by R. J. Ross
"Are there people down there?" I ask.
"How should I know?" he asks.
"Well, you know about the building!" I say.
"Yeah, but that's because it's concrete and metal. Elementalist, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah, so you're only half useful," I grumble, moving closer to the base. "What's going on?"
The norms are surrounding a bare piece of dirt, their guns aimed at it. "Looks like someone's coming up," Jason says as the dirt rises at an angle, revealing a ramp going down into what must be the building he was talking about. I expect a car, or a jeep, or something, it's big enough for them, but what I see makes me go perfectly still. "Wow, they got him chained up pretty good," Jason says. "Does a norm really need all those chains?"
"That's not a norm," I say, barely breathing. "That's Mimic."
***
This isn't going to end well, Will thinks as he follows the heavily chained super up the ramp. He's got a gun, even though he's more of a desk jockey than a front liner. It's more for show, anyway--from all the reports he's seen, Mimic doesn't even flinch at bullets. It's still nice to have something between him and the man, even if it's a thin scrap of metal and plastic.
Matkey had all too willingly agreed to kill Tatiana, in exchange for his freedom, his record cleared, and the Hall off his back. He'd told Will that even if they set him free the Hall would come after him--it was the military that was supposed to keep them from chasing him. Will hadn't believed they could do it, but Kunnins had agreed far too confidently.
It turns out, Will thinks in disgust, that the government is basically in control of the Hall. To a point, perhaps, that's a good thing. Having supers running around with no checks is dangerous. But when that power is abused like it will be here, it sickens him.
"I can't exactly do anything chained up like this," Matkey says as he steps into the light and turns to them. "Unlock me."
"You know the terms of our deal," Kunnins says. "You take out Tatiana and we let you go--and protect you from the Hall. I suggest you lie low, though, because there's always that rabble group of wanna-be Hall members around. They won't know our deal."
"Rabble is exactly what they are," Matkey says. "They won't be a problem. Now," he adds, holding up his chained hands and jingling his chains, "If you would?"
Kunnins nods at Will. Will hesitates for a second before fumbling with the hoop of keys at his side and heading forward. He looks at Matkey, feeling sick at heart as he unlocks the chains one by one. They fall to the ground with a heavy jingle. Each one makes the ball in his stomach grow larger. When Matkey stretches his free arms over his head, he steps back several quick paces and brings up his gun in a protective manner. Matkey looks at him and laughs in his face.
"Tatiana," he says. "Give me her picture." He holds out his hand and Kunnins hands over the manila folder with all the information. Matkey opens it, staring at the picture of the large woman in question, a patently bland expression on his face. He flips through the folder for a moment. "I'll take this," he says, holding it up briefly then racing away.
"Sir, are you certain we can trust him?" Will dares to venture.
"We'll have to find out," Kunnins says, pulling out a metal tin full of cigars and getting one out. "If we can't, well, we'll turn to our second choice."
"Second choice?" Will asks.
"You didn't really think he was the only super we've got, did you?" Kunnins asks.
***
I let out a breath, still clutching Jason's arm as tightly as I can. There's a giant rock in front of us--one that hadn't been there a moment ago. "You know, I'm seriously glad my arm is metal coated," he says as he looks pointedly down at where I'm strangling the arm in question. "Who is Mimic?"
"He's the guy that left me back in this time," I say as I daringly watch Mimic race away in a different direction. "We need to follow him."
"Why?" he asks.
"I--I don't know, but there's got to be a reason they let him out, right? It's probably something really bad, too. He's not a nice guy."
"I ah... think he's too fast," Jason admits, looking over in the direction Mimic had been. "I mean, I thought we were fast, but that guy just disappeared while we were talking."
I stare at him darkly. "This is totally your fault," I tell him.
"You're not a princess, you're a prima donna," he mutters as he looks at the base. "Let's leave, maybe we can find our way back to the campground. I bet your granddad is back by now, he can show us how to get to the Hall."
