Fall of Heroes by Jeramey Kraatz

The Junior Ranger never looked at him, just stared ahead at nothing. Alex didn’t know what to say, but Amp seemed just fine with that.
    â€œI’m back to where I started before we ever went into the Gloom. Not knowing for sure if they’re alive or dead in there. Except now I know what that place is like.”
    â€œWhen all this is over—when we’ve defeated Cloak and Lone Star and Lux are back to full strength and the Rangers of Justice are the Rangers of Justice again—we’ll figure out what we can do for your parents. I mean, Gage basically punched a hole in reality. You were standing in another plane of existence yesterday. Figuring out a way for your parents to come back into our world should be a piece of cake, right?”
    â€œYeah,” Amp said quietly. “I guess so.”
    â€œSay it like you mean it,” Alex said. “You’re the one who has always told me that if we’re going to do something, we have to believe it can be done.”
    Amp let out a small laugh.
    â€œYou’re right,” he said. “Lone Star will get us out of this. We’re smooth sailing now.”
    Alex forced a smile and walked away, putting all the floating notes and newspaper clippings back in their proper place. He was back in his room before he realized he was still holding the photo of the Beta Team. Instead of taking it back, he slipped it into his inner coat pocket, with the picture of his family. It was one of the few mementos he had of his past, and there was a possibility that he might not be back to the lake house after this afternoon.
    We’re going to do this, he thought. Lone Star is going to lead us against Cloak. This is what we’ve been working toward. This is the end.
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    Alex had worried that blending into the crowd would be easier said than done, even with hoodies and sunglasses and beanies obscuring their faces. Once they got near the former site of Justice Tower from the underground exit in Victory Park, all those fears vanished. He hadn’t been prepared for such a mass of people, and from the shocked expressions of his teammates, he guessed they hadn’t been expecting them either. Crowds littered the wide street for over a block, getting more congested the closer they got to the stage set up in front of a chain-link fence surrounding the leveled ground that had once been the Rangers’ headquarters.
    â€œHow do we get through all these people?” Kyle asked as they reached the back of the crowd.
    â€œWe’ll force our way forward,” Lone Star said. “Once people realize who we are, everyone will part.”
    Long, dark-blue flags with golden starbursts hung all around from the tops of buildings and lampposts, the metallic symbols gleaming in the sunlight. Dozens of them, everywhere Alex looked. People carried signs, homemade posters, and banners singing the praises of the Rangers. At several stations, volunteers were painting golden starbursts on the cheeks of children.
    Not far from them, a Deputy and a policeman argued about something near the officer’s motorcycle, which was stopped at a traffic barrier. Alex strained to hear their conversation over all the other noise. Amp noticed.
    â€œThey’re fighting about who’s in charge of managing the crowd,” Amp said, using his powers to isolate their voices. “It sounds like the Rangers wanted to use their own Deputies for this, not actual cops. The cop’s not happy about it. He says they’re obstructing law and order.”
    From somewhere in the crowd, another Deputy appeared, joining the argument. It took only a few words before the two figures with silver starbursts on their chests were accosting the officer, brandishing weapons. They used his own handcuffs to secure him before pushing him down the street, toward some unknown location. Amp stepped forward, but Alex reached out and grabbed his shoulder with his thoughts.
    â€œWe’ve