed Natalie's hand.

"This way."

They dashed through a wide passageway, with Erica pulling Natalie through the dark cavern with exact knowledge of where they needed to go. After a few minutes of running, they reached what was supposed to be an open entrance to the message room, but it was as blocked as the entrance had been. Erica's heart beat faster.