Super: Underground: Book 2 in the Super: Series (27 page)

She didn’t really remember singing the next song, but since it was one of the first ones they’d written, it came so naturally to her by now that she didn’t need to concentrate on it. When the applause came up, she ducked back to Riss first.

“Kate says the only thing she can see in her new eye is those same red ones I’ve been seeing,” Lex murmured into Riss’ ear and watched as the other woman’s eyes grew wide. “She says they’re not far. Two more songs and let’s get out of here.”

Riss gave Lex a serious glance as she nodded. Lex stopped by Lou as she returned to her place on stage and stood on tiptoes to reach his ear. “Two more songs and we’re wrapping up,” she said. “I’ll explain afterwards.”

He looked at her curiously but didn’t argue, nodding his head. The next couple of songs Lex sang on autopilot, but she felt more concerned about Kate stumbling through her parts and whoever might be out there looking for them. Throughout the whole ordeal the crowd still seemed enthusiastic, even though a number of people called for an encore as they finished and many seemed disappointed they’d stopped.

They all packed up their things as fast as possible and Lou started moving their amps and speakers off stage. Lex reached for Riss’ arm as she walked by. “Go get Casey and Victor and meet us out back,” Lex said, to which Riss nodded and disappeared.

Kate nearly tripped as she carried her guitar case offstage and Lex stood near Lou for a moment, speaking quietly into his ear as he put a speaker down. “Kate and I are pretty sure someone is here looking for us. I thought it would be best for us to get out of here as soon as we could. Can you pack this stuff in the van and help Kate?”

Lou nodded, picked up a huge armload of things, and headed out the back door to the loading dock. Lex rushed around backstage and finally found Laura.

“Look, I’m sorry we stopped so early today,” Lex told her. “You know how Kate was having that headache earlier? She’s feeling a lot worse now and we think it would be better if she rested, so I figured it would be better to cut the set short.”

Laura waved a hand in front of her face as if to wave off the idea. “Don’t worry about it, Lex. We’ve got it covered. We’ll just play a little longer tonight, maybe dust off some old songs.”

Letting a sigh of breath out that she hadn’t realized she was holding, Lex managed a small smile. “Thanks, Laura. You guys are real friends.”

“Just get back and get some sleep. I hope Kate feels better. If she doesn’t, I’ll never hear the end of it, anyway,” Laura replied, smiling a little wryly over at Jack and Kate talking.

Once all five of them made it out to the loading dock, Lex had a moment of horror as she saw a large delivery truck and not their van, but after a few seconds that seemed like hours, Lou appeared.

“Sorry,” he explained, “but this truck got here and so I had to move the van. It’s not too far away.”

They started walking, Lex trying to walk quickly, but Casey reached out for her arm. “So, what’s this about, Lex?”

Lex sighed, not sure how to tell the story. Finally, she said, “Well, I’ve been having these dreams. I figured they were just nothing, that I was worried. But they were about this pair of weird eyes following me, well, us really.”

She looked over to see Kate staring at her, dismayed. “Yeah,” Lex continued, nodding at Kate, “so when Kate told me that all she could see in her new eye was the same thing I’d been dreaming about, and that she had a feeling they were close by, I figured we should get the hell out of here. I’m sorry; I should have said something earlier. I screwed up.”

Casey looked over at Lou, who returned her glance with a serious expression. “Don’t waste time being sorry; it may be nothing anyway. Let’s just focus on getting out of here.” She leaned over to whisper urgently into Lex’s ear. “And stop acting so freaked out; you’re taking everyone else along with you.”

Biting her lip, Lex nodded and then took a deep breath. “Thanks for that,” she replied, giving Casey a shaky smile. “Hey, Kate, let’s walk out front,” Lex continued, grabbing her friend’s arm.

Kate’s worried expression had disappeared. “I can see out of that eye again,” she quietly told Lex, then smiled.

“Do you think that means everything’s OK?” Lex asked in hushed tones.

Shrugging, Kate looked forward again. “I have no idea; I just hope it never happens again.” Raising her voice, she turned her head to see Lou. “Hey, how far ahead is the van?”

