Part 30 (1/2)

Frost had needed parts for his gruesome project.

Malefica smiled. ”Of course, when we have their powers, we'll be invincible. No one will be able to stop us . . .”

I tuned out the rest of the ubervillain's chatter and threats. I glanced at my watch. Forty minutes until the bombs went off. Hopefully, Malefica would keep talking right up until the last second. My eyes flicked up. Frost stared at me. Uh-oh.

”She looked at her watch,” Frost said, interrupting Malefica's rant. ”You might want to make sure the area is secure before you do away with her.”

”What are you scheming now, Miss Cole?” Malefica's eyes glowed.

I could almost feel the other woman peering into my mind. I had to think of something, anything, but the bombs. Something completely unrelated to bombs and explosives and . . . Coconut! That was fairly inane and harmless, although I hated the taste of it. Coconut, coconut, coconut . . . I repeated over and over in my mind.

”She's planted several bombs in the building.” Malefica rattled off a list of locations. ”Go disarm them, now.”

Scorpion lumbered down the icy stairs. My heart sank.

So much for my backup plan. What was wrong with me? Was my mind that simple? Was I an open book any psychic could read?

”Should we abort?” Frost asked. ”He might not find them all in time.”

”No.” Malefica turned her head to look at the other ubervillain. ”As long as he gets most of them, we'll be all right. Keep going.”

I was out of options. It was time to do something drastic. I eyed Malefica, s.h.i.+fted my feet, and prepared to spring.

Suddenly, a giant invisible hand picked me up. I yelped. The hand closed around me, pinning my arms to my side. I felt like the damsel-in-distress in one of those old black-and-white King Kong movies.

”As for you, Miss Cole, I'm afraid you have outlived your usefulness. You really should have listened to me. I don't make idle threats.”

Malefica waved her hand. Slowly, I moved. I floated about twenty feet up into the air, up over the metal railing, until I dangled right over one of the vats.

The radioactive liquid bubbled and gurgled below. White fog drifted up from the vat, and the bottoms of my sneakers iced over. My stomach morphed into a giant ball of fear. Terrified, I looked up and locked eyes with Sam. I saw the panic and fear in his eyes and knew it was reflected in my own.

”Sam,” I whispered.

Malefica twitched her hand, and I plunged into the vat.

Cold.

No, icy.

No, frigid.

No . . .

Words couldn't describe the sensation, although it was rather funny I was trying to find a way to explain what it felt like to freeze to death.

The liquid closed over me like a shroud. It poured into my ears and mouth and forced its way down my throat. It tasted like old, crystallized, vanilla ice cream. Blech. And it was cold, colder than death. Colder KarmaGirl.

than anything I'd ever felt before. It made the harshest winter, the bitterest wind feel balmy by comparison. I froze on the inside and outside. I immediately lost feeling in my fingers and toes. Ice formed on my clothes and in my hair. I couldn't move. Couldn't see. Couldn't breathe . . .

Suddenly, the invisible hand yanked me up out of the liquid. I coughed and gasped for air. My teeth rattled together like dominos.

”How's the water?” Malefica asked. ”Let's go for another dip.”

I plunged back into the vat. The cold was worse this time, if that was possible. The frigid sensation worked its way up my arms and legs. My internal organs iced over one by one . . .

I flew up out of the liquid again. Malefica danced me around like a puppet. Bits and pieces of ice broke off my clothes and disappeared into the fog below. I couldn't feel anything. Not my fingers, not my toes, not even my own eyes as they struggled to blink.

”Not quite done yet,” Malefica cackled and blew me a kiss.

I went into the vat for a third time. The cold engulfed my body. Something cracked open in my head and trickled down into the back of my eyes. I floated away on a cold cloud . . .

Just when I thought this was the end, the invisible hand lifted me up out of the goo. I stood frozen and stiff in midair, a human icicle come to life.

”I think that's enough.” Malefica waved her hand.

I sailed through the air and landed on the metal platform in between Malefica and the caged superheroes.

I couldn't move or speak or even whimper. I could barely make myself breathe. Fiona's horrified face swam in front of my eyes. Sam shouted, but his voice seemed far away.

”Well, I have to say, Frost, I'm most impressed. That stuff really packs a punch. Is she still alive?”

Frost peered at me. ”For the moment. She won't last much longer.”

Malefica leaned down. ”There's one more secret I want to share with you before you depart this earth, Miss Cole. Something I've been keeping to myself for six delicious months now.”

I struggled to focus on the ubervillain. My vision had gone haywire, along with everything else.

Malefica looked like a jumbled ma.s.s of black waves all bouncing off each other.

”You see, I know how guilty you've been feeling over Tornado's death. But I just want to tell you this- your guilt was for nothing. He didn't commit suicide. I killed him.”

”What? What are you saying?” Fiona demanded, pounding her fist against the inside of her tube.

Malefica turned to the superhero. ”Haven't you figured it out yet? You superheroes . . . so gullible.

Never thinking about the big picture. Pity.”

”I got an advance copy of Carmen's story identifying Travis Teague as Tornado. I was thrilled when I got the news. As Morgana Madison, it was so easy to arrange a meeting with dear Travis to talk about investing in his wind power company. Once I was in his office, I hit him with Frost's freezoray gun, then dumped him out the window. Don't worry. I'm sure he didn't feel a thing.”

”You b.i.t.c.h!”

Fiona exploded into a roaring ma.s.s of red and orange and yellow waves. I could almost feel the heat from the other woman, even though the gla.s.s tube separated us. A small spark of anger sizzled up in me.

Malefica had used me from the very beginning, used me to murder Tornado, to capture the Fearless Five. Now, she was going to kill them all, kill my friends, kill Sam, the man I so desperately loved. The cold returned, stronger this time. The little spark flickered and dimmed and faded away . . .

No!