“He might have a cell phone,” Charlie said. Empowered by his own bravery, he knelt by Ben’s still form. He pinched the edge of the man’s jacket and peeled it back. Luck. He spotted a phone, tucked away in a small leather holster. “Found it!” he called to Grandma Rose.

Grandma Rose didn’t hear him. She was in shock, eyes fixed on the lava-red face of the gunman, who cocked his gun.

Charlie was reaching for the cell phone when he stumbled upon something else: a second holster, this one harboring something entirely more powerful. He unbuckled the holster and pulled out the gun. Heroes always help! No matter what!

The intruder left Grandma Rose and headed for him.

Charlie stood up, quivering all over. He looked down at the dead body next to his feet. That would be him, if he couldn’t pull it together. He took a deep breath, hoping his asthma wouldn’t act up. He could already hear a slight wheeze in his throat. He lifted the gun.

The man stopped. “You don’t want to do this,” he warned.

The gun was heavier than Charlie thought it would be. It took both hands to hold it level with his enemy’s chest. Was it loaded? Was it ready to fire? It probably didn’t matter, he remembered, thinking back to an episode of FuzzDroids in which the heroes escaped after carving fake guns out of soap. “This gun is real,” Charlie said, clarifying the matter for both the man and himself.

“I can see that. But it doesn’t matter. You try and do anything and I’ll kill your grandma. And if you don’t put the gun down, you’ll be next.”

“Not if I kill you first,” Charlie said, mimicking RapidFire. He hoped that his enemy couldn’t hear his wheezing.

The man turned and pointed his pistol at Grandma Rose. She shrieked a split second before he pulled the trigger.

“No! No! No!” Charlie screamed, stopping only because his throat had snapped shut. He fell to the floor.

Joe leaped forward and seized the gun from the brat’s hands, throwing it aside. He leaned down and listened to see if the boy was breathing.

He wasn’t.

In only a matter of minutes, he would be dead.

Joe fumbled for his phone. Xandria would know what to do.

Seven

seven

Never leave your plans in the hands of an idiot,” Xandria said, covering the mouthpiece of her phone. “Don’t get me wrong, Joe is a completely capable guy. I just wouldn’t put the life of my child in his hands.”

The joke didn’t get any laughs. August looked out the window of the plane and ignored her, imagining himself far away from the madness. He closed his eyes and focused on the drone of the engines.

Xandria snapped the phone shut. “Sounds like my associate may have done you a favor.”