Starlight (Book 1)

22: No Spoilers Allowed

Riley's knees sank to the ground. The buzzing grew louder and more volatile until the lights behind us gave in and shattered.

"It's over," two voices spoke at once, mimicking each other. Though Riley's tone was tired, Phantom's voice sounded almost gleeful.

Phantom revelled in seeing Orion's demeanour visibly shift as he processed what had happened. Stumbling away, Orion tried to force a laugh through gritted teeth, but no sound escaped.

"It's over, Almighty," repeated Phantom slowly, sneering. "Everything you think you understand has all been reversed. This solution is so simple. When something—or someone, perhaps—tries to stand in my way, I don't just beat them." Phantom laughed, hiding the syringe away. "I get rid of them."

Orion's hands reached forward. I expected to see the translucent blue glow erupt from him; for Phantom to crash into MARS headquarters, but the seconds only kept ticking. Orion cracked his wrists as he threw his hands towards Phantom, the realization overtaking him.

Leading Echo and Mirage to safety was Halley, and although I couldn't hear her, I could see her lips form the word, "Go."

"What the hell did you do to me?" Orion whispered. He sounded like Dad again, the helmet obscuring his features redundant in masking him any longer. He was Kieran, despite the outfit. Whatever remained of Almighty Orion had been ripped away, leaving only his shell behind.

"You'll see," replied Phantom knowingly. "Oh, the whole universe is going to see. You're finally going to understand what it feels like to be so hopeless. In the end, this business is only a game—and I believe I'm allowed to declare myself as the victor now." Flinching, Orion rocked on his heels, balling up his fist to punch Phantom, but the villain dodged easily, the grin on his face never fading. "You're just like your daughter, you know that?"

The spotlight swung towards me, and I got a sudden impulse to wave. "What are you looking at? Scared I'm going to hit you again?"

Halley silently extended her hand out for me to fist-bump. "Get him, kid."

"Hit a nerve, have I?" countered Phantom. "I would hate to be you. Stuck in the middle, always trapped where you're safe. Well, you're in luck. It's not you I'm looking for."

With that remark, he turned away from a fumbling Orion, leaving us standing on the hill in a semi-circle, all lost for what to do.

"Anyone up for a coffee?" asked Halley jokingly.

"Shut up, Hal," retorted Riley.

"Ah, so it's a wine kind of moment, then. My bad." She hooked her arm through mine and grabbed Riley. "And you, sir, have a lot of explaining to do."

***

Doomsday had arrived at the quiet kitchen table. There were no conversations in sight, and I'd counted the kitchen tiles three times in the silence.

Kieran had long since changed back into his regular clothes. When he'd tried to take the kettle from Halley, he missed her hand by quite a distance. Nobody could say much about that—or at least the comment Halley wanted to make was stopped short by the flames alit in Riley's eyes as he glowered at her from across the table.

"Anybody," Halley began, swinging her empty cup in her hands, "care to offer me a fucking explanation?"

"Language," quipped Riley shortly. He shook his head at her and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't know how to begin to explain this to you. I just—I don't know, okay?"

Kieran's hands trembled as he put them down. "My powers are gone, aren't they?"

His voice was unsure, like he didn't want to hear the answer himself. I almost wished he hadn't asked. Like we could sit here for an eternity, at the table—never moving. Never talking. But no matter hard I tried, no matter how desperately I squeezed my eyes shut and my hands into fists—time would not listen to me.