Lex didn’t hear what Lou answered, however, because a chill ran down her spine and there seemed to be a wind rushing in her ears that blocked the chatter around her out. She began to recognize the quiet city street, the cars, and all of the surroundings.

“Fuck,” she said, coming to a stop. Riss nearly ran into her and the others were suddenly clustered around her. “In the last dream I had, it centered on that alley,” she said softly, pointing to an opening between the buildings several yards away.”

Lou and Casey slid to either side and flanked Riss and Victor, and Lex and Kate stood in front. “Look sharp, everyone,” Casey said in a low voice, and then they started moving together. Some of Lex’s nervousness melted away at that, because they’d stepped naturally into one of the same formations they’d practiced in the team training she’d insisted on. All the same, she found herself swallowing against a dry throat as the approached the mouth of the alley.

The unearthly calm she often sensed just before a fight fell over her. Five people had stepped out of the alley and stood in their path. At the front a slight woman with a smug look blocked the way, shorter than Lex, her brunette hair in a bob hairstyle and her arms crossed, her expression a smug grin. Behind her was a man whose hair looked like stubble and who stood at parade rest. As Lex’s eyes widened, she saw the man leer at Casey and at the same time could feel Lou tense behind her. A slim blonde man half a head shorter than Casey, with artfully tousled hair, leaned against the nearby building. The woman who stood near him, closer to the mouth of the alley, was a head shorter again, her long dark hair in a braid down her back, her arms crossed over her chest, and her head turned away in annoyance. The fifth person was also another woman. The first four wore something similar to the jumpsuits Lex, Casey, and Riss had worn when on a job with the M Agency, but the final woman wore what looked like a one-piece spandex bodysuit. She kept her brown hair in a pixie cut and eyed the group in front of her with suspicion.

“I told you they’d be here,” the one with the bob said, angling her head back slightly as if speaking to the man who looked like he’d been in the military.

“Whatever, Alison,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Who are you people and what do you want with us?” Casey’s voice rang out loud in the previously quiet street, and Lex couldn’t help sliding her eyes to look at her friend’s annoyed expression. She seemed to be skewering the newcomers with her gaze, so Lex turned to support her friend, giving the people blocking their path a hard look.

“Oh, don’t try to look so innocent!” Alison replied, narrowing her eyes. “Someone in your group was using unnatural power. I could feel it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Casey thundered. “We’re here minding our own business, not bothering anyone or breaking any laws. There’s no reason for you to harass us.”

“It doesn’t matter to me how much you deny it. I’m going to take you in and the people back home can examine you and find out if you’re telling the truth. It’s the same to me one way or the other.” Alison finished and gave Casey an insincere smile.

“So you’re a dog for MSI,” Riss said, surging forward for a moment to glare at the woman. “Don’t think that’ll save you,” she continued, and Alison looked nervously in Riss’ direction at that comment. “They’ll take you in and experiment on you as soon as they feel like it.”

I guess playtime’s over
, Lex thought as she took a wider stance between Kate on her right and Lou to her left and slightly to her rear.

Then, a number of things seemed to happen all at once. The woman with the bob scowled at Riss and raised her arm, the blonde man who’d been leaning against the wall disappeared, and the woman who’d been standing next to the blonde said, “You know I’m not going to help you, Alison.”

A heartbeat later, Lex and Kate stepped forward as one, easily skirting the charge of the big man that had been standing behind Alison, now headed for Lou, while at the same time Lex heard a sizzling pop behind the two of them and the smell of something burning filled the air.

Lex gave a quick backward glance to see Victor fiddling with a gun he must have produced from his bag and goggles Lex didn’t ever recall having seen him wear. The thin blonde man sat half-leaning against the wall of the building behind Casey and Riss, looking stunned. Lex turned her head back to the front as Kate tapped on her arm.

“Keep your head in the game,” Kate said with a smile that looked to be all teeth. “You know they’ve got it back there. How about you take the mouthy one and I’ll take the one in the bodysuit? It doesn’t sound like the third one is going to attack, but if she does, whoever finishes first gets dibs, all right?”

“No problem,” Lex said, feeling her answering grin pull wide. “I should be able to finish this in no time at all.”

“You wish,” Kate snorted, grinning even wider. “I’m going to be done so soon I’ll be standing around bored.”

