Chapter 3

“Are they still behind us?” Donna asked, brushing the hair away from her face.

Kyle glanced hastily out of the alley and shook his head. “We lost them for now, but we’d better keep moving.”

“Kyle, how can we? Kory’s hurt bad, and she can’t walk any further.” The pair looked down at their fallen friend, who was clutching her swollen leg.

Kory looked up and stuttered, “G-Go on without m-me.”

Kyle shook his head. “No way, Kory, not even an option. We’re staying together, one way or the other.”

He squatted down next to her and examined her right leg. “I’m no doctor, but I think it’s broken. Can you move it?”

Kory shook her head. “H-hurts too m-much.”

Kyle glanced at his power ring and cursed. “Now what’s wrong?” Donna asked.

Kyle looked up at her. “My ring’s only got a little power left. I can either make a cast for Kory or try to get us out of here.”

“Help Kory,” Donna said quickly, “and I’ll get us out of here...somehow.”

Kyle nodded and turned back to Kory. “Hold still, or this might hurt,” he said, focusing on her leg. His ring glowed brightly, and a green cast suddenly appeared on her leg. He gently scooped her up in his arms and looked to Donna. “Let’s get out of here.”

The trio ran to the back end of the alley, and slipped silently into the night, avoiding the street as much as possible. They had gone five or six blocks before Kyle whispered, “Hold it, Donna.” She stopped as he pointed up at the roof of a building down the street.

Six silver-coated figures were perched there, the moonlight glinting off their armor. Each chest-plate had a red fist stamped inside a circle. One was standing, holding a small device in his hand. He quickly looked in their direction, just as Kyle pulled Donna around the corner of a building. He continued to stare as he tapped a larger figure next to him. “Rage, we got activity over there,” he said, pointing down.

Rage trained his eyes on the spot his partner had pointed out. He remained motionless for several long minutes. “G-6 and G-7, move out, set lasers for heavy stun,” he said at last. “G-2 through 5, follow me.” Rising to his feet, Rage checked his power gauge. He and the others had only lost a sixth of their power, leaving more than enough to take care of the teens. Large, cybernetic wings sprouted out of his back, and Rage leaped off the roof, followed closely by the other units.

The units had just flown around the corner when Rage spotted a manhole cover sliding into place. “THERE!” he yelled, charging straight for it. As he neared the manhole, a laser blast from his hand blew it apart.

As the other units dived into the sewers, G-6 and G-7 flew overhead, surveying the streets below. “Hey, G-6, check out the corner of 48th and 9th,”G-7 said, flying closer to the ground.

Through his visor, G-6 could just see a young woman running. “That’s our girl. Close in and begin capture procedures. I’ll call for backup.”

Donna couldn’t see the units, but she could clearly hear the roar of their rocket boots. She redoubled her efforts, and the roar gradually begin to fade. Just as the noise faded totally away, Donna could hear a rumbling sound below her. Before she could move, three units burst through the street, blowing cement and sewage in every direction. She was forced to stop and shield her eyes from the debris. “Hold it right there, Darkstar,” the unit with a black 3 on his shoulder commanded. The other two trained their arm-mounted lasers on her. Donna sighed and held her hands out in front of her. G-3 quickly clamped a pair of restraints on her wrists. “G-3, reporting,” he said into a miniature com-unit. “One down, two to go.”

Kyle rammed through the crumbling wall, and a shower of bricks and dirt nearly buried them both. But Kyle wasn’t a quitter, and he trudged out of the dirt, still holding Kory tightly in his arms.

“Kyle, are we going to die?” she asked.

He looked into her green eyes, and all he saw was fear. “No, we’re not. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”

“But what about Donna?” At the mention of her name, Kyle began to doubt her decision to draw the units away. She had to contend with at least five of them now, which left about two for them.

Kyle glanced over his shoulder and instantly saw the two units gaining on them. He turned and ran, only to trip over a loose pipe. He couldn’t hold on to Kory, and she rolled a few feet away from him. Kyle struggled to his knees and was about to stand when a laser sliced through his shoulder. He gritted his teeth to avoid crying out, but the pain would not allow him to rise. Kyle clasped his shoulder to stop the bleeding, but already the blood was seeping through his fingers. He could only watch as Rage and G-2 advanced.

Rage wrapped a huge hand around Kyle’s neck and hauled him into the air, while G-2 trained a laser on Kory. “Okay, Lantern,” Rage growled, “ you got two options. You can either give up now or we can kill you later.”

“You forgot option three,” a voice said, as a sword buried itself to the hilt in Rage’s chest. The big man dropped Kyle and fell to the ground. “There’s always an option three,” the voice went on, as G-2 collapsed, a knife protruding from his heart. Kory was clearly frightened now, and Kyle crawled over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

A tall, hooded figure emerged from the surrounding darkness, retrieving the sword from Rage’s chest. A long, gray cloak was draped over its shoulders, and a flash of shining armor reflected in the dim light. As the figure came closer, a faint glow could be seen from the right hand. The figure knelt beside Kory and placed a gloved hand on her leg. The glow spread to her leg and became brighter, and then it was gone. Then the figure touched Kyle’s shoulder. Kyle stared at his shoulder as his wound seemed to disappear. They both stared up at the figure as it motioned for them to follow. “You both need medical attention. I know of someone that will help you.” After a moment’s hesitation, both teens got up and followed the mysterious figure deeper into the sewer tunnels.