"But Mimic is out there--"
"And this isn't our time, right? It's already happened. If we change it, what happens to us in the future, huh? I don't want to risk it, so I vote we forget about it."
"But--"
"Look, princess, you've already messed up the past enough--one minute Ace was fighting with my dad, the next they're long time buddies and hanging out drinking beer and watching anime together," he says. "Not that I noticed it until I got dragged back here. Time traveling does some really weird stuff."
"They watch anime?" I ask blankly. "Like... cartoons?"
"Japanese cartoons--but that's not the point!"
"Cold Steel and Ace--" I'm sorry, but the image is stuck in my mind! It's boggling. "Your dad--the biggest super villain around--watches cartoons?"
"Well, yeah," he says. "Then he talks Ace into making some of the cooler robots in the--that's not the point! Ace changed because of your interference--what else is going to change? We didn't come back here in this time to mess with it, got it? This is for the people that actually belong in this time."
I hesitate, hating the fact that he's right. "But I don't like him," I admit, pouting. "He's mean."
"Is the one they released the same guy that did it to you?"
"No. Well, I mean he is, but I think he must be from this time, otherwise how would they have him chained up like that? Unless he IS and he was stupid enough to get caught--"
"You're saying we can't be sure--and unless we are absolutely positive that he's from our time, we can't do anything. How dangerous is that guy, anyway?"
I shiver, even though it's not that cold out. "He's really dangerous," I admit. "I'm not sure how I woke up from the coma he put me in--but Tatia said my eyes glowed when I did. I think it's only because my powers were starting to kick in that I did."
"He hit you or something?"
"No, he just touched me."
"Woah... yeah, that's creepy."
"We should at least tell Grandpa," I say as I look around for a clue on which direction to go. "Um... I think we came from that way," I say, pointing behind us.
He looks that way, he looks at me. "We came from that way," he says, pointing to the right of where I pointed. "Don't bother to ask if I'm sure, I know where I've been, just not where I'm going--not in this time."
'Oh. Fine, we'll try your way this time."
"So kind of you."
***
There's a scowl on Superior's face as they wait outside the Hall. Taurus Sr. went in five minutes before, leaving the two of them to lurk in the shadows, waiting for him to bring Mastermental out to talk to them. Nico gets the feeling that if it takes much longer, Superior will take off to find Mimic again. "Why are you still here, anyway?" Nico asks him as it occurs to him how strange it is.
"I can't be caught by Tatia again, if she finds out I'm still alive she might jump to all sorts of strange conclusions," Superior says, looking irritable. "She might think there's an entire army of fake Superiors somewhere and blow up a dozen or so warehouses looking for them."
Nico stares at him, the corners of his lips twitching before he bursts out laughing. "Seriously?" he asks. It's a terrible reaction, and his mental image of Summer is scolding him, but it's overthrown by the picture of Tatiana blowing up random warehouses.
"Shut it, Nicolas, you're going to draw attention to us."
"Right, I know, I know," he says, still snickering. "Oh, man, I just--that's beautiful," he admits, shaking his head and
fighting down his laughter. "She's that type, huh? How in the hell did you get a woman like that?" he asks his father. Superior's face shows that he's not entertained by the question.
"It's this way," they hear Taurus Sr. say. They both go silent, slinking back into the shadows without even looking at each other. "Look, I don't know what exactly to tell you--"
"You can come out, Superior," Mastermental says. Nico looks over at his father, a bit surprised, but Superior steps out of the shadows. For a second a hint of surprise crosses Double M's face as he looks at the larger male. "I take it time has been hard on you," he says.
"Something like that," Superior agrees. "We're looking for my son's granddaughter."
"Nicolas has a granddaughter? I just saw him a bit earlier, he's barely gotten all his teeth."
Nico steps forward. "Hello, Double M. Nice mullet," he adds, taking in the long hair on the man that looks exactly like the one he knows in his own time--save the clothes and haircut.
