Battle of the ULTRAs by Matt Blake Read Free Book Online Page B

happened.
    I leaned back and felt the horror of what I’d done. The horror that blind vengeance could bring.
    “You little shit.”
    I looked down and saw Stone’s eyes were open.
    His fists were tensed.
    He punched me in the side of the head and knocked the consciousness out of me.
    The last thought I had as I drifted into blackness?
    I probably deserved that punch.

13
    I opened my eyes .
    There was a bright light above me, which made my head wreck with agony right away. The buzzing, static sound that I’d heard back on the island was still there, grating in my mind. I could taste blood, and my muscles felt weak and heavy.
    But I was still alive. That had to count for something.
    I was still here.
    I lifted my head and looked around. I was in some kind of cell. Outside the cell, I could hear chatter and footsteps. I could see other cells just like this, towering up above. I had no idea where I was exactly, but I could have a good guess: Saint’s very own tower.
    Saint built this tower very soon after his assault on the planet. It didn’t take much to erect it. He already had the plans in place, and he more than had the abilities to put it all together. Besides, he had ULTRAbots working for him too, some of which I could see hovering around the tower right now.
    I reached out to put my hands on the bars.
    When I got within an inch, I felt a strong force build up under my palms then throw me back across the room.
    I slammed against the back wall. The dim light shuddered. I brushed myself down, heart pounding, and went to stand again.
    That’s when I saw I wasn’t alone in this cell.
    Stone was standing over me. To my left, Ember, Vortex, Roadrunner, Orion. The last remnants of the original Resistance, all of us trapped in here.
    Stone didn’t look too happy to see me.
    “What hap—”
    “You little asshole!”
    Stone wrapped his hands around my throat. His arms and fingers solidified into rock right away. I could see him struggling as that electricity repressing our powers intensified. But he kept on gripping anyway, trying to squeeze the life from me.
    I struggled. Tried to hit back. I couldn’t get him free of me. My powers were too dampened.
    “You tried to kill me,” Stone said. “Held me under the damned water and tried to drown me.”
    “I—I—”
    “You knew damned well I’d come outta my trance. You knew damned well that douchebag had stopped controlling me. But you kept on going, didn’t you? You just had to keep on going.”
    I tried to break free. I looked at Orion, Ember, Roadrunner, and Vortex, waited for some kind of help from them. But they just let Stone keep on gripping my neck. Allowed him to squeeze the life out of me.
    “I was just—”
    “Time for excuses is up, Kyle. Time for excuses died when you held me under that water.”
    “Please. I just thought—”
    “How’s it feel, hmm? Seeing the light yet?”
    I could see a light above me. But there was a weird sensation too. I felt like I’d been in a position like this before, held down, unable to breathe.
    And it felt like Orion had stood beside me that time, too.
    As my consciousness slipped further, the voices and noises around me fading into the background, I felt that blurry memory becoming clearer.
    The water.
    The presence beside me.
    The voices…
    I felt myself sinking further into the warmth of that memory, praying for it to take over me completely.
    Then Stone loosened his grip and stepped aside. “You watch yourself, kid. Next time, you won’t be so lucky.”
    I rubbed at my neck. Stone’s hands had bruised it, bad. I looked up and saw the rest of the crew scowling at me. Orion just stood there observing.
    “So what’s the plan?” I gasped, eager to move on to the more urgent matter of getting out of this place.
    Orion paced around the cell. “The electromagnetic currents running through this room are strong.”
    “Not strong enough to hold the six of us, surely.”
    “Stronger than any I have ever