by H. L. Burke
Of course, she had every faith in her team to be able to do this without Fade, but she’d spent so much time planning strategies that incorporated Fade’s skills that it irked not to be able to test one out.
Shaking off her disappointment, she focused on Aiden again. “Do you know how his power is transmitted?”
“Sound. He needs to be facing the target to put them under, though. He keeps scanning the hostages to make sure none of them are coming out of it.” Aiden flinched. “Ugh, let’s get this over with. The guy’s inner monologue is like mental sandpaper.”
“We got this. Tanvi, I’m going to storm the front and flash him. You need to take him down before he can recover.”
Aiden groaned. “We’ve talked about you calling your ability, ‘flashing’ before, right? You know how uncomfortable that makes me?”
She lightly punched his shoulder. “That’s why I do it.” She peeked around the barrier, plotting her approach. Tanvi and Keeper could advance unseen, up until they had to break the emergency exit down and burst in from the back, but her route would be easily marked. “I can’t see him. Where is he?”
“Behind the teller counter. Sitting on his butt trying to think up a way out of this mess.”
“Okay, let’s do this.”
Praying that the range of the bank robber’s ability wasn’t more than the range for hers, she focused on light bending, projecting an image of herself a dozen feet to the left of her actual location. She then stood and walked forward. Her projection moved parallel with her, towards the bank.
Her breath caught in her chest. As much as she trusted her abilities, if they failed, she would be completely exposed.
“We’re at the exit. Charges are placed,” Tanvi said over the earpiece.
“Wait for my signal.”
Behind the plate glass windows of the bank, something stirred. A man wearing heavy body armor that resembled a baseball umpire’s uniform moved forward.
“Easy, Luce,” Aiden’s voice now echoed over the line. “He sees you ... or what he thinks is you.”
“I know.”
The figure in the bank slunk closer, hands outstretched. The air around him warped.
Prism’s fists tightened as she resisted drawing on her light burst power too soon. To use it at the strength she needed, she’d have to drop her focus from the projection. Once she did, the villain might strike.
“Ready Tanvi? Bob?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Tanvi affected an exaggerated southern accent.
In spite of the knots in her stomach, Prism smiled. “Now!”
She threw her hands forward. The projection blinked out. The robber spun around, staring at her revealed location. Too late. Her light energy burst from her hands even as the charges on the back door blew. The flash washed over the robber who fell to the ground. She darted forward, hitting a button on one of her wristlets. A laser arched from below her hand. She whipped her arm in a circle, cutting through the safety glass. As the section she’d cut away crashed to the ground, she leaped through. She landed on the robber’s chest. Tanvi burst in and grabbed him by both arms.
“Got him!” Tanvi crowed.
Behind her, Bob hurried towards the unconscious hostages.
Prism deactivated her wristlets as law enforcement swarmed the building, Aiden right in their midst.
“Here, let me.” He knelt beside the still dazed villain and pulled away the man’s mask, which on closer examination she could tell he’d clearly purchased at a sporting equipment store. The revealed, bleary-eyed, freckled teen moaned.
Aiden grimaced. “Am I getting old or are they starting in middle school now?”
“Seems like they get younger all the time,” one of the SWAT team members grunted from nearby.
Shaking his head, Aiden placed his thumb and forefinger on the robber’s forehead. The youth’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he went limp. “Okay, take him away.”
“You didn’t need to sleep him. We had him under control.” Prism frowned as law enforcement took the perp in hand.
Aiden dusted off his jeans. “For one thing, we don’t know exactly how his powers work yet, and it’s better to have him out until we’re sure we can keep him from using them to escape. For another, I needed to be sure you didn’t make him your next pet project, seeing as you have a thing for collecting random criminals now.”
Anger spiked in Prism’s chest. “Don’t make this about Fade.”
“Sensitive, aren’t we?” Aiden clicked his tongue. “Speaking of Cher, we should probably make sure he hasn’t torn up headquarters in our absence. If he stole my leftover drunken noodles I’ll do a lot more than sleep him.”
