First Storm

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

I knew that things had been too peaceful on the Zero Knight front. I knew that they were going to attack again. I just hadn’t expected them to pull off something like this.

But Mirar was not done talking yet. He continued, saying, “Perhaps you are all wondering why you are going to die today or who the Zero Knights are or what you have done to earn our wrath. I can assure you that none of you citizens have done anything to anger us. But your protectors have.

“Exactly one month ago from today, your heroes, Rubberman and his sidekick Beams, killed one of our own, Slasher, in cold blood. Most of you, I am sure, know this already. It was one of the biggest news stories in your boring, backward city that no one cares about and likely made you proud of your heroes. After all, no one had ever killed a Zero Knight in battle before, much less defeated one. You all probably felt safer than ever, knowing that Rubberman and Beams could handle even the most powerful criminals and supervillains. I am here to tell you that your safety is false and that your illusions of security are going to be shattered like glass.”

Mirar took a moment to let that sink in. Although I knew practically nothing about the guy, I could tell he had some theatrical training because he had chosen the best moment for a dramatic pause. It certainly caused me, James, and my parents to listen more anxiously, wondering what he was going to say next.

Finally, Mirar continued, though in a softer, deadlier voice than before. “If there is one thing that the Order of the Zero Knights does not tolerate, it is any harm that comes to our own. Even if one of our brave knights simply gets wounded, we take it as a personal affront to the entire Order. We are brothers in arms, with a bond thicker than blood, and we do not allow anyone to harm us and walk away freely. The murder of a fellow Zero Knight is practically unthinkable in our Order, which is why unthinkable events require unthinkable responses.”

Mirar gestured and the screen split in half. On the right side of the screen was Mirar, but on the left was what appeared to be a live feed of the green energy barrier that covered the whole city.

“To avenge Slasher’s untimely death, King Xero has declared war on Golden City,” said Mirar. “He has declared that this entire city must be razed from top to bottom. We seek not merely to kill Rubberman and Beams, but every man, woman, and child living within this city’s limits. To ensure that you cannot escape from the city, we have summoned this green energy barrier to make sure no one can survive.

“Don’t even try to escape. This energy barrier cannot be broken, pierced, or moved. You cannot cut it open with a saw, ram a hole through it with a car, or even blow it up with a bomb. Indeed, even a nuclear bomb would fail to so much as scratch it. The barrier also descends well into the earth and the Roger Gate River, so if you are thinking of digging underneath it or swimming through the river, then you are about to be sadly mistaken.”

The image to his right changed, showing images of what looked like the sewers of Golden City with the same green energy barrier that was on the surface. It then changed to show the Roger Gate River, which somehow still flowed through the barrier. But when a branch floating downstream on the other side tried to go through, it simply vaporized as soon as it touched the barrier.

“As you can see, there is no escape,” said Mirar. “The only citizens who will survive this storm are those lucky enough to be out of town today. But that does not describe the vast majority of you, who will all perish today for the crimes of your heroes.”

Mirar again paused, as if to let that sink in, before continuing, “As I said, in twenty-four hours, the entire city will be razed. I will not tell you exactly how your end will come about, but rest assured that by tomorrow morning, your end will come swiftly and without warning. You will wish you were burning in hell itself once death comes.

“Do not attempt to look for me anywhere in the city, because you will never find me. Nor should you try to bargain with me for your survival. The Order of the Zero Knights does not want anything you have. We don’t even want control over your tiny city. We only want to make your city an example to the world about what happens when you take the lives of one of our brethren.

“Say your prayers. Beseech whatever deities you believe in. Or simply roll up into a ball and wait for the end to come. Because once the storm starts, no place in Golden City will be safe.”

Then Mirar looked at the camera and I felt like he was looking directly at me. “Before this broadcast ends, I have a final, personal message to Rubberman and Beams: Although you two will inevitably perish in the coming storm along with your fellow citizens, expect your personal punishment to come your way very soon.”

With that, the screen went blank for a moment before the Golden City Journal’s app popped back on. Stephanie Red was still sitting in her chair at her desk, a look of shock and confusion on her beautiful features.

“Was that … real?” said Stephanie in a dazed, uncertain voice.

Abruptly, the image of Stephanie was replaced with an error page reading ‘TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. PLEASE TRY AGAIN LATER.’

“Holy crap,” said James. He looked up at the green barrier covering the sky, his eyes wide with terror. “That can’t be real, can it?”

“I think it was,” I said grimly. “I’ve never seen Mirar before, but he was definitely wearing Zero Armor. The zero on his chest was proof enough of that, as well as his mention of the ‘storm,’ which is something that only Slasher told us.”

“What are we supposed to do about it?” said Mom fearfully. She clutched Dad’s arm for safety. “If what he says is true, then there is no escape. We can’t just hop into the car and leave the city somewhere safely.”

“Maybe he’s lying,” said Dad, clearly trying to be strong for Mom. “I don’t know much about those Zero Knight guys, but if they’re supervillains, that means they are also liars, right?”

“He didn’t sound like he was lying to me,” James pointed out. “And you saw what happened when that stick touched the barrier. Something tells me that the barrier could vaporize anything, even a car.”

“Then what are we supposed to do?” Mom demanded. She sounded almost hysterical now. She gestured at the tablet. “You heard him. In twenty-four hours, the whole city is going to be destroyed and all of us are going to die. What are we supposed to do then?” She looked at me suddenly. “Alex, do you and Rubberman have a plan for this?”

I bit my lower lip. Mirar’s broadcast left me with as many questions as it did answers, but I said, “Not yet, but that’s probably why Rubberman wanted me to watch the news. Even though today is my day off, I need to get to the Elastic Cave as fast as possible. You guys can stay here. I know it’s not entirely safe, but if the whole city is going to be destroyed, then our house is about as safe as the rest of the city.”

I could tell that Mom, Dad, and James didn’t like that, but what choice did they have? There was nowhere else for them to go right now. Besides, I could already see our neighbors on our street walking out of their houses. Some of them were looking up at the green barrier in the sky, their eyes full of fear and awe, while others were piling into their cars in an attempt to escape. I guess some of our neighbors must have thought that Mirar had been lying. I wished I could say I thought the same, but after seeing that video, I knew better than to hope for that.

“All right,” said Dad uncertainly. “We’ll stay here, but please be safe, okay? I don’t like what Mirar said about having a personal punishment for you and Rubberman.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Rubberman’s number. “I’ll just head straight to the Elastic Cave. If I leave now, I should be able to get there by—”

I never got to finish my sentence because at that moment the roof of our house exploded.