As she approached Alison, Lex’s heart iced over as the woman turned in her direction and the orange light from the street lamp caught her eyes. They seemed to glow red even through the strangely colored light. After a heartbeat, however, Lex started to get angry.

“So you’re the one who decided to dog us,” Lex growled.

Alison sneered at Lex. “What’s it to you?” she asked, but something about her voice told Lex that what Riss had said earlier had shaken her.

A moment later, however, the thought vanished as a sudden wave of pain washed over her head. Looking up, she saw the smug expression back on Alison’s face as she stared back at the other woman. After a minute of just enduring it, anger rushed through Lex again. She imagined the pain that Alison seemed to be sending her way as a physical entity and pushed it out of her head. The other woman went from looking smug to panicked and fearful as Lex felt the pain subside altogether.

Lex felt fierce confidence bloom in her as she moved in to engage Alison, but the first punch she threw sent pain shooting up her arm without even touching the other woman. Alison looked smug again as Lex brought up her hand to run it along a curved, invisible surface surrounding the other woman.

“You’re a complete idiot,” Alison said with a sneer. “Haven’t you ever heard of a force field?”

Lex just ignored the words as she worked her way around Alison, feeling the force field and trying to find a break in it. She felt frustrated until she made her way around the back, and then she became worried, not having found a way in.

Over Alison’s shoulder, Lex could see Lou and the ex-military guy exchanging blows. Lou got knocked into a dumpster, and the resulting screech of metal as his body made an impression sounded deafening. The stranger, however, had been knocked to one knee from Lou’s blow, cracking the pavement of the sidewalk. Lex thought they seemed evenly matched enough that the fight could go on for some time. While searching the force field, Lex had heard Lou ask Casey to back him up if needed, but otherwise not to join. Casey helped Victor stand as she watched Lou and the other man fight, itching her other palm against her jeans. Victor looked shaken, probably thrown out of the way of the two other men fighting, Lex realized. Riss stood in Casey’s shadow, but appeared to be somewhere else, deep in concentration. The woman Kate fought had somehow managed to take a hold of Kate’s arm, bent at the elbow and holding it hard enough so that Kate seemed unable to shake loose. Kate kicked at the woman instead, but as Lex watched, she grabbed Kate’s leg and held on. To Lex’s dismay, as her gaze traveled outwards, she realized they’d started to attract a crowd, including people looking out of nearby windows.
It’ll only be a matter of time before someone calls the police
, Lex thought.

Her mind reeled as she tried to think of how to address her opponent but thought it over and realized how many of their opponents had been using delaying tactics. A wave of fear washed over her as she realized reinforcements may have already been called. “Fuck,” Lex muttered, “we just don’t have time for this. Orange!” she called in a voice that seemed to penetrate all the chaos going on around them.

All of her team immediately stopped and drew back from their opponents. Kate looked alarmed for a moment, but tilted her head to the side so that her ear brushed the arm her opponent held. When a glance told her that all five of her teammates had jammed their fingers into their ears, she opened her mouth at the same moment that Alison started saying, “Wait! She’s going to—”

“Stop!” Lex yelled as loud as she could manage, feeling the sound seem to condense in her chest just before she let it out.

The silence that resulted seemed unnatural, with the normal sounds of the city still going on at a farther distance. Lex took a long breath out then, turning slightly as she watched the rest of her team start to take their fingers out of their ears. Kate began to struggle to remove her arm and leg from the now frozen woman’s grasp and Lex rushed to assist. When they got her free seconds later, the rest of the team had gathered around Lex and Kate.

“Let’s go,” Lex said, but then had an awful realization that as soon as the people here got free, she and her friends would be pursued, likely by people worse than police.

She looked up to see everyone watching her and sighed. Lex didn’t want to exercise the idea that had come to her, but she did want to make sure everyone would be safe. She closed her eyes and sighed again before opening them and speaking.

“All of you, please go a little way down the street. Try to stop somewhere out of sight of these people here,” Lex said as she gestured at the group they’d been fighting some minutes before. “Put your fingers in your ears and hum, because I’m going to try something. I don’t know if it’ll work, but I don’t want any of you to get caught up in it. Keep your ears covered until you see me walking towards you.”