by H. L. Burke
She took shelter behind a cubicle. After a steadying breath, she projected herself again.
“I know that’s not you,” Fade teased. “Why don’t you come out and play some more?”
Biting back the desire to banter with him—which would reveal her location—she eased out from the wall and circled him, hoping to get a direct hit at his face for a stun shot.
Fade stiffened and fell quiet.
Listening.
She froze, afraid her footsteps would give her away.
“Huh—” He stepped backward through a cubicle wall. He was taller than the barrier, but must’ve crouched because he disappeared behind it.
Her jaw clenched. If he just wanted to play keep away, this could go on for hours. However, if he wanted to win, which she very much suspected he did, he’d have to make himself solid to take her down. Fade’s abilities were very much defensive rather than offensive.
Maybe her best bet was to tempt him to attack.
“I guess you’re just going to spend the whole fight on the run,” she called out. “A little boring, but you can’t lose that way.” She watched the cubicles. “Of course, you also can’t win.”
Silence.
She flitted her projection around the room making it flicker out then appear a few feet away. If anything, maybe it would distract him enough to make a mistake.
She eased towards one of the conference rooms with an open door and large glass windows looking out onto the rolling Californian hills.
He’s smart. He’s not going to attack unless he knows where I am ... and I would be willing to bet a man who has spent the last five years sitting in a cell with nothing to do is much better at waiting than I am.
Time ticked by. Maintaining the projection required very little energy. She could literally do this for hours ... if she didn’t die of boredom.
“Are you even still here?” she shouted out.
No answer, but the man wasn’t an idiot.
“It’s not much of a training session if we never actually encounter each other.” Of course, if she really needed to fight someone with Fade’s power base, it probably would go about like this.
The wall to her left shuddered as Fade stepped through it, carrying a water cooler tank. She blinked at him. He launched the water into the air in an arch, covering the entire conference room. Prism gasped as it hit her in the face, the slap of water snapping her concentration.
Fade grinned and dove for her.
She flipped on her lasers just in time, swiping towards his face. The blades of energy swept right through him. Unable to shift into solid fast enough, Fade barreled through her body. She inhaled sharply at the sensation of his energy passing through her. He skidded to a halt. She whirled and tossed out a flash. He ducked. Laser-swords out, she rushed him.
Fade flickered in and out of solid form. Her blades cut through him as if he were made of smoke, then he formed, close to her, grabbing for her. She dodged and leaped out of the way. The fight turned into a dance. Each of them matching the other, move for move. Every time he struck at her, she used her speed and agility to dodge out of the way. Every time she struck at him, he faded through it.
His hand closed around her wrist. She sent a flash of light in his face. He staggered back.
Seeing progress, she laughed and drew her power into her hands. He faded through her. She spun to face him just as his fist rocketed towards her face ... but stopped before striking.
Heart in her throat, she leaped to one side. They stood, staring at each other.
“Truce!” she said.
Fade bent over, hands on knees, drawing in deep breaths.
“You had me.” She frowned. “Why didn’t you take the hit?”
He wiped his hand across his forehead. “Was going to. Then something in my brain short circuited when I realized I was about to uppercut a woman.”
She arched an eyebrow. “That’s not very villainous of you.”
He scowled. “I may have limited memories, but I’ve read enough sable history to know that it’s not unheard of for a villain to have a code of ethics. Not harming women and children is within the zone. If this were life and death, sure. But to win a practice bout?”
“I suppose.” She shifted from foot to foot.
“You going to accuse me of being sexist for not wanting to punch you?” He narrowed his eyes.
“No. I think it’s admirable, actually. I just didn’t expect it from you based on, well, the whole villain thing.”
“I’m full of surprises.” He snorted. “So are we done? Calling it a draw?”
“I didn’t say that.” She activated her lasers and flashed him a devilish grin.
