The Multis were regrouping, several of them laying down constant gunfire against the car Malcolm and the others were using for cover. It was all Malcolm could do to pop up every couple of seconds and try to buffet his opponents with strong gusts of wind.
The rifle was useless to him at anything other than short range. Even if he’d been trained with it, the Multis weren’t giving him time to aim, their shots ricocheting off the car’s metal frame in a ceaseless hail of bullets.
Tapestry tried firing around the side of the car, but it was clearly hard for her, practically and emotionally. It wasn’t like it had been against Danny, or the last time they’d fought Rain Dancer. She was trying to shoot somebody she’d known.
Morph was the only one, outside of Savior, who still seemed effective on offense. She would swoop in every couple of minutes, tearing into the face of a Multi with savage strikes of her beak and talons. Malcolm was afraid that one of them would get a lucky shot off at her, but she wasn’t a large target, and unlike a normal bird, she understood how dangerous guns were.
“We have to pull back,” muttered Malcolm. “This isn’t going to end well.”
“We’re okay,” said Tapestry. “Savior’s winning against Rain Dancer! We just have to hold on until his fight is over.”
Malcolm nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rain Dancer and Savior brawling with each other. It seemed like Savior was toying with the demon, or at least giving him a chance by not using his energy blasts to defeat him in an instant.
Savior dodged one of Rain Dancer’s kicks and retaliated with a hard punch directly to the demon’s nose. Rain Dancer staggered back, clutching his face in his hands, and then began to laugh.
It almost seemed as though his laughter was some kind of signal. The Multis stopped shooting and fell back into formation behind Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden. Rain Dancer pulled his hands away from his face, revealing a bloody, broken nose.
“You’re going to want to get that set,” called Malcolm. “That, plus the eye… I know some girls go for the battle-scarred warrior look, but it’s not all that flattering on you.”
“Always with the jokes, ya?” said Rain Dancer. “Why don’t I offer you a riddle in return?”
The street was silent. Savior watched the group of monsters with a puzzled expression on his face. He held his hand out to the side, palm up, as though considering using an energy blast to end the encounter instantly.
“Riddle me this,” said Rain Dancer. “What is Savior’s weakness?”
Malcolm felt a sick feeling take root in his stomach. He looked from Rain Dancer to the Multi at the head of the pack, who had a smile on his face.
“That’s not a riddle that has an answer,” said Savior. “Multi knew many of my secrets, but I never told him that. I would have been a fool to take such a risk.”
Next to Malcolm, Wax stood up a little straighter. He looked like he was about to throw up.
“He at least has a few guesses,” said Wax. “This is bad. This is really, really bad.”
“No weakness?” asked Rain Dancer. “Okay. Why don’t you fly at me, and throw one of your energy blasts from the air? Or… You could use those illusions of yours, while also being shot at? Shouldn’t be too hard, you know?”
Savior frowned slightly, but kept his expression neutral. From behind Rain Dancer, Multi stepped forward.
“I always wondered why you pushed for that law,” said Multi. “The one about flight capable champions needing to use standard air traffic lanes and follow the same protocols as planes. It seemed clunky and bureaucratic.”
“He told us before he’d even turned,” said Rain Dancer. “Made a deal, a bargain with us, in exchange for his life. Savior… we know that you can only use one of your powers at a time.”
Malcolm chewed his lip, considering the accusation.
Did that have something to do with why his powers didn’t work for me? Is there some kind of mental trigger for each one?
Savior started laughing. There was a confidence in it that bordered on arrogance. Coming from a normal person, it would have seemed maniacal. From Savior, the most powerful champion in the world, it sounded a little terrifying, even to Malcolm, someone on the same side of the battle.
“You only discovered my functional weakness, and yet you think you can kill me?” shouted Savior. “Multi, I’m disappointed in you. Truly, I am.”
A green portal opened directly behind Savior. A half dozen copies of Multi charged out from hiding spots within an alley to Savior’s side. They leapt onto Savior, heedless of his strength and the danger it put them in, and rolled through the portal.
CHAPTER 35
The portal disappeared immediately after Savior and the Multis went through it. A hushed silence fell over the street. A breeze blew a discarded newspaper down the sidewalk like a dry tumbleweed in an old western movie. Malcolm felt Tapestry squeezing his arm.
“What just happened?” she whispered.
“The rest of you can come out now, ya?” shouted Rain Dancer. “You won’t be seeing much of Savior anytime soon. He’ll be nice and comfortable, and several hundred million miles away from being able to do any more damage here on Earth.”
Malcolm gritted his teeth, feeling his anger surge and overwhelm his logic. He stood up, half expecting to immediately take a bullet from one of the remaining Multis. None of them fired.
Jade Portal stood next to Rain Dancer, staring down at the concrete at her feet. Rain Dancer was grinning, with a wild look in his eyes. The Multis and Shield Maiden slowly walked over to join him.
“Where is he?” shouted Malcolm.
He stared at the monsters, trying to hold onto his anger as fear threatened to displace it. They were outnumbered, but even if they’d only been up against Rain Dancer, they would have still been at a disadvantage.
“He’s still alive, you know,” said Rain Dancer. “He’ll be quite comfortable on Europa, one of the moons of Saturn.”
“Jupiter,” corrected Shield Maiden.
Rain Dancer shrugged.
“Whatever,” he said. “The conditions there are… not fun for humans. He’ll probably be okay as long as he relies on his invulnerability, but of course, being limited to one power at a time will keep him from ever being able to come home.”
They found a way to beat Savior. And they can spin it as exile, instead of murder, with their supporters. This can’t be happening…
“Please…” said Jade Portal, in a soft, and slightly Russian accented voice. “I did what you asked. It worked, just like I told you it would. Now please… Give me Joab back.”
Rain Dancer only then seemed to remember that she was there. He turned to face Jade Portal and slowly shook his head.
“The magician has been dead since shortly after we first captured him,” said Rain Dancer. “He was too annoying to keep alive as a prisoner.”
“No!” Jade Portal rushed forward, swinging her hands at Rain Dancer like a cat clawing with its paws. Rain Dancer hit her with a burst of electricity, knocking her to the ground.
“Your powers are amazing, but too dangerous for me to be able to trust you, you know?” said Rain Dancer. “Sooner or later, you would try the same trick on us. It’s too bad, ya?”
He gave Jade Portal another electric shock, eliciting a terrible scream from her.
“Time for us to go,” whispered Malcolm. He frowned, trying to work out how to get Tapestry and a wounded Wax to safety. Morph, still in bird form, was on top of a nearby building, effectively safe and sound.
“I can get him to my car, I think,” said Tapestry. “But… I’ll need a distraction.”