DAMIEN

I wanted to kill someone. I wanted to make something. I wanted to get some goddamned sleep.

And, most of all, I wanted to hang Phoenix upside down over a pit of fire until she explained how she opened the doors to the combined throne room.

But, I could only do one of those things for the time being. And, while I would normally complain, I was quite looking forward to spilling Raven blood on the streets of Indianapolis.

We stayed close to the back wall of the apartment building. Just inside was the residence of James Cobwell, Sophia's older brother and my mother's killer. Xavier warned his father not to send out any warning, but he was positive that his father did so anyway. So, either James ran by now, or there were Ravens waiting inside. Maybe both.

Arielle led us around the corner of the building. There was no one else in the back streets, though I could hear the bustling crowds and vehicles from the main road. The apartment building cast a dark shadow over us from the sun.

"The perimeter's all clear," Phoenix whispered right behind me. I nearly jumped as she rejoined us. "But I could see some movement above through the shades."

"So, what's the plan?" Arielle asked, turning to Xavier.

Xavier looked up, eyes watchful, until he finally said, "We need to back up. As far as possible."

I took a few steps away from the building as Phoenix asked, "Why?"

Xavier turned and took brisk steps to the other side of the street. "Was there any movement in the lower floors?"

"No."

Xavier didn't respond only raised an eyebrow, indicating that we were supposed to connect the dots. And sure enough, it dawned on me.

"We're chasing a bomber," I explained as I picked up the pace. "And the bomber just cleared out the first floor even after knowing the most dangerous people in the nation are after him."

"They set a bomb," Arielle realized and ran after us.

"As soon as they realize we're running away, they would detonate it so that it still has some imp-"

The building exploded. I flew off my feet and crashed hard into the asphalt, gravel biting my hands and face. Fiery plumes flew out and up into the air. I covered my ears on instinct from the loud blast of the explosion.

My head spun as I turned onto my back and looked up. All three floors of the building were shattered and broken, fire dancing out of the windows, glass cascading down.

But the people above...

My thoughts were quickly cut off when I realized that Phoenix said she saw them moving through the shades. They may as well have been life-sized models. And anyone who may have still been there probably wasn't a Raven.

Struggling, I sat up, my head swimming, stomach lurching. Arielle was laying a good distance. She was closest to the building when it exploded. She was barely moving, only lifting her head. Our greatest fighter was rendered useless.

Phoenix struggled to her knees a few feet away. She took out a gun and cocked it while looking around.

"Where are the Ravens?" she shouted.

Finally, I managed to stand, leaning against a wall, as Xavier walked towards Arielle and helped her up.

"Where the hell are the Ravens?" Phoenix repeated.

Xavier met my eyes and I nodded before taking out an electric grenade and flinging it up.

The grenade detonated, electric tendrils slicing through the air, sending a blast of heat as the roofs of neighboring buildings charred. The hair on my arms stood up. A man and a gun fell to the ground. A sniper waiting for the dust to clear.

The grenade clattered to the ground. Despite our situation, I smiled. I faced many difficulties when trying to make the electric bombs detonate mid-air, since they hit the person throwing as well. While I still didn't find a solution to the problem, at least I managed to use it in the field without dying since I threw it high up enough.

Now, I just need to figure out how Phoenix opened the damn doors.

But, before I could think too much, Ravens poured out the doors of the neighboring building into the alleys on all four sides, carrying rifles of all assortments. Phoenix raised her gun and pulled the trigger, but only confetti shot out of the barrel. She glared.

What? She lived all this time without dealing with me. I need to make up for all those lost opportunities.

Besides, she opened the doors without me. I thought we were closer than that.

As they raised their guns and opened fire, I grinned. They were surrounding us in a circle instead of attacking all from one side.

Such wonderfully convenient idiots.

I pulled out a Bullet Magnetizer, my fingers clenching the cold metal, and threw it directly above us. As the Ravens shot, aiming straight for us, the bullets were redirected to the Magnetizer.

It had been so long since I got to use a Magnetizer, I almost forgot the thrill of watching our enemies' faces go slack as they realized just how screwed they were.

Phoenix launched forward and punched one Raven in the face and slammed him headfirst into the wall. Another attacked her from behind and she jabbed him in the face with her elbow before kicking him in the groin and pushing him into the dumpster.