Prism rushed him. Fade accessed his power, and she passed through him. She spun around and threw out a flash. He staggered back, blinking. Before he could recover, she swung again. The swipe hit him in the legs.
“Ouch!” He wobbled to one side. She renewed her attack and hit him in the other. He crumpled to his knees.
She threw her hands forward releasing a burst of light into his face. She then crashed onto his chest. The force of her body knocked him backwards. Straddling his chest, she held her wrist so that her laser hovered over his neck.
“Gotcha!” She grinned.
“That’s what you think.” He winked. His hands gripped her waist. Before she could react, energy crackled through her. Her body went hazy and the floor went out from under her—or more accurately, she went through the floor. She shrieked as she and Fade crashed through the carpet of the conference room. There was a sensation like cotton in her mouth and ears then they broke through the ceiling panels of the floor below.
She grabbed onto Fade for dear life as they continued to fall. He twisted, ending up on top of her as they hit the next floor. A couple more falls later, they landed, him on top of her, on the lobby floor.
She gaped up at him. The landing has been strangely soft, but the experience had taken the fight right out of her.
“So, you were saying?” He leaned closer, his breath warm against her skin. The weight of his body pressed into her, not painfully, no pain was not the sensation she was feeling in that moment. A pleasant shiver cut through her, and she couldn’t look away from his dark eyes.
“Luce?” Aiden’s panicked voice shouted out. “Are you in here? What was that noise?”
Before Fade could stand up, Aiden burst into the room. His eyes widened.
Prism’s face went hot.
Fade climbed off of her. “Aiden, where did you—?”
Prism’s brother sprang across the room and placed his hand on Fade’s forehead. Fade’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped to the floor.
“Aiden!” Prism shrieked. “What did you do?”
Chapter Seven
Fade groaned. What had happened? Where was he? Why was he face down on the carpet?
“What did you do?” a shrill voice echoed over him.
“Are you okay?” a deeper voice snapped.
“Am I okay? You just knocked out Fade!”
“He was on top of you!”
“We were training. You knew that! What did you think we were going to do? Stand across the room from each other and glare?”
Fade sat up. The room spun, so he cradled his head in his hands, hoping he could avoid throwing up.
“Fade, you’re awake!” Prism knelt beside him.
Aiden hovered over them. “Funny how you say I knew you were training when you never told me. I had to find out from Tanvi.”
Fade winced. Ugh. Their voices were like hailstones on his already battered brain.
“What are you doing back here already anyway?” Prism gave Aiden a withering glare.
“Forgot my purse.”
Code for he was checking up on her. Ouch. Fade shrunk away from the noise.
“You all right?” Prism asked, her voice softer now.
“Just a headache.”
“You gave him a headache!”
Her tone
grew shrieky again. Fade grunted.
“My bad,” Aiden said, unconvincingly. “Though considering I walked in on him straddling you, he’s lucky I didn’t go straight for aneurysm.”
Even in his addled state, Fade had to wonder what exactly the limits of Aiden’s powers were.
Prism offered Fade her hand. He stood, still wobbling.
“This isn’t funny, Aiden. If we’re going to work as a team—”
The pocket of Prism’s jacket buzzed noisily. She shot Aiden a “we’re not done yet” glare before fishing out her phone. “Oh, it’s a courier. They’ve got Fade’s personal effects. I need to let them in.” She jabbed Aiden in the chest with her finger. “Apologize. For real.” She then hurried out the front doors.
“Don’t bother.” Fade rolled his eyes at Aiden as soon as she disappeared. “Just keep in mind, kid, you don’t have to like me, but you might as well get used to me. I’m not going anywhere. My choices are this team or back to my holding cell, and trust me, I’ll put up with a lot to avoid power dampening fields and orange jumpsuits.”
Unlike Prism, Aiden didn’t show any adverse reaction to being called ‘kid.’ Disappointing.