FADE SLOUCHED ON ONE of the lobby couches, slice of pizza in one hand, eyes vaguely focused on the large glass doors and the empty parking lot beyond. Some unfortunate squirrel had met its end on the road in front of the hospital-turned-headquarters, and a group of turkey vultures now squabbled over it. He tried to blame that sight on his sudden lack of appetite, but he knew it wasn’t that. Not really.
He hadn’t known what pizza to order. When the squeaky-voiced teen on the phone had asked, then rattled through seemingly endless options, he’d frozen up. Not wanting to look like an idiot, he’d just spouted out, “Cheese.” A few bites in, he’d decided that cheese was not his preference.
What am I even doing here? There’s no way this is going to work. I’m not a team player. I’m not a hero. I’m a rogue villain. This isn’t going to work.
He closed his eyes. Not knowing himself, it was hard to know exactly what he wanted, but his file had made him out to be a maverick—“hard to manage” had been the official language—and his past as a thief and freelance spy certainly suggested he tended towards selfish, risky behavior not conducive to fitting in with a group of do-gooders. Especially a group led by someone as wide-eyed and idealistic as Prism seemed to be.
No, he was a lone wolf in a pack of puppies. This couldn’t end well for anyone.
I should bug out of here. There has to be a way to disable this anklet. With my skill set, it would be easy to get enough cash to lie low, simple to make it over the border ... do I speak Spanish? That wasn’t in my file.
Pressure on his knee snapped him out of his moping. The border collie from the basement sat with his nose on Fade’s leg, brown eyes directed plaintively at the barely touched piece of pizza.
“How’d you get up here?” Fade tossed the dog the pizza. The dog’s jaws snapped with a sharp click as the pizza disappeared down his throat. He then wagged his plume-like tail. Fade rubbed him behind the ears. “I guess I like dogs. Add that to my ever growing list of interesting facts about myself.”
If I just take off, Prism looks like an idiot—which might be true. After all, bringing me on was her idea, but still, it’ll crash her project and probably her career. Am I really that much of a jerk?
The only two options were to stick it out—or go back to his cell.
“Not a lot of dogs in jail—or pizza.” As much of a disappointment as the cheese pizza had been, the building blocks of it made him suspect other versions might’ve been more satisfying.
The approaching hum of helicopter blades caught his attention, and he sat up straighter. More military training flights? This one was definitely coming closer. He started to stand causing the border collie to leap up, ready to follow.
Fade sank into the couch cushions again and reached for the remote that sat on the coffee table. No point in seeming overeager just because he was bored. A menu popped up in front of him. Lots of options. Apparently the crew subscribed to multiple streaming services, some of which he recognized from his reading. He picked the one that felt the most familiar and thumbed through endless thumbnails of movies, sitcoms, documentaries, and even cartoons.
What do I like to watch?
The helicopter sound grew ever louder before it slowed and stopped. A moment later, it started up again, this time headed away.
Fade’s scrolling sp
eed picked up. Instead of choosing, though, he tried to guess which team member’s watching habits had led to each suggestion.
Animal documentaries ... probably Bob. Dance competitions ... that could be either Prism or Tanvi ... Action movie, probably Aiden ...
Distant voices echoed through the empty building. The border collie gave out a welcoming bark and darted away. Not wanting to be caught looking like he’d just sat there doing nothing the whole time—even if that was exactly what had happened—Fade slammed the play button on the next selection without looking to see what it was.
“Welcome to Donut Battle!” a boisterous announcer shouted as Prism strolled into the room. “Four bakers compete to create delectable, themed donuts for our renowned culinary judges. Ten thousand dollars awaits, but only one winner will get the hole prize—”
“Surprising entertainment choice.” Prism crossed her arms, staring at the screen.
Fade’s face heated. “I was just curious how anyone could make a show out of this.”
“A lot of fake drama, a lot of bad bakery related puns, and a sprinkle of actual cooking,” Prism deadpanned, then her cynical expression cracked into a grin. “I’ll admit, it’s a guilty pleasure for me.” She motioned towards the empty end of the couch. “Mind if I join you?”
