Counterparts

by Lucas Flint

  CHAPTER TEN

  Talon had watched the battle between Bolt and Stinger and Bait and Switch from the safety of Rime’s house. She would have joined the battle herself to at least provide back up for Bolt and Stinger, but when Bolt punched Bait through the front of the house, Bolt had told her to stay put and protect Rime. Bolt mentioned something about not being sure if the twins were alone or not, so he wanted Talon to stay behind and keep Rime safe in case the twins had any other allies lurking somewhere in or near the house. That didn’t bother Talon nearly as much as it should have, perhaps because she had not relished fighting the twins.

  In any case, Talon took advantage of the moment to see if she could wake Rime, but the fall must have knocked him out pretty hard, because no matter how hard she shook him, he didn’t even stir. She did, however, succeed in rolling him onto his back, which let her see that his face was scratched and bleeding from the impact of the crash. Unfortunately, Talon had not thought to bring in the car’s first aid kit with her, so she had had to run into the house’s kitchen, where she dug through the drawers and cupboards for bandages, which she managed to find quickly enough. She had applied the bandages to Rime’s wounds as best as she could, remembering what Healing Touch had taught her once a few months back in the first aid class the Young Neos had taken, but she knew that Rime would need to see an actual doctor at some point to make sure that his wounds healed correctly.

  Still, Talon thought that everything was going better than expected, especially when Stinger managed to take down Bait and Switch with his stingers. It had been an impressive move, making her rethink her opinion of Stinger, who, despite being a skinny nerd, was clearly much smarter and faster than he let on.

  Then the lightning bolt dropped from the sky and left behind the last woman Talon had wanted to see: Electrica, the woman who killed her father. Electrica’s back was to her, as the supervillain was focused on Stinger, but Talon had seen enough pictures of Electrica to know who that woman was. She didn’t look like she had aged much since the day she killed Father ten years ago, but Talon didn’t really care.

  Seeing Electrica set off Talon’s protective instinct. She abandoned Rime, leaving him lying unconscious with his head on one of the couch’s pillows, and ran out into the front yard with her claws popping out of her wrists. She didn’t think. She didn’t even realize what she was doing until she was nearly upon Electrica. She did hear Bolt shouting at her to stop, but Talon ignored his commands. Electrica didn’t seem to notice Talon running up on her, which was fine by Talon, because that would make it easier to kill her.

  But just as Talon slashed at Electrica, the supervillain dodged both blows without even looking. She then whirled around and kicked Talon in the face, the blow sending Talon crashing to the ground. Talon immediately pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, but paused when Electrica pointed a glowing, crackling finger at her face. The bright finger would have blinded Talon if she looked directly into it; instead, she glared up at Electrica, who was looking down at her with an incredibly smug grin on her face.

  “Look what we have here,” said Electrica. Her voice was rather young, making her sound more like a twenty-year-old than a forty-year-old woman. “A little kitten tried to scratch me. A pretty little kitten, I will admit, but a kitten nonetheless.”

  Talon growled. “This kitten can rip your eyes out.”

  “Oh, the kitten is trying to act like a lion,” said Electrica with a giggle. “Even cuter. I’ll give the kitten some credit for trying to take me down while I was distracted, but kittens that play with electricity suffer the same fate that all creatures who play with electricity do.”

  Electrica’s finger grew even brighter. Talon realized that Electrica was probably going to blow her head off, but Talon couldn’t do a thing about it except glare up defiantly at Father’s murderer.

  But then Stinger appeared out of nowhere and pulled Electrica’s arm away from Talon’s face. “Mom! What the hell are you doing? She’s one of my friends.”

  “This kitten is your friend?” said Electrica, looking at Stinger in surprise. “Your girlfriend?”

  Stinger was clearly about to deny that, but Talon took advantage of this moment to lunge up at Electrica, her claws aimed for Electrica’s throat. But Electrica’s form suddenly turned into electricity and zapped backwards, causing Talon’s sharp claws to cut empty air. Regaining her balance, Talon looked around until she spotted Electrica standing between the two stunned twins, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

  “This kitten is rather vicious,” Electrica observed. “Not a very well-trained kitten, I must say. Very feral.”