“If this is going to work, we need to make some ground rules clear. Lucia is too blinded by the fact that you were father’s pet project to realize what a wild card you are, but I’m not nearly that sentimental.” Aiden squared his shoulders.
“Fine, but I’m a grown-ass man, and I don’t have time for this middle school ‘boys aren’t allowed to talk to my sister’ BS.” Fade pulled himself up to his full height, a good head taller than Aiden. “Like I said, I’m here to do my job as part of this team, and that’s going to mean working in close quarters with Prism. I can’t walk on eggshells around you where she’s concerned. Hero work is too dangerous for that sort of distraction.”
Aiden scoffed. “Is that what you plan to do? Hero work?”
Something unpleasant rippled through Fade, a reminder of his own doubts, his own insecurities about this whole set up. “That’s what we do here, isn’t it? I’ve done it before, even if I can’t remember it.” He leaned into it, faking confidence. “I’m one of the good guys now. I’ve got the skill set.”
“I don’t care what side of the law you’re working on now or what skills you have. You aren’t hero material,” Aiden growled. “Heroes care about something greater than themselves, and you don’t. Without that anchor, you’re at best a free agent, batting for whatever side is convenient for you in the moment.” He stuck a finger in Fade’s face. “And I don’t care what you are or what you do, but if you hurt my sister, I will kill you.”
Fade didn’t break eye contact, but for some reason had no desire to push the kid down this time. “I have no interest in hurting her. Ease up, all right. We were just training and got a little carried away.”
“Sure. I’ll believe it when a training session ends with you on top of me or Bob like that.”
“If that’s what you’re into, I won’t judge.” Fade smirked, but Aiden just crossed his arms, his expression stony.
Whatever his flaws might be, his poker face was solid.
Prism returned carrying a clipboard and followed by a young Marine.
“Fade, they need you to sign for the items.” She offered him the clipboard and attached pen. “It’s only two boxes. Do you want to go through it before you approve the delivery?”
“I wouldn’t know if anything were missing anyway.” He scribbled on the dotted line before surrendering the clipboard to the Marine. “Hopefully there’s a change of clothes involved?” He glanced down at his t-shirt. While it hadn’t been the most active workout, he’d broken a sweat, plus he’d been wearing the same garments since his release.
“There are clothing items listed on the invoice you just signed, sir,” the Marine replied. “Do you need me to move the boxes somewhere? They’re just sitting in front of the door right now”
“Thanks, but I’ve got it.” Fade hurried away, eager to get away from Aiden before Prism tried to play peacemaker and made things even more awkward. He understood the desire to protect her from him. If Fade had been in Aiden’s shoes, he wouldn’t have trusted himself either. Still, Fade couldn’t let Aiden ruin this for him. He would not go back to jail.
PRISM SIPPED HER MORNING coffee in the break room. Across from her, Aiden sulked over his cereal, occasionally shooting daggers at Fade who had poured his own cup of coffee but seemed more interested in the book his nose was hidden in. Prism thought it was a different book than the one he’d been reading before training. She wondered if he’d given up on the first or had already finished it and moved on. Looked like some sort of science fiction based on the cover. Talon had mentioned Fade spent most of his time in the holding facility reading.
An itching feeling at the back of her mind caused her gaze to snap from Fade to Aiden. Aiden arched his eyebrows at her. Realizing he’d caught her watching Fade, she blushed. Maybe Aiden was right. Maybe her interest in Fade wasn’t healthy.
The door burst open, and Tanvi stomped in. With her mouth a grim line but her eyes twinkling, she marched up to Fade and tossed a sock on the table in front of him.
He glanced at it, then at her, then tilted his head to one side. “Am I a free elf now or something?”
“No, but points for the reference.” She put her hands on her hips. “I’m throwing down the gauntlet. You said we could spar some time, and I want now to be the time.”
He picked up the sock. “You do know what a gauntlet is, right?”
She threw her hands in the air. “Who even wears gloves anymore? Especially in SoCal? Do you want to fight me or not?”