“Knock yourself out.”
The couch shifted as she settled near him.
Fade stared forward, wondering how long he should wait to ask about the mission. It must’ve gone well. He didn’t know Prism all that well, but he suspected she wouldn’t be coming in all perky and grinning, ready to watch donut shows, if anyone had been hurt or killed.
“You ordered pizza?” She pointed to the box still sitting on the coffee table.
“Yeah. There’s plenty left if you want some.”
“Don’t mind if I do. Thanks.” She took a slice. “I like their California ranch pizza best. Bacon, green peppers, white sauce. You should try that next time.”
“I’m up for suggestions.” He rolled his shoulders. Maybe it was the anklet still messing with his abilities or maybe it was spending the whole day on his butt, but he felt more than usually restless—which considering his only memories prior to that day were of his holding facility cell was saying a lot. “How’d the mission go?”
“Good for us. Inexperienced perp. Stupid young.” Her brow furrowed. “Thankfully his power base is non-lethal and the only casualties were the window and emergency exit door our team took down making our entrance.”
“First time crook?” Fade’s stomach growled. Maybe another slice wouldn’t be so bad.
“First time bank robber.” Prism chomped down on her pizza, chewed, and swallowed. “According to the detective, there have been a series of small time robberies in the area that match his MO. Convenience store clerks blacking out and coming to only to find they’ve been robbed. Tourists on the pier stumbling around disorientated and relieved of their wallets with no memory of the previous half hour. That sort of petty stuff.”
“So the idiot thought he’d make a big score and overreached. Rookie mistake.” Fade scoffed. He folded his slice in half before biting into it. Weird. It tasted better that way somehow.
“I suppose. I’m just glad we ended it before he got too far into the life, you know?” She laughed. “Aiden already joked about me wanting to rehabilitate him, but it’s kids like that who are the reason we need that program. An ability like his when used for good, say some form of non-violent crowd control, could be an asset to DOSA, and he wouldn’t have to spend his life as a criminal or in and out of holding facilities.” She sighed. “This has to work. It could do so much good.”
His stomach twisted. She had a point, but why hadn’t she picked a better candidate than him to build her program on? Desperate to think about anything else, he turned his attention to the TV again.
The announcer on the screen exhibited a metal cloche. “And the surprise mystery ingredient that you must include in your culinary delights is—tarantulas!”
He raised his eyebrows. This was what passed for entertainment these days?
Prism cleared her throat. He angled towards her.
“I really wanted to start you training with the team right away, but traditionally, after we complete a mission, I give the others the day off, and I wouldn’t feel it was fair to them if I took that away just because we have a new team member, you know?”
“Yeah, I get it.” Sidelined again.
“I was thinking, maybe we could train together, go over some one-on-one scenarios.” She took up a napkin from the pile next to the pizza box and meticulously wiped grease from her fingers, giving the simple action a lot more attention than it merited. “I mean, not every mission we go on will include the full team, and I like for us all to have full awareness of each other’s abilities, weaknesses, and fighting style. It just makes for an easier time if we do need to fight, and while just the two of us wasn’t what I had in mind—”
“One-on-one is fine,” he interrupted, wondering how long she would have gone on trying to justify the choice if he hadn’t. “I could use a good workout.”
The sound of human footsteps and tapping dog-claws approached them. Aiden and Keeper emerged from the nearest hallway, the border collie frisking at their side, his eyes adoringly focused on Keeper who now had Yui, the black cat, in his arms.
When their eyes met, Aiden’s mouth wrinkled like he’d just bitten down on something foul. He shot a glance from Fade to Prism, perhaps mentally measuring the distance between them. Again, that creepy feeling of someone probing his mental barriers put Fade on edge, but this time he relaxed his natural defenses.
First off, your sister is a starry-eyed kid, and I’m not into that type. Second, if I were into that type, what would you do to stop me? Judge me to death?