"It's not a mullet, those are short on top," Superior corrects him. "He's just got a girl's haircut."
"I'm... confused," Double M says, staring at Nico and completely ignoring Superior. "I admit it's been happening more often lately, and your hair is different-- but haven't you already claimed your granddaughter?"
Nico stares at him blankly. "What?" he finally asks.
***
The site where the Cape Cells is being built has been cleared, thanks to a machine that resembles the very weapon of mass destruction that got him stuck in it all those years ago. This time, though, he was smart enough to set up a cloaking device around the area, making norms think it's still the empty field that it's always been. Not that there are many norms in this area.
Technico--the oldest version--watches the machines spread over the area, breaking the dirt below them into cubes and moving it to the side before it can fall apart. Another machine is mixing the concrete using the resources at hand--most of it gathered from the local dump the day before. He checks his mental clock, readjusting it for the time zone and year they're in.
"Mimic's out," he says, readjusting the program of the machines doing the work. It's also about time the kids wake up, he adds mentally as he steps through the cloaking device. A bird flies away, shocked by his sudden appearance, but he ignores it, starting to run. Taking to the air is too dangerous when not a part of this time's Hall. He heads for the campground, looking around curiously.
"Noelle?" he asks after checking her tent. "Jason?"
They're nowhere to be seen. He lets out a curse and looks around to see if there's any sign of where they went. They only know a few places in this time, right? And that's only Noelle, who has no sense of direction whatsoever. If it had been Jason that was sent back in time, he figures, they would be fine--but it had to be his precious granddaughter. He had really hoped bringing Jason along for this “camping trip” would keep her busy enough not to do something stupid, like getting lost or involved with people of this time.
He groans, feeling a headache come on. He can't wait until she's come into her powers fully--then she'll have GPS. As it is, he's going to have to risk air travel. He just hopes Tatiana doesn't see him, he remembers all too clearly what happened when she found Superior. Building a fake of himself during a fight seems a bit too hard to handle--even for him.
***
"So... why did we stop here?" Jason asks as he looks around the tiny gas station blankly.
"I'm hungry--and I don't want beans and hotdogs," I tell him, staring at the brightly colored donuts on display. They look so good. I dig in my pocket, pulling out my debit card. Donuts!
"Are you a moron?" Jason asks, grabbing my hand.
"What? I want donuts!"
"They might not even HAVE debit cards in this time," he hisses. "And even if they do, they won't take yours! It's from the wrong system--aren't you a technopath? You should know these things better than I do!"
He's right, of course. I just didn't get enough sleep last night to think straight. I give him a dirty look, and then sigh. "Fine, let's go, people are starting to stare at you." Just as I say that the door bursts open and Sparky appears.
"Halt, in the--Noelle?" she says blankly.
"They called the capes on us?" Jason asks me. "Wow, that's pretty rude."
"They said an obvious super villain was here," Sparky says. "And you--look thirteen," she says a bit blankly. "You're already a super villain?"
"We were just looking at the donuts!" I say. "We didn't even touch the glass! This is so wrong I don't even know where to start!"
"I’m not thirteen, I’m fourteen!” Jason protests before turning to me. “Wait--she's Hall, right?"
"Well, yeah," I say. "Why?"
"We can have her show us the way to the Hall--I still really want that shower."
"Okay... but... can you loan us five bucks, Sparky? I'm STARVING."
***
"So... is it Mimic that has her?" Nico asks Superior, and then answers himself before the older man can. "It can't be--Mimic can only hold one person's ability at a time and the Mimic from this time has never met me. So... there are two of me in this time?"
"Why would there be?" Superior asks. They're following Taurus Sr. to the house for supers so they can take a shower and get something to eat. Nico wants to head back to his own time, but he can't until he finds out what really happened to Noelle. Superior... he looks over at his father with a slight scowl. He's almost positive that Superior is merely biding his time, waiting for Mimic to show up.
