Read Online Rise of the Heroes by Andy Briggs - Free Book Online Page A

manifested itself as a blast of super-frozen air coming from his fingertips.
    The jet of ice shot wide, hitting the window of the office block beyond, shattering several panes.
    â€œI’ll try again!” yelled Pete.
    â€œNo!” Emily and Toby simultaneously shouted back.
    Doc Tempest raised his right arm toward the group. Toby saw a flare of blue, and the heat of a lightning bolt singed the hair on his head as it passed by. Emily and Pete had to bank sharply away, and Toby lost track of them.
    Tempest raised his arm again. Emily blinked—and in an instant she was standing on the platform, right in front of him. Tempest’s head snapped around in surprise.
    â€œWho
are
you?” he cried in frustration.
    Emily moved quickly; her hand snapped out and caught the joystick toggle on his wristband before she suddenly teleported away with a bang.
    Toby watched in awe as Emily momentarily appearedon the platform, then teleported alongside him. But her job was done, the brief adjustment on Tempest’s controls sending the glider-disc into a wild spin. It barrel-rolled once in between two tall towers, before dipping across the roof of a shopping center that was littered with tires, satellite dishes, and air-conditioning units.
    Before Tempest could regain control, the lip of his platform tore into a metal air-conditioning unit. With a crunch of rending steel the skiff flipped end over end, tearing up the asphalt roofing before coming to a sudden halt against the brick wall of a fire stairwell.
    Lorna caught up with her friends as they touched down lightly on the rooftop. The skiff made a crackling noise as something electrical shorted, and streams of black smoke rose from tears in the machine’s undercarriage. The two money-filled cases lay strewn aside, knocked free by the impact. There was no sign of Doc Tempest.
    â€œWhere’d he go?” Lorna asked.
    Toby scanned the rooftop. The air-conditioning vents offered ample hiding places, but seemed too far for Tempest to have run without them noticing.
    â€œMaybe he can make himself invisible?” warned Pete.
    â€œGreat,” said Lorna. “That’s a nice thought. Everybody stay together.”
    â€œAt least he didn’t get the money,” said Emily.
    Pete knelt next to one of the cases and touched thetip of a note poking out. His mouth was dry. He’d never seen so much money in his life, and he suddenly wished that every bit of it belonged to him.
    â€œHow much do you think is in there?”
    â€œMillions,” said a deep voice that made them all turn. Doc Tempest stood on the edge of the roof. “And we could share it all.”
    For a moment Toby thought he saw a greedy glint in Pete’s eye. He turned back to Doc Tempest. “It’s over, Tempest. It ends here.”
    Tempest slowly shook his head, lightly touching the many bleeding cuts on his immense forehead, all sustained from the crash. “No, it’s not over. Not by a long shot.”
    Lorna stepped menacingly forward, Pete following her. “You’re outnumbered, so give up.”
    Toby was feeling a flush of confidence in anticipation of their victory. And at that moment Pete’s cell phone alarm suddenly beeped.
    To Toby it sounded like the worst sound in the world.
    Their powers had just expired. They were now defenseless.

Revenge
    Pete scrambled for his phone to silence it, his hands shaking with dread at the knowledge that they were all now powerless and standing on a rooftop with a madman. Lorna faltered and backed away slightly.
    But luck was on their side. Doc Tempest’s attention was drawn to the sound of an approaching helicopter. Even from this distance Toby could see the distinctive blue and white markings of a police chopper.
    Tempest snarled angrily and turned back to the group, stabbing a finger at them.
    â€œThe police have saved you this time! But mark my words: while you have ruined my plans today you have