“Adrian!”
He looked up as the sound of wingbeats thrummed in the air. Thunderbird dropped out of the sky, a lightning bolt crackling in one fist. She eyed the Detonator with surprise. “Your message said you found Nightmare!”
“I did,” said Adrian. “She’s dead. And … Nova…” He turned back to the fun house again, or what was left of it, as more chunks of material broke off and crashed down to the rubble below.
It had been ages since he’d seen her. He wanted there to be some explanation … maybe she’d gone for help. Maybe the effects of being near Max had finally caught up to her and she’d fallen asleep in some safe, secure alcove somewhere.
But he knew it was desperation talking.
“Oh, Nova,” said the Detonator, dragging his attention back to her. “I already dealt with her.”
He tensed, unwilling to believe her. She was only taunting him, only trying to get a reaction. But that haughty look … that careless smirk …
Adrian roared and threw himself at her, seeing nothing but livid flashes as those words repeated in his head. I already dealt with her.
Thunderbird caught him by the arm and slowed him down just long enough for another, infinitely stronger arm to clamp around Adrian’s chest and haul him backward. He fought to free himself, but was spun around. Two hands clapped onto his shoulders and he found himself staring into his dad’s eyes. Captain Chromium’s eyes.
“Adrian!” he yelled, scanning him up and down. “What happened? Are you all right?”
“No!” he yelled back, because shouldn’t it have been obvious? Had he not heard what she just said?
But he knew his frantic, furious thoughts weren’t really what his dad was asking about. Hugh Everhart pulled one hand away, looking down at his fingers wet with blood. Adrian had already forgotten about the scratch from the nail. It was nothing. Nothing. Not when Nova … when Nova was …
Where is Nova?
He yanked himself away and spun in circles, seeing Evander as he shot a series of white lights into the air, brightening the field surrounding the fun house. Then he spotted Kasumi and, a moment later, Simon, too, shifting into visibility. The Council. The whole Council was there. Was it for Nightmare … or for him?
Then, too, he spotted Ruby and Oscar and Danna, running through the abandoned park, calling his name.
“Mercy mine,” said the Detonator. “What an all-star show this turned out to be. It’s so very nice of you all to join us.” Though she was slumped against the wooden theater, her arms latched securely on top of her stomach, she was still grinning as she peered around at all the new arrivals. “Why, this has worked out even better than I expected. All five Council members.” She clicked her tongue. “What will people say once they realize that you were right here? You were so close … and you still couldn’t save them?”
“What is she talking about?” said Hugh.
Adrian shook his head, frowning. “I don’t know. This was all a setup—she killed Nightmare, something about how she thought Nightmare would betray the Anarchists. And she tried to kill me. But I don’t—”
A distant explosion rumbled the ground beneath their feet. They all turned to see a plume of black smoke erupting from the amusement park on the other side of the fence.
Oscar and the others froze and turned. They were the closest to the explosion, and they hesitated for only a moment before Danna burst into a swarm of butterflies and soared back toward the fence, Ruby and Oscar chasing after her as screams spread through the park.
Adrian stumbled forward a few steps, blinking in disbelief. The sun had set. The carnival was alight with twinkling lights and flashes of colors from the rides and booths, and it was almost impossible to tell at first, but as he stared he could detect a faint blue haze emanating from the whole carnival. Dozens—maybe hundreds—of small blue spheres blending in with the cacophony of twinkling lightbulbs. Even as he watched, they continued to brighten, their vibrant sapphire glow gradually overwhelming the multicolored hues of the park.
But … she was here. The Detonator was here, she was captured, she was bound. How could she …
His thoughts trailed off, answering themselves.
She had done it at the library too. She had set a bomb against the basement wall and detonated it from the other side of the room, with nothing but a snap of her fingers. She didn’t just make bombs to be tossed around and used up like hand grenades. She could be much sneakier, much more calculating than that. The Detonator. It was right there in her alias.