The Stowaway

Liz could actually taste the buttery toast in her mouth. This felt so right, all of it.

"Are you about finished?" DuPris asked. The image of the whole group eating toast shriveled as he paced in front of them. "It seems that it's already time for another lesson in New Reality 101."

She tightened her grip on Max and Adam. They were still co

Liz chose another image-Max healing her after she got shot at the Crashdown. That's where it all started. That's what brought them all together, even Adam, in a way, because that day they all started down the road that led to him.

She catapulted out the image, but she couldn't feel a response. It didn't reach them, not even Max, she realized.

"I hold in my hand one of the three Stones of Midnight," DuPris lectured. "Its power is greater than anything you have ever experienced. Until now."

Liz felt her stomach lurch, and she realized the house, the entire house, was rising into the air. A moment later it fell with a shuddering crash that sent Liz's teeth slamming together. She swallowed and tasted blood in her mouth.

"That was just a little demonstration. Very little," he continued. "Ready for another one?"

Yeah, Liz thought. Bring it to us. That will bring the-

She stopped herself from completing the thought in case DuPris was listening.

"I can feel the peanut of power you've got growing over there. Want to see what it can do?" he asked. "I think we should all see what it can do." He yanked Maria out of the group.

Isabel and Michael immediately closed the gap, but Liz felt cold without the warmth of Maria's aura around her. The music of the co

There's still a lot of strength left, she told herself. But she felt so powerless seeing Maria standing next to DuPris, her eyes blank and dead.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt her," he a

No, Liz thought. Not that. If she did anything to hurt Maria, she wouldn't want to live herself.

DuPris turned to Adam. "You remember the rules, don't you? You and I played once before. Or was it twice?"

Liz felt a shudder course through Adam, and the co

DuPris beamed and opened his arms wide. "Okay, ready, one, two, three-go!"

She braced herself for a blast of the Stone's power. It didn't come.

Don't think about it, she ordered herself. Build up the co

But how? She turned her attention to the bands of color binding them together. She didn't know what to do exactly, but she had to try something. She imagined their auras turning to metal, using all her will to make them hard and strong, impenetrable.

And it began to work. She didn't know how. She suspected that the co

Liz felt the others join with her, struggling to turn the rays of light into armor. When the armor was finished, DuPris would have no control over them. She hoped.

She discovered it was most effective to concentrate on reinforcing her own aura. She focused her mind on the bands of amber, working her way inch by inch, not allowing anything to distract her.

Until she noticed the beads of moisture on the piece of aura she had just finished. The droplets gleamed with the Stone's purple-green light.

And they ate through the armor like acid.

Cameron stared at the ranch house. It had flown probably twenty feet in the air before it crashed. And it was a house. What the hell were they fighting in there?

Cameron sidled up to the closest window and peeked inside. The scene inside was utterly confusing. Michael and the others were surrounded by what looked like big sheets of metal that were being eaten away by acid or something. Cameron wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

Maria stood apart from them, and it was clear she'd entered the zombie zone. Clearly bad.

And there was a guy with oily, slicked-back hair holding a glowing stone. Obviously he's the one I should go after, she decided. She circled around to the back of the house, found an unlocked door, and slipped inside.

You have no weapon of any kind. You have no martial arts training. You don't even have very long fingernails. Just what are you pla

"Honey, I'm home," she muttered under her breath as she stepped up to the half-open door that she thought was the one she'd seen from outside. If she went in here, she should end up behind the oily-haired guy with about half the room between them.

At least until he turned around and threw her farther than he'd thrown the house.

Cameron knew if she stood there much longer, she'd wuss out. She shoved open the door and ran toward the man as fast as she could. She pretended the couch was a track hurdle and leaped over it.

Her outstretched leg slammed into the back of the guy's head and knocked him to the ground. Cameron landed beside him. Which was pretty much the end of her nonexistent plan.

The eroded metal surrounding the group clattered to the floor, and Michael stumbled forward. It took a second for him to realize that he had total control of his body again.

Immediately he whipped his head toward Maria. She was free, too, already holding on to Liz with both hands.

And DuPris? Michael spotted him lying on the floor next to… Cameron. What? When did she-Didn't matter. She was here, and somehow she'd managed to bring down DuPris.

But not for long. DuPris was already struggling to his feet, his eyes locked on her.

"Cameron, get over here!" Michael shouted. And then he felt his stomach clench into a ball. Her right leg was twisted at an impossible angle. It had to be broken.

"Cover me!" Michael shouted. Without waiting for an answer, he hurled himself at Cameron. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled them both across the floor. A bolt of sizzling green-purple lightning struck about a foot away from them.

"I said, cover me!" he yelled.

Max didn't want to kill DuPris, but if it was DuPris or Michael-"Listen up, everyone!" he called. "DuPris is the bu

Instantly he felt a ball of power begin to form in the middle of the group. There wasn't time to let it get too big. Michael and Cameron couldn't wait for their backup. DuPris looked ready to hurl another lightning bolt. Max could see it forming.

"Okay, now!" he shouted. The air crackled as they hurled the ball at DuPris's head.

DuPris spun toward it and raised the ring. The ball exploded in a harmless shower of sparks-and DuPris turned back to Michael and Cameron, the new bolt of lightning fully formed in his hand.

"Michael, move!" Max shouted.

Michael pulled Cameron over in another roll-and they hit the wall.

DuPris drew back his arm.