  Talon stepped forward, but Stinger suddenly appeared between her and Electrica, holding his arms out to keep Talon from going around him.

  “Talon, stop,” said Stinger. “I know how you feel about Electrica, but you can’t just murder her in cold blood. She’s my mom.”

  “Yes, kitten, listen to your boyfriend,” Electrica said. “Unless you want to find out personally what happens to kittens who play with live wires, that is.”

  “You, shut up,” Stinger snapped, looking at his mom over his shoulder. “Don’t act like you’re innocent, either.”

  Electrica shrugged. “All I did was show up to see my one and only son. I have done nothing worthy of being murdered in cold blood by a kitten.”

  “Nothing?” Talon repeated. “How rich. I think murdering the father of a young girl warrants the death penalty, in my opinion.”

  Electrica frowned and scratched the side of her head. “Be more specific, kitten. I’ve killed a lot of fathers of young girls.”

  “Ten years ago,” Talon snapped. “Hero Island. Silver Wind. Ring any bells?”

  Electrica suddenly smiled, like she was reliving a good memory. “Ah, yes. Hero Island was one of my favorite heists, but … wait, are you telling me that you are Silver Wind’s daughter?”

  Talon nodded sharply. “Yes. And you are his murderer.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know he had a daughter,” said Electrica. She looked at Stinger expectantly. “Stinger, when were you going to introduce me to your girlfriend? Before or after you told her that I killed her father?”

  “She’s not my girlfriend,” said Stinger. “She’s just a friend. God, Mom, stop being so embarrassing.”

  “I wish she was ‘just’ embarrassing,” said Talon, “because then my father would still be alive today.” She stepped closer to Stinger. “Stinger, get out of my way. Now.”

  “No,” said Stinger, defiantly meeting Talon’s gaze with his own. “Again, I know you’re angry, but you don’t know how powerful my mom is. She’ll chew you up and spit you out like gum.”

  Talon considered her options. Physically, Stinger was probably stronger than her, but Stinger had just gotten through a pretty rough fight in which he had taken some pretty hard blows. It wouldn’t take much for Talon to knock him down or push him out of the way. She would apologize to him later once there was one less supervillain in the world.

  But before Talon could act, a strong hand fell on her shoulder and squeezed. Talon looked over her shoulder, ready to shout at whoever had grabbed her, but she caught her tongue when she saw that it was Bolt. He looked pretty beat and wounded; in particular, his left leg was still bleeding and had some weird metal things stuck in it, but he didn’t seem to notice the pain. He was looking at Talon with a strong gaze that made her feel like a weak kitten.

  “Stinger’s right,” said Bolt. “Now is not the time to pick a fight with this woman. You’ll just get yourself killed if you try to fight her.”

  Even though Bolt appeared even more wounded than Stinger, Talon didn’t think it would be wise to oppose him. Maybe it was his muscles or maybe it was the knowledge that he could lift the entire house off its foundations if he wanted. Or maybe it was just his powerful grip, which limited her arm’s movement and made her feel like she had stuck her foot into a bear trap.

  Whatever the case, Talon lowered her claws.
“Okay, fine. But I still don’t like her.”

  “Don’t worry, kitten, I’m not your biggest fan, either,” said Electrica. She glanced at Bait and Switch. “And I’m not much of a fan of whoever took out these two, either.”

  “These two?” said Stinger, turning to face his mother. “Do those two work for you?”

  “Of course,” said Electrica. “They don’t just work for me; they’re your siblings!”

  “What?” said Stinger in genuine shock, while Talon and Bolt just exchanged surprised looks. “But you never—”

  “Half-siblings,” Electrica corrected suddenly, as if she just remembered it. “Born a year after you. Their father was different from your father, but they’re still your siblings.”

