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and he nodded. Suddenly he was on his feet, his chest puffed out. He looked at Amp with a faint smile.
    â€œI never hoped you would do something so reckless as to try to rescue us.” His voice was bolder now, more theatrically heroic. “But now that you’re here, I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
    Somewhere behind them came a sound like that of falling rocks, only like everything else in the Gloom, it seemed murky and ill-defined. Lone Star’s eyes widened.
    â€œIt’s not safe out here,” he said. “A monster lurks in the shadows. Follow me. We need to get back to our shelter. We can collect Lux and the others and get out of here.”
    â€œOthers?” Amp asked.
    But Gage and Lone Star were already hurrying away.

3

FAMILY REUNION
    T itan cracked his knuckles. The metallic sound echoed through the outdoor area. Alex shuddered slightly. The noise was a reminder of Titan’s strength and near invulnerability thanks to a layer of metal beneath his skin, and was something Alex had grown to hate in the past when the two had still been living in the underground base together as teammates.
    Titan stood a few yards away from Alex and the others—the decoy team. Surrounded by high fences, the Stonehenge lawn felt like a boxing ring.
    â€œWell, well, well,” Titan sneered. “Looks like somebody finally stopped being chicken and came out to play. Hey, Mallory. Long time no see. I can feel your chill from all the way over here.”
    â€œMaybe you’re just getting flashbacks of when I froze you solid the last time I saw you,” Mallory said, shrugging.
    â€œDon’t be like that.” Titan pretended to be hurt. “It wasn’t long ago we were breaking through vault doors together, Temptress.”
    Mallory didn’t respond, but Alex could feel the heat radiating off her at the mention of the code name Titan had tried to give her countless times in the past. Titan smirked. He was already gloating. Good, Alex thought. The longer they talked, the less time they’d need to spend fighting. He silently hoped that everything was going well for Gage and the others.
    As the helicopter overhead descended, a black rope uncoiled from its open door. Volt slid down it, jumping off at the end and landing beside Titan. Both of them were dressed in the new Ranger uniforms.
    It was the first time Alex had seen his father since the man had been sucked into the Gloom the night that Justice Tower had fallen. In his Ranger uniform, the man looked heroic. Even regal. Alex’s mouth parted slightly as he stared at Volt. He tried to pretend that there wasn’t part of him that was happy to see his father in person after so long.
    â€œHello, son,” Volt said. He let the last word hang in the air for a few moments. He looked down over the tip of his nose at his child, but his eyebrows were scrunched together. Alex recognized the expression. It was the look Volt used to give in training sessions when he questioned if Shade was pushing their son just a little too hard. “I see you’ve brought quite a party with you.”
    â€œFather,” Alex said, his voice cracking slightly. He steeled himself, curling his fingers into fists at his sides. “I see you brought your metal ape.”
    Titan started forward. A crackle of Volt’s purple electricity landed at his feet, holding him back.
    â€œPatience,” Volt said. “You know my wife would hate to miss anything.”
    Above them, Shade and Photon descended from the sky. Alex had never seen the true Ranger up close. His skin was a deep olive, his hair dark and wavy. And his eyes, which stared straight ahead, were a curious mix of amber and green.
    He carried Shade. Or, Alex thought, it would have been more accurate to say that his mother was lounging in Photon’s arms, as if he were a very comfortable piece of furniture. Her legs draped lazily over one of his forearms, while the other