Page 152 of Supernova

Nova took a step forward. “I know it doesn’t mean much, but I am sorry.”

Danna huffed, but Oscar made a face like maybe the apology meantsomething.

“Look, we’re going to have to work this out later,” said Adrian. “The three of you”—he gestured to Oscar, Danna, and Narcissa—“you’re with me. My dad threw his spear into the belfry before it collapsed. It’s his strongest weapon, and one that Ace can’t control. We’re going to see if we can find it and get it back to him.”

“Spear, belfry, got it,” said Oscar, saluting. He cocked his head toward Nova. “What’s she doing?”

Adrian turned to Nova.

She took in a steadying breath. “I might be the only one who can get close enough to Ace to neutralize him. I have to try.”

Adrian had been so focused on making sure Nova was okay after the bell tower collapsed, he hadn’t fully grasped the extent of the destruction. The tower had crashed through the roof of the transept, leaving a gigantic pile of rubble beneath a split roofline. The dust had begun to settle, but Adrian still covered his mouth to keep from inhaling too much as he made his way through the treacherous landscape. He could see the doorway that led down to the catacombs, now largely covered up by debris. A handful of the bells stuck out from the mayhem, silent where they had fallen.

“Whoa,” said Oscar, who had taken a floor candelabra from the nave to use as a makeshift cane… and possibly a weapon, in case it was needed. “I think I found a body?”

Adrian cringed, not eager to see Queen Bee again. But Oscar had crouched in front of one of the fallen bells, where a foot was dangling from the opening.

“That’s Cyanide!” said Narcissa.

Adrian nodded. “He was trying to kill me, so Nova put him to sleep. We thought he’d be safe inside that bell, in case the whole cathedral collapses around him.”

They started sifting through the wreckage, searching for the chromium pike. It wasn’t long before Adrian began to realize how much he was going to miss the strength that had come with his alter ego’s suit. Each stone block, every ancient timber, seemed heavierthan the last. He was already exhausted, and it wasn’t long before his muscles were groaning at him to stop. He was glad Oscar was there. He, at least, had actually bothered to spend time lifting weights in the training halls. Unlike Adrian, who had just gotten really good at drawing weighted barbells.

“There!” Danna cried, standing on a bank of rubble.

Adrian scurried up beside her and saw what was left of the wooden scaffolding that had supported the tower’s central bells. The pike was still stuck in one of the timbers.

In the end, it took all four of them and an embarrassing amount of straining and grunting for them to pry it free. When the spear finally came loose, they fell backward with a cry, landing in a heap among the stones and mortar. A broken gargoyle dug into Adrian’s hip. Hissing, he grabbed it and threw it back into the pile.

“Phase one complete,” he said. “Now, to get it to the Captain.”

He started to scramble back up when a pair of bare feet appeared a couple of steps away. He froze and let his gaze travel up long golden robes until he was staring into the face of a boy who was probably a few years younger than he was. Despite his age, the uniform suggested that he was a Harbinger, one of the most powerful gangs from the Age of Anarchy.

He wasn’t alone. Villains surrounded Adrian and his friends, including at least one other Harbinger, many of the Cragmoor inmates he recognized from the arena, and a couple of prodigies he vaguely recalled being rejected at Renegade trials. But there were also men and women he had never seen before in his life. A few dozen, at least. Some carried weapons—guns, blades, a tall staff. But most, he knew, would have no need of weapons.

He wanted to believe they’d appeared from the shadows like Phobia would have, because that’s the sort of creepy thing villainsdid. But no. He and his allies had simply been too preoccupied with getting the pike to hear them approach.

Adrian swallowed, all too aware of his lack of superpowers.

He spread his fingers in what he hoped would be seen as a supplication for peace, but he couldn’t bring himself to put down the spear. Instead, he used it as a prop as he rose to his feet.

“So, um, you might want to put on some shoes before coming any closer?” said Oscar, his voice cutting through the tension. “There’s, like, a lot of jagged pieces around here.”

The two Harbingers studied him, but said nothing.

“Narcissa?” said an older woman who had a shotgun slung over one shoulder. “You’re helping them?”

Adrian cast his gaze to the side. The mirror walker pulled herself from the debris and stood facing her previous allies, her expression distressed. She opened her mouth but hesitated.

“She is,” Adrian answered, with enough conviction to surprise even himself. “And I would ask each of you to help us, too.” He saw a few lifted eyebrows and a few suspicious glares. But no one had attacked them yet, and he couldn’t help but see that as a good sign. “We’ve been enemies a long time. Some of us”—he glanced at the two younger boys—“were probably born enemies. We were raised to hate one another. I’ve been told my whole life that Renegades are the good guys and any prodigy who defies us is an enemy who needs to be destroyed. Or, at least, locked up, far away from the rest of society. But what if we’ve been wrong? I don’t want to fight you. Just like I don’t want to fight Narcissa… and I don’t want to fight Nightmare.” His knuckles whitened around the spear. His muscles tightened, preparing to wield it to defend himself, even as he pleaded with the universe that he wouldn’t have to. “We can stop this. No one else has to die today.”

A man snorted. “Fine speech, Renegade. But it’s easy to make fine speeches when you’re outnumbered.”

“I hate to break this to you,” said Danna, stepping beside Narcissa. “But we aren’t the ones who are outnumbered. The Renegades may not have broken past that barrier yet”—she gestured toward the world beyond the cathedral—“but when they do, there will be thousands of superheroes charging in here, ready to demolish everything they see.”

“Thousands?” said the Crane. “We were at the arena. We saw what those bees did to your ranks.”

“We’ve received reinforcements,” said Danna. “They’ve come from every syndicate around the world. They weren’t going to stand by and let Gatlon City fall. Not to Ace Anarchy.”

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