  Stinger looked like he was at a genuine loss for words at this revelation. Talon, meanwhile, wondered if she could take advantage of this moment to try to attack Electrica again, but then she heard footsteps behind her and looked over her shoulder to see Rime approaching. Rime’s suit was dusty and dirty, with a small piece of sheet rock on his shoulder. He also limped slightly, but he looked ready to fight anyway.

  “Rime?” said Bolt. “I thought you were unconscious.”

  “J-Just woke up,” said Rime. He wasn’t looking at Bolt; instead, he was looking at Electrica, as if he knew who she was. “A-And not a m-moment too soon, I think.”

  Electrica put her hands on her hips and looked down at Bait and Switch again. “You mean to tell me that you two failed to kill the target? You disappoint me.”

  Neither Bait nor Switch spoke, probably because Stinger’s venom kept their mouths from moving. But Talon thought they somehow managed to look annoyed anyway, as if trying to explain how it wasn’t their fault that they failed to kill Rime.

  “Wait, so you mean that these two don’t work for the Venetians?” said Bolt, looking at Electrica again.

  “The who?” said Electrica, blinking in confusion. “We’re not Italian, if that’s what you mean.”

  “No, Mom, he means—” Stinger shook his head. “Never mind. What are you doing here? And how come you never told me that I have siblings?”

  “Half-siblings,” Electrica corrected.

  “Half-siblings, whatever,” said Stinger. “Seems like something I would have liked to know.”

  “You and I haven’t talked in years,” said Electrica. “I would like to know why you didn’t tell me you are friends with Rime.”

  “Stop changing the subject,” said Stinger. “Why did your send Bait and Switch to kill Rime, if you’re not related to the Venetians?”

  “Didn’t Rime tell you?” said Electrica. She looked over Stinger’s shoulder at Rime. “Haven’t you told these kids about our past?”

  “N-No, I haven’t,” said Rime. He frowned. “I-I didn’t th-think I’d see you again.”

  “Your past?” said Talon, looking from Electrica to Rime and back again. “What past?”

  “We were archenemies before Rime went to prison,” Electrica said. “He always used to thwart my plans. That’s why I was so happy when he ended up in Ultimate Max, though I will admit I was concerned that he might decide to settle his score with me when I heard he broke out.”

  “I w-would have been happy to have d-died without ever seeing you again,” Rime said. “S-Sending your own kids to kill y-your archenemy i-is a vile thing to do.”

  “So what?” said Electrica with a shrug. “I’m just disappointed that they ended up getting defeated, though granted, it was to my son. It would have been more disappointing, I think, if they got defeated by someone outside the family, you understand.”

  “Stinger,” said Talon, speaking into Stinger’s ear. “Let’s take your mother down. We don’t need to kill her, but she is still a supervillain, which means that she needs to go to Ultimate Max. If all four of us took her on—”

  “That would be hilarious,” said Electrica, who must have somehow heard Talon’s whispers even from a distance. “Painful for you, perhaps, but hilarious for me.”

  “Mom’s got a point,” said Stinger. He rubbed his back. “None of us are in much shape to take her down. We’ll just get flattened.”

  “Stinger is right,” said Bolt. “As much as I’d like to take a supervillain like her in, I don’t think we can beat her, especially if she’s as powerful as she seems.”

  “What, should we just let her get away, then?” said Talon. “Just going to let an infamous supervillain get away right from under our noses?”

  “I don’t need to leave right away,” said Electrica. “It’s been a long time since I last saw my first son, after all. A little family reunion wouldn’t hurt.”

  “We d-don’t have t-time for this,” said Rime. He pointed a finger at Electrica. “Y-You, leave, and t-take the two brats with you. W-We have n-no time for you or your kids.”

  “But I wanted to know what you four are doing here,” said Electrica. “Chris mentioned something about the Venetians. Who are they and why did you think that Bait and Switch were working for them?”

  “We don’t need to tell you jack about what we’re doing,” said Talon with as much venom as she could muster. “You can just go back to your evil lair and not bother us or anyone else ever again.”

  “Kitten has a tongue that’s sharper than her claws,” said Electrica in an amused voice. “How cute.”