Finally, they stopped shooting and the Magnetizer clattered to the ground, covered in bullets. Again, I grinned as I picked it up and twisted the two halves of the sphere. I could hear it whir before I threw it down the opposite alley. The bullets flew off the Magnetizer in disordered chaos and hit numerous Ravens.

Arielle kneeled, leaning against the wall, as she flung her blades. The aim was worse than I'd ever seen before, but it was accurate enough to return to her hands covered in blood. Xavier stood at the opposite end of their alley shooting guns.

I looked over my shoulder. Phoenix was still handling herself quite well in the second alley. That left the last two alleys for me.

Time for some fun.

I flung an electric bomb into one of the alleys. It rolled to a stop and the top half popped up. I ducked into the second alley—which was still suffering from the effects of the Magentizer's discharge—as the electric bomb exploded.

I shot out at the Ravens as I gathered the fallen Magnetizer and flung it up again, just in time for the Ravens to catch their bearings and attempt to open fire once again. Of course, since the Magnetizer didn't have forces to be pulled to on all sides, it just hurtled towards them and fell to the ground, useless, but it served its purpose. The six Ravens, already trained to think their guns wouldn't work upon a first look at the Magnetizer, lowered their guns and charged instead.

I took out a knife and threw it strong, hurtling straight into a Raven's heart. He fell and I ran forward, kicking his body into another Raven. As they both fell, I grabbed a regular grenade out of my pocket and flung it at the two farthest Ravens. It exploded, sending both of them sprawling and unconscious. I stabbed the fallen Raven and looked up at the two remaining ones.

The first one charged and I ducked his first two punches before grabbing his arm. I pressed a Magnetic Thermo Disk against the dumpster next to me and pushed him into the dumpster. He screamed as his skin seared against the instantly heated metal.

The second Raven attempted to swing at me from behind with a crowbar, but I ducked. I removed the Thermo Disk from the dumpster and pressed it against the girl's face. The stench of burning flesh filled the air as she screamed. I wrenched the crowbar from her hands and let go of the disk. She stumbled back, clutching her marred and boiling face. 

I hit both of the Ravens in the head with the crowbar, knocking them unconscious. Looking over my shoulder, it was clear that the battle was nearly over. There were dead bodies all around Arielle, who was now standing, and Xavier. Nothing moved in the alley in which the electric bomb detonated. Only two more Ravens remained in Phoenix's alley. She slit one's throat and shot the other down as I watched.

She turned, a wide grin forming her face, victorious. She was enjoying herself.

And then a shadow moved behind her. One final Raven raising a gun.

Before I could shout for her, the man fell dead, his throat split open, and another girl stood in his place. The auburn-haired girl from Chicago who punched me straight in the nose.

"Tressa?" Phoenix said as she turned.

"Phoenix." She looked pissed.

"What are you doing here?" Phoenix asked. Tressa didn't respond.

"Damien," Xavier called, his voice coarser than normal. It always seemed to get worse when he was in a fight or a tense situation. He nodded at a body lying at his feet. "Handcuffs."

I took a closer look at the boy as I pulled out the handcuffs. It was James Cobwell, the bomber who killed my mother. Looks like the bastard did stay around. His mistake.

I clapped the handcuffs on his wrists—resisting the urge to kill him here and now—and looked up at the rest. "Are you guys going to help?"

"No," Phoenix said. "I'm busy."

Arielle looked between Phoenix and Tressa. "You take him to the pod. I'll watch these two."

Phoenix was too busy trying to glare an answer out of Tressa to complain about Arielle's supervision. Only Tressa didn't look happy at the prospect of being babysat by the girl who threatened to kill everyone she knew and thousands of other Streeters in hiding.

I grabbed one of James's limp arms and looked up at Xavier. "My dearest brother, can you please make time in your schedule to help me in ways that don't require blowing up my room?"

Xavier tilted his head and I half expected him to make me drag James all the way back to the pod myself. Instead, he grabbed James's other arm without a word. It appears he wasn't partial to wasting more time and wasn't in the mood for speaking more than two words.

We carried James Cobwell back to the pod, leaving Arielle with Phoenix and Tressa.