Something catches his eye, and he stops, stepping into the shadows and letting the other two walk on. He watches silently as a trio of people walk down the street. Noelle, Sparky, and a kid that looks a lot like Jack, he thinks. They're heading in the direction of the Hall.
At least he lost Super--he turns and looks at the man standing next to him. He hadn't even noticed Superior coming back, he thinks irritably. "That's the girl we're looking for, right?" Superior asks, "now's the easiest time to get her back."
"You would suggest... what, knocking Sparky out and grabbing the girl?" Nico asks darkly.
"We could distract her easily enough--we'll have the boy to deal with, but I doubt he's too much trouble."
"This is the woman you had a child with," Nico drawls, "and you're still suggesting she's that easily distracted."
"It's because I had a child with her that I know these things," Superior says dryly. "Why do you think I wasn't bothered by you running her off when you were fifteen?"
Nico just looks at him. "Fine," he says. "We can at least talk to Noelle and ask about the other me."
"And you expect me to distract her, is that it?" Superior asks.
"For the first time since we came, you're actually going to prove to be a benefit, Father," Nico says, clapping him on the shoulder twice before shoving him into the light. The hint of surprise on Superior's face is enough to make Nico fight back a laugh.
"Who are you?" Sparky demands while going on guard. Her hands come up in fists and her eyes start sparking in a dangerous manner.
"I'm--" Superior says, looking around for a second, "I think this might be an alternate universe," he says. "Are you Sparktastic?"
He's going to have to remember that line, Nico thinks, racing as fast as possible past the two and grabbing Noelle--the only problem is Jack's boy sees her disappear and grabs blindly, getting a hold of Nico's shirt. He's got one hell of a good grip, Nico thinks as he pulls to a stop a few blocks away. The boy drops to the ground, and then jumps up, his hands in fists for all of a second. "Technico?" he says blankly.
"This isn't Grandpa--this is Grandpa--um--I mean--Darn it, Grandpa, I was about to get a shower!" Noelle complains. "Do you have any clue how long I've gone without? Because I don't, and it scares me."
"You can answer some questions first," Nico says, wondering why he feels the strange urge to hug her. Well, she is his granddaughter, after all. "You look a lot like Zoe in the face," he says, distracted. "I gues
s the curls and the outfit threw me off. Anyway, is the guy that took you from the Hall really me?"
"I am," someone says from behind them. Nico turns, looking at himself blankly. Longer hair, sure, but everything else looks the same, save for their clothes. Future Technico is wearing a dark blue super uniform that’s somewhat like the one he has back home. "I'd shake your hand but I'm not sure touching is a smart idea, considering."
"Granted," Nico says. "Look, this is downright cliche, so I think we should cut it as short as possible. What are you here for?"
"Personal reasons," Technico says. "I'm here to build the Cape Cells and find out what sort of destruction these two can do before I put inhibitors on them for school."
"Makes sense," Nico says.
"Nico--don't let Superior out of your sight," Technico says. "It's for his sake as much as yours."
"Does something happen while we're in this time?" Nico asks. "He kills Mimic, doesn't he?" Then he stops, realizing, "No, that's not possible--Morgan's still alive in my time."
"Do you know where he is now?"
"He's convincing Sparky he's from an alternate dimension."
"Go make sure of that fact," Technico says. "Come on, kids--"
"We're going with this one," Noelle says, grabbing Nico's hand, “and getting our showers and checking in on Tatia!" she declares. "Let's go, Jason, Grandpa Nico."
"Be back to the campsite in an hour," Technico says, giving in easily. "We're going to start your training."
Nico looks at the Technico from the future, wondering if everyone finds him as irritating as he finds the guy in front of him. "What happens while we're in this time?" he demands.
"You mean what happened. It won't happen this time around, not if I have a say in it." Then he's gone, leaving Nico standing there with two kids. Nico looks at Noelle, and then studies Jason curiously before getting out his cell. He scans the boy with a curious expression, looking at the readout.
