Raveena, Eric, and Adam whirled around at the sound of the man's voice. He strolled down the sidewalk toward them, dressed in a completely black suit. His black sunglasses hid his eyes.
SCI agents were here, after all.
"Not this guy," Eric muttered.
"You've met him?" Raveena asked.
"Briefly," Eric said. "At Delta Labs. Before you showed up."
The agent's pace slowed. In the blink of an eye, he drew a gun from his side and took aim. Fired. But there was no gunshot, only the sight of something the size of a quarter whizzing through the air.
Whatever it was, it hit Adam in the neck. His face twisted in pain as he grabbed at it.
"Adam!" Eric reached for his brother's arm.
"I wouldn't touch him, if I were you," the agent warned.
"What is this?" Adam hissed, trying in vain to pry the device from his skin.
"Shockers." The agent adjusted the weapon in his hand. "Basic name, I know. But they're a great way to disable opponents without doing permanent damage." He lifted his chin. "Now, you might remember me. We met briefly at Delta Labs."
Eric glared at him.
"My name is Agent Martin," the agent continued. "And my new job is tracking down you altered."
"We haven't done anything wrong," Eric protested.
"Maybe not," Martin replied. "But the disaster at Delta Labs and Tyche Point is still an ongoing investigation. And if you think the government is going to turn a blind eye to the sudden appearance of hundreds of superpowered kids, you're sorely mistaken."
Martin lifted the weapon again. Raveena realized now that while it resembled a gun at first glance, the shape was wrong. It was too wide, and the black metal it was made of was strangely shiny.
The next thing she realized was that it was pointed at her.
Martin fired again.
The shocker struck Raveena's upper arm. First came the pain of metal piercing skin, then came the electricity. She doubled over, clawing at the small device, desperately trying to get it off. Her body tried to heal itself, only to be stopped by the metal still embedded in her arm. It was difficult to focus on anything besides the electric current.
Martin turned the weapon toward Eric.
Eric lifted his fists. "Go ahead. Hit me," he dared.
After a moment's consideration, Martin fired.
The shocker struck Eric square in the chest. Instead of doubling over in pain, he reached his arms out toward Martin. Bright arcs of electricity manifested, dancing up and down his arms. "Give us back our friends," Eric demanded. "Or I'll give you a taste of your own medicine."
The sound of an engine made Raveena's head turn. A black van came flying down the road.
Martin didn't lower his weapon. "You think I'm the only one here?"
When the van reached them, it came to a screeching halt. The back doors opened and six agents emerged from the vehicle. They surrounded Raveena, Eric, and Adam within seconds, all while pointing more shocker guns at them.
"Go ahead and hit me," Martin told Eric. "And my colleagues will shoot all your friends. Again. How do you think we got, ah, what's her name? Summer? She came willingly." He shrugged one shoulder. "After we hit those other two."
Eric's wide eyes jumped from Martin to Adam to Raveena, then back to Adam. Slowly, he lowered his arms.
"You surrender?" Martin asked.
YOU ARE READING
The Pyramid Chronicles: Fortuna Guard (#2)
Science FictionA month ago, all Eric wanted was to pass his high school classes. Now, he and the other superpowered altered from Tyche Point are desperately searching for a way to bring down Scorpion before its army catches them. Or kills them. And they have to do...