  Talon wanted to just run up to Electrica and stab her, but Stinger held an arm up in front of Talon and gave her a warning look. Talon didn’t move, but she still glared at Electrica anyway, which Electrica appeared to pay no attention to now.

  “Ordinarily, I would agree with Talon that you should leave,” said Stinger. “But I think you know more than you’re letting on. You know who the Venetians are, don’t you?”

  Electrica shrugged again. “Yes, but I don’t know much about them. I still like to commit crimes, but ever since I’ve gotten older, I’ve spent less time paying attention to the supervillain scene than I used to.”

  “You should still l-leave,” said Rime. “I-If you aren’t with the V-Venetians, then y-you should go. I have a f-family to find and—”

  “You’re looking for your family?” Electrica interrupted. She smiled. “I can help with that.”

  “You can?” said Stinger. “How?”

  “I know how to find them,” said Electrica.

  Rime suddenly shoved Talon, Bolt, and Stinger aside, which Talon found rather rude, but Rime didn’t even apologize. He stopped where Stinger had been standing, which put a good distance between him and Electrica, who was still smiling.

  “Y-You know where m-my f-family is?” said Rime, his voice shaking more than usual. But then he stepped backwards, as if he was unsure whether to run or not. “H-How do I k-know you aren’t lying?”

  “Because you’re not the only one who has had a run in with the Venetians,” said Electrica. “You see, they crossed my paths recently as well and I have been trying to find them for the last few months. It’s only been recently that I’ve finally tracked them down them. And if they have your family, then that means we can kill two birds with one stone.”

  “Mom, what, exactly, do you mean that they ‘crossed your path’ recently?” said Stinger. “Did they steal something from you, too?”

  “In a way, yes,” said Electrica, nodding. “Though not in the way you think.”

  “W-Who cares if they stole from you?” said Rime. “T-Tell me where m-my family is or else.”

  “No,” said Electrica.

  “No?” said Rime. His hands balled into fists. “Why? J-Just to spite me?”

  “Spiting enemies is fun, but the real reason is because I want a guarantee that you four won’t arrest me and my children if we work together,” said Electrica. “I mean, normally, I would never even think of helping superheroes, but since you are Chris’s friends and we have the same objectives, I think working together would be in both of our interests.”

  “I don’t,” said Talon. “We can find Rime’s family on our own, t
hank you very much.”

  “In that case,” said Electrica with a sigh, “I might as well take Bait and Switch and leave, since it is pretty clear that you don’t want my—”

  “Wait,” said Stinger, interrupting Electrica. “Can you give us a minute to talk this over? Not just shoot your offer down without discussing it among ourselves first.”

  Stinger threw an annoyed glance at Talon when he said that. Talon returned the glare, because she didn’t think that she said anything wrong.

  “Fine, then,” said Electrica. “But please don’t take forever. I’m a very busy woman and I don’t have all day to wait for you to come to a decision.”

  Stinger nodded in affirmation and then gathered Bolt, Talon, and Rime around him in a rough circle with their backs to Electrica.

  “Why are we discussing this?” said Talon in a low voice; she didn’t want Electrica to overhear their private conversation. “Electrica is a murderer and her kids just tried to kill all of us. Besides, the NHA specifically forbids its members, including the Young Neos, from working with supervillains at all.”

  “I know, Talon, but I also know that Electrica knows where Rime’s family is,” said Stinger. “I know my mom. She’s not a very good mom, or even a very good person, but she’s good at tracking down people who piss her off. That’s why I think she’s telling the truth about knowing where the Venetians are.”

  “Even if she is, what if she’s lying about why she wants to find them?” said Bolt. “She doesn’t exactly seem like an honest person to me.”

  “W-Who cares?” said Rime. “I d-don’t care what h-her true motives are. I d-don’t trust her, b-but if she knows where my f-family is, I don’t care what her real motives are.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” said Stinger. “My mom is a selfish bitch who doesn’t care about anyone other than herself, but the fact is that we have no real leads to the location of Rime’s family. If we’re going to find Rime’s family, then accepting my mom’s help is our best shot.”