Aiden’s mouth dropped open. Before he could retaliate, Fade threw his defenses up again, shutting the door in Aiden’s self-righteous face.
To his credit, Aiden just grunted and approached them as if nothing had happened.
“I finished your paperwork while I was filing my own,” he said to Prism. “You’re welcome.”
“Thanks, bro. I owe you.” Prism grinned, leaning over the back of the couch.
“Nah, you don’t. I already switched the schedule around so you’re taking my turn cleaning out the break room fridge next week as payment.”
Her grin faded. “I did not agree to that.”
“I guess I could unfile the paperwork.” He scratched at his scalp, ruffling his already disheveled blond hair.
“Oh, whatever. You always throw out too much food when you do it, anyway.”
“Expiration dates are a thing.”
The border collie ran around the couch and stuck his nose in Fade’s lap.
“Hey, welcome back.” Fade ignored the still glowering visage of Aiden hovering over him.
“I see you’ve met Houdini.” Keeper approached, stroking Yui. The black cat’s tail twitched.
“Houdini, huh?” Fade scratched the collie behind the ears. His tail wagged so enthusiastically it seemed like the dog’s whole back end was vibrating.
“We call him that because he knows how to open doors and will fuss with the latches on most gates until he escapes. Always showing up places he’s not supposed to be.” Prism rubbed the dog along the spine. “He’s a sneaky, smart boy, yes, he is.”
Houdini licked her.
“Tanvi says she’s cooking tonight to celebrate the easy take down,” Keeper put in. “She took off for the commissary for some fresh ginger. Wanted to know if you needed her to pick up anything?”
“A bottle of wine would be nice. Whatever she thinks will go well with dinner. I trust her judgement. I’ll just text her though.” Prism took out her phone.
“Sounds good. Aiden and I are going to feed the animals. We’ll see you at dinner.” Keeper turned away. Houdini scampered after him, but Aiden lingered.
Prism wrinkled her nose at him. “Oh, so I have to be y
our slave just to get you to file a few lousy forms for me, but Bob you’ll help without payment?”
“I like Bob.” Aiden winked at her before heading after Keeper.
Prism put away her phone before fiddling with the zipper of her bomber jacket. “You want to come to dinner? When Tanvi cooks it’s delicious—crazy spicy, but always delicious.”
Fade accessed his powers and moved his finger in and out of the couch cushions. Pro, he had no memory of ever trying spicy food. Con, Aiden would be there.
“I’ll think about it. I’m not really hungry.”
“Well, if you decide to, the dining hall is on the second floor. Just follow the smell. You won’t be able to miss it.” She stood and sloughed off her bomber jacket. Beneath she wore a light blue, form-fitting v-neck t-shirt that showed off curves the jacket had kept undercover. His pulse spiked.
He quickly looked away, trying to convince himself it was just due to being deprived of female contact for so long during the incarceration. She gave him a smile that made his blood rush, before walking away.
Starry-eyed or not, I need to watch myself there. Fitting in here is going to be hard enough to navigate without those sorts of complications.
Chapter Six
“Sure you don’t want to come to the beach with us?” Aiden asked as he downed his breakfast cereal, still wearing his sweatpants and EMT emblem t-shirt that he’d slept in. “Keeper says he can guarantee dolphins.”
Prism focused on her coffee mug. Dang it. She loved dolphins.
She got up from the break room table to refill her coffee. “No, after yesterday, I want to stay in and relax.”
A lie. What she had planned would be anything but relaxing. Thankfully, Aiden was pretty honorable about not reading her. It was an agreement they’d made when his powers had first manifested, and she trusted him not to verify her statements—even when she wasn’t being trustworthy. Guilty for the deception, she added a truth to the lie. “Also, I don’t want to leave Fade alone. We risked getting food yesterday, but the whole time I was afraid someone would recognize him. You know how his face was flashed all over the 24-hour news channels during the trial? What if someone sees him, shouts ‘supervillain,’ and starts a panic?” She fetched some milk from the fridge and mixed it into her coffee. She sipped it slowly.
