The moment the words prompting him to change appeared on the screen Ashton knew something had gone very wrong. Where was Summer? Why hadn’t she contacted him through their communicators? Why hadn’t any of the team called in to check on the situation? As much as he hated playing along with MysteriousMaskz’s games, this was no time to hesitate.

  He pulled on his old villain costume with a practiced efficiency. He didn’t have time to mess around with makeup so this would just have to do. The moment he put the ridiculously pointy mask made to resemble the purple flames he was known for, he heard an annoyingly familiar voice. Ned was talking to him through the mask.

  “That was a fast decision. You must really hate your past as Shadow Phoenix,” Ned’s voice mocked.

  “Where is Summer?” Ashton demanded. As he had stepped out into the hallway, he found Summer’s earpiece abandoned on the floor. It wasn’t something she would have willingly left behind.

  “Golden Reign has been invited to star with you on stage,” Ned replied.

  “Invited?” Ashton scoffed in disbelief. Summer hadn’t touched her past as Golden Reign any more than he had after everything that happened. She was terrified of her identity getting out, so there was no way she would willingly put herself back in the spotlight. “More like kidnapped. Where is she?”

  “So impatient. Don’t worry, I always planned on guiding you there,” Ned told him. His tone was even more aggravating now that Ashton had doubts he was even talking with MysteriousMaskz and not some stand in. “Here is your first clue. Your destination is part of a set you know well. A truly perfect stage.”

  Set, stage, and somewhere familiar. With his earlier references to RefRain and cameras he was probably referring to Old Town, the place that had more or less become the set for fake villain fights under the direction of SI. That much made sense. What about the stage? Was it part of the clue or was it part of his usual theatrics?

  “Can I use whatever methods I want to get there?” Ashton demanded, keenly aware of his eye-catching appearance in costume.

  “Wouldn’t it be too boring if I decided everything for you?” Ned pointed out as if this were all too obvious, “I will be here to guide you every step of the way if you need my help.”

  “The only thing I need from you is Summer’s location,” Ashton repeated. He was more than done playing useless games with a fake.

  Ned only laughed as Ashton marched outside to where the others were waiting. Derrick noticed his unique appearance first, and looked tempted to drag him right back into the house to hide him away.

  “What’s going on?” he demanded, scanning the surroundings for Summer.

  “We have a problem. He took Summer,” Ashton announced.

  “How?” Kai asked, shocked.

  “We have been watching the house this whole time,” Levi added.

  “Is Kayla here?” Ashton checked. He needed to be sure no one else was missing.

  “She is with Jared watching the security footage in the car,” Derrick reported, “Ashton, what do you mean he took Summer?”

  Ashton sighed in aggravation. “When I left the room Summer was gone and Ned told me he invited her to the stage. The stage he set up to kill Shadow Phoenix.”

  Levi winced. “You must have gone too heavy on the death flags.”

  “Where did he say the stage was?” Kai asked.

  “In Old Town,” Ashton answered, “but that is all he will tell me.”

  “It’s a start,” Derrick pointed out, “You know we are coming with you, right?”

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  “I was counting on it,” Ashton assured with as much of a smile as he could muster with all the nerves rushing through him.

  The team gathered in the car and filled Jared and Kayla in on the situation. Ashton sat in the back where the windows were tinted so there would be less of a chance of anyone spotting him. Everything about this felt sloppy and far from subtle, but Summer mattered more than taking the extra time to cover his tracks.Since she had disappeared so quietly, there was a high chance that Checkmate had been involved.

  “There is a theatre in old town that was once one of the most famous in the country for its plays and musicals,” Jared suggested, “If Ned was being serious with all his talk of stages, there would be no place more perfect to set up in.”

  Ashton had to agree that it sounded like a fitting location, especially since Jared had been the one to suggest it. “Let’s head there first,” he agreed.

  “Aw, you caught on already? I was hoping to stall with a bit of a wild goose chase,” Ned complained, but only Ashton could hear him, “Now Golden Reign won’t have any time to play on her own.”

  “Good,” Ashton shot back, drawing the eyes of his team, “Kayla, is it possible to give me the power that Shadow Phoenix is supposed to have?”

  Kayla clenched her hands into fists and slowly unclenched them before she answered. “I can try,” she muttered softly, “I can’t guarantee it will work. Fire powers are also very dangerous.”

  “Better then activating potential bombs fixed on my costume by MysteriousMaskz himself,” Ashton pointed out, “If not, I will have to take the time to replace all of them with new ones. Derrick, do you think you can make them?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t ever studied them. I could make lighters that use purple flames, but there was more to it than that. It might end up being more dangerous than Kayla giving you fire powers.”

  “I want both my bases covered just in case,” Ashton told them, “Our priority should be using the serum on Checkmate to neutralize the threat.”

  They discussed their plan and got to work on their individual roles during the long drive to Old Town. Theoretically their enemy would have to face the same long drive, but Ashton couldn’t count on it. They could not afford to waste a single second.

  Ashton’s role was to draw attention, rescue Summer, and survive. This would leave the others free to infiltrate without being noticed. Kai won the match of rock paper scissors with Levi to become both small and fast in order to use the serum on Checkmate before he could react. Levi, who would be large and slow, would block any exits while wearing a special bulletproof material that Derrick had been working on.

  Kayla would be boosting Ashton’s power to seem like he really was Shadow Phoenix. If that didn’t work, she would get close enough to give Summer a power that would be the most helpful for her situation. Jared would maintain contact with headquarters and signal them if his feelings tipped him off about something going horribly wrong. They were all set.

  The theatre was huge. Even though he knew what it was, it had been hard to get the image of movie theaters out of his head. There was a grand entrance with large wooden double doors that led into the theatre, or steps leading to higher floors. As Ashton was about to barge straight in he thought better of it.

  “Hey Ned, are you still listening?” he checked.

  “Of course,” Ned replied instantly.

  “I have a fun idea if you are willing to help me out. Give me a microphone that is hooked up to the speakers inside the theatre,” Ashton told him, “A villain’s last stand should begin with a dramatic entrance.”

  Ashton was guided to some kind of announcer’s box on the third floor, overlooking the chamber that held the wide stage and endless seats for an audience that would never come. On the stage below Ashton saw a man and a woman that seemed familiar, though he was certain they had never met.

  Before he could question their identities too long, a spotlight shone where Golden Reign stood alone on a balcony. The microphone at the front of the box clicked on, reminding him that every sound he made would now carry through the theatre.

  “Incredible! You really are keeping to your word,” the woman exclaimed with clearly fake excitement, “Now that one of our esteemed guests has officially made it, where is the villain partner to match her heroic return to the spotlight?”

  “Shouldn’t you be more concerned about what might happen when I show up?” Ashton spoke, carefully bringing in the tones he once used as Shadow Phoenix. It sounded a bit awkward since he was so out of practice but the microphone ensured his voice carried through the vast space from every angle.

  The woman let out a fake laugh. “What can you do to us when Golden Reign, your greatest weakness, will surely protect us? After all, that is what heroes do.”

  It was his move now, and everyone was eagerly watching for his dramatic performance. If he entertained Ned and MysteriousMaskz everyone might make it out safely. On the other hand, if he failed to make things interesting they might spice things up with the death of the previously unbeatable hero.

  “Weakness?” Shadow Phoenix mocked, channeling his frustration with himself and his situation into his voice, “Don’t make me laugh. Do you have any idea how hard it was to pretend to be scared of that lightbulb with an overinflated ego? I mean, think about it? My name may be Shadow Phoenix, but my power has always been fire.”