He tucked the sock into his book like a bookmark and set it to one side. “Sure. I guess now’s as good a time as any.”
For some reason, anxiety spiked in Prism’s chest. She stood. “You don’t have to. I’m already putting together a group training session for tomorrow, and you just sparred with me yesterday—”
“Oh, come on, Pris!” Tanvi moaned. “You don’t get to have all the fun with the new guy. It’s my turn!”
Prism’s stomach twisted. “I just don’t want him to feel pressured.”
“It’s seriously all right.” Fade stood and stretched. “Team needs to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, right?”
Aiden took out his phone. “Hold on. I’m texting Keeper.”
Prism glared at her brother. “Oh, so suddenly you’re all for Fade fighting the rest of the team. Are you going to knock him out again?”
“Nah.” Aiden flashed her a toothy grin. “I’m just looking forward to seeing Tanvi kick Prince’s butt, is all.”
Tanvi crowed in delight and put out her hand for a high five. Aiden slapped his palm against hers then walked out of the break room still texting.
“See you in the gym in five!” Tanvi literally danced out of the room.
Prism considered Fade. “What about you not liking to hit women? How is that going to work here?”
“You’ll just have to watch.” He glanced around. “She said the gym. I’m assuming that’s different from the training floor.”
“Yeah, she specifically asked you to ‘spar’ which to Tanvi means hand-to-hand bouts, not training exercises,” Prism explained. “Second story, right off the elevator. It’s hard to miss, but I’ll walk you there if you’re ready.” She examined his jeans and sweatshirt, this one gray with the logo of what she thought was a defunct gaming company. “With Tanvi you might want to put on something that allows for more free movement.”
“I think I’ll be okay.” He stretched out his leg, exhibiting his anklet. “As long as I can get this off?”
Guilt rippled through her. She hadn’t liked putting it back on him after their training session, especially not after Aiden had brought the mood down, but the knowledge that DOSA could check in on them at any time—and suspicion they were tracking Fade through the device—had made it expedient.
“Of course.” She
fumbled in her jacket pocket for the remote. “I’m sorry about the device. After you’ve been with the team for a bit, I can suggest to Talon that it’s no longer necessary.”
“It’s all right. I’m aware of the risk DOSA is taking, having me roaming around. It makes sense that they want to keep an eye on me, electronically or otherwise.”
She clicked the button. Fade’s posture loosened as the anklet fell from his leg.
“Feels so much better without it, though.” He placed his heel on the seat of the nearest chair and bent into a hamstring stretch. Rising from the stretch, he gave her an easy smile that sent butterflies cavorting in her stomach. “All right, boss. Show me the way.”
When they reached the gym, Tanvi was already there, going through warm up stretches. Aiden sat on the sidelines munching on a bag of chips.
“Doritos? Really? Why didn’t you go straight to popcorn?” Prism glared at him.
“I wanted cool ranch flavor.” He offered her the bag. “You can have one, but if you want more than that, get your own.”
“Sorry, I don’t do MSG before 10 a.m.” She sniffed.
“More for me.” He crunched on another chip.
Keeper popped through the door, Yui the black cat in his arms. “Oh, brilliant, you haven’t started yet.” He sat next to Aiden on the bench alongside one wall of the gym. When Aiden offered him a chip, he accepted.
Anxiety pooled within Prism as Fade strolled across the sparring mats to where Tanvi waited.
If he wins, the team will distrust him. If he loses, the team won’t respect him. This is a bad idea either way while he’s still trying to adjust to the team. Dang you, Tanvi. Why do you have to be so competitive? Couldn’t this wait a few weeks?
Fade crossed his arms and stood in a relaxed stance, a placid expression on his face. “How do we want to keep score here?”
“First person to yell ‘uncle’ is a loser and a wimp and buys the other person’s lunch?” Tanvi held up her hands in a boxer’s stance.
