Archenemies (Renegades, #2)(14)

For years, Max would experiment with his abilities only in secret, keeping the extent of them private, even from Adrian. He had been surprised to learn that the kid was actually a lot more talented than anyone had guessed, largely thanks to his own self-training. Adrian knew Max felt guilty for having a lot of the powers he had—like he didn’t have a right to any of them. But lately he seemed more eager to practice, and even to show off a little bit. Adrian was happy to see it. Max was the closest thing to a little brother he’d ever known, and he hated to think that Max might feel guilty for something he couldn’t control. No prodigy should be made to feel guilty for what they could do.

“Where’s Turbo?” Adrian said, scanning the city at Max’s feet.

“In the top of Merchant Tower.” Max gestured to one of the taller glass skyscrapers. “I made him a little bed in there and now he sleeps, like, all the time. I think you might have made him part sloth.”

Weeks ago, Adrian had drawn a tiny dinosaur, a velociraptor, to prove to Nova that Max hadn’t taken his powers from him. The creature had disappeared for a while, then one day showed up unexpectedly inside the pastries case of the small espresso stand in the lobby. There had been a great commotion over it and a lot of screaming, and someone from the janitorial crew ended up chasing the creature around with a broom for almost twenty minutes before Adrian heard about it and claimed the dinosaur as one of his creations. Max had asked if he could keep it, and just like that, he inherited a thumb-size pet.

“Eat, sleep, hunt,” said Adrian. “That pretty much covers all the dinosaur instincts I know of, so I doubt he’ll ever do much more than that.”

“If by hunting, you mean gnawing on the leftover meat from my dinners. By the way…” Max gestured to something over Adrian’s shoulder. “Did you know you’re dead?”

Adrian turned to see one of the screens playing a video of the Sentinel being thrown off the barge and disappearing beneath the water. It had been recorded from Nova’s fancy binoculars and was the clearest footage that anyone had managed to catch of the Sentinel so far.

“Were you worried?” said Adrian.

“No.”

“What? Not at all?”

Max started to respond and Adrian knew it would be to deny it again, but he hesitated and admitted, “Maybe for about five seconds or so, but I knew you’d be fine.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Adrian glanced around and, though the sky bridge was empty, lowered his voice. “Of course, we really shouldn’t talk about this here.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Max, unconcerned. He was the only one who had figured out Adrian’s identity, a conclusion he reached after watching Adrian leap more than halfway across the quarantine in an effort to save Nova. It really was a shame that he was stuck in here all the time, because the kid would have been a great investigator. “Do you ever think about telling them?”

Adrian gulped. He tried to meet Max’s eyes, but Max was still watching the news footage.

“Every single time I see them,” he admitted. “But every time I see them, it gets a little bit harder.”

Adrian had never intended to keep this secret for so long. In the beginning, he’d been excited to tell his dads about his tattoos and how he could use them to give himself new powers. But since then, things had gotten out of control. As the Sentinel, he’d broken a lot of rules. He’d endangered civilian lives. He’d damaged public buildings and infrastructure. He’d searched private property without the “evidence” of wrongdoing that the Renegades would have required. He’d used violent force to apprehend criminals when maybe—maybe—he could have found a way to stop them without causing harm. The list went on.

But he couldn’t bring himself to regret any of it. Breaking those rules had allowed him to do a lot of good. In the past month alone he’d single-handedly captured seventeen criminals, including two prodigies. He’d stopped car thieves, house burglars, drug dealers, and more. Yes, he’d gone against the code at times, but he was still a superhero.

Somehow, though, he didn’t think his dads would see it that way. What would they do if they found out his secret identity? If they showed him leniency, when anyone else would be arrested, it would be a blatant disregard for the Council’s laws. Their laws.

And Adrian didn’t want to put them in that position. He didn’t want to make them have to choose between him and the Renegades.

To be honest, he also wasn’t sure he wanted to know what their choice would be.

“Maybe…,” Max started, though his voice was quiet. “Maybe you won’t have to tell them.” He gestured up at the television. “Given that the Sentinel is dead.”

Adrian blinked. It hadn’t occurred to him that this could be the end of his alter ego, but … Max was right. This would be an easy way out. If he never transformed again, everyone would assume that the Sentinel had drowned. No one would have to know.

But the thought of never becoming the Sentinel again made his stomach lurch.

The Renegades weren’t enough. Gatlon City needed him.

“Do you think that would be best?” he asked.

“It would be easiest,” Max said. “Also … highly disappointing.”

The corner of Adrian’s mouth twitched. “That would be the worst thing of all.”