Shadowsnow

Chapter 16: Attack

"Teleporter is on our side now?  How did you manage that?" Ronnie asked incredulously.

"Well..."  I subtly glanced at Hannah.  "I...found a way to convince her that her boss sucked.  She...wouldn't tell me who it was, though."  Hannah flashed me a suspicious look.

"Hmm..."  Before I could say anything, my phone started buzzing incessantly.  I pulled it out and saw Maeve calling me.  I picked up the phone.

"Allie!  Help me!  Phlegethon found me!  He's trying to kill me!  I need your backup!  Hurry!  Before he—"  Then the call cut off.

"I have to go right now."

"Who was it?" Ronnie asked, concerned.

"Teleporter.  She's in danger from Phlegethon.  He's trying to kill her.  Probably because she joined our team."

"What if it's a trap and she never really—?"

I dashed out the window before Hannah finished her sentence and went searching for Teleporter.  I found them near the Mount Hope Bay Bridge, with Phlegethon chasing Teleporter.  I saw Phlegethon following Teleporter in the air, while Teleporter zipped along the ground.  I let out a sharp whistle and crossed my arms.  Phlegethon instantly stopped and turned to face me, hovering in the air.  He flashed me a glare as Teleporter skidded to a stop.

"Somehow, that doesn't seem fair."  Phlegethon snorted.

"Please.  Do you really think I care about fairness?  I care about what I want and what my boss wants.  And we both agree.  Teleporter needs to die."

Before Phlegethon could move, I flew toward him, tackling him to the ground.  I rolled right over him and slid to a stop next to Teleporter.  She held out a fist and I fist-bumped her.

"Nice timing, Shadowsnow."  I flashed her a quick grin.

"No problem.  Now, let's show him what a pair of angry superheroines can do when one of their own is attacked."

We quickly made a plan and attacked Phlegethon.  Every time Teleporter would throw a punch, he'd block it, but would then have to dodge a kick from me.  After a while, he got tired and took the easy way out.  He ran away from us.  As soon as he was gone, I saw a nasty-looking burn on Teleporter's arm and another one on her chest.

"You should have my team doctor look at those, Maeve."  Maeve snorted and shrugged, wincing slightly.

"I'll be fine.  Besides, I don't wanna see my sister right now, Allie.  I can't risk her getting hurt because of me."  I raised an eyebrow.

"You need to get those burns looked at, Maeve.  You're part of a team now.  You have to accept that your team is gonna look out for you.  No matter what."  Maeve sighed and nodded.

"Okay.  Let's go."

I took off into the air, flying toward HQ, with Maeve right behind me on the ground.  As soon as we got back, everyone was tense and looked ready to attack.  Ronnie was pointing some kind of ray gun thing at Maeve.  Carter was holding a spare pipe from our storage closet.  Hannah was nearby Ronnie and holding a large scalpel.  And Dr. Abbasi was holding a scalpel and another pipe.  I put my hands up, trying to show that everything was fine.

"Guys, it's okay.  She's just here for medical attention.  Phlegethon burned her when we were fighting him.  He was trying to kill her, so we ganged up on him.  Then he took off and ran."  Ronnie and Carter flashed each other a look.  Then they reluctantly relaxed.

"What?  Seriously?  That's it?  Allie tells you that everything's fine with Teleporter and you just listen?" Hannah asked incredulously.

"We trust her, Hannah.  And if she says Teleporter's on the team, then she's on the team."  I flashed Ronnie a grateful look and then glanced at Maeve.  She sighed and tugged off her mask.  Hannah gasped and froze.

"Maeve?"  I bit my lip as I put my hands down at my sides.

"We'll...give you two a minute," I said, waving everyone into the next room over.  A while later, Hannah walked in with Maeve.

"We...talked and...Maeve's staying on the team.  She can be our patroller when we can't be out there..."  Hannah flashed me a look.  "Either flying or using our tech to track our enemies."  I looked around the room and saw everyone else looking at me.

"Wh...why are you all looking at me?"  Ronnie stepped toward me.

"Because you're our leader, Allie.  You brought us together.  Sure, we can ultimately make choices together, but the final decision comes down to you."  I nodded.

"Then she's our patroller.  We need everyone we can get.  Especially when we're flying in blind against someone sending us these powered people."