Zana scowled at him, but Niko just chuckled. He like pushing her buttons. It was so easy. She was far too sensitive. Too serious.
“Have you ever wondered why I take care of him? Why I sympathize with him?”
Niko turned to the side, admiring his armor from a different angle. “I've never had time to waste on things like that.”
Zana stepped between Niko and his mirror, forcing him to look her in the eyes as she spoke. “Because the second-born son means just as much to the empire as the first-born daughter. Absolutely nothing. You will be imperator. We will be forgotten in the history books.” She looked away, as if she were truly pained by the thought of her words. “And because of that, sometimes I think Yuri and I mean just as little to our mother and father.”
Her words hurt Niko. Their mother and father were everything to him and he could never understand Zana's spite. Perhaps if she weren't so defiant, they might show more affection to her as well.
“You're a guardian, Zana. Perhaps you should be more concerned with what's happening in the empire instead of how much our mother and father hug you. Did you even know that the Oshiros want to take Aunt Sasha back to Neo-Nippon? Imperator Padamir wants to allow it, but Father doesn't agree.”
Zana looked shocked. “No one told me about this.”
Niko couldn't help letting a tiny smile slip across his lips. “Father mentioned it to me over breakfast. A meal you didn't attend.”
“I wasn't invited!” She shook her head, like she was angered by the distraction. “But that's not even the point, Niko. I'm the Guardian of the East. I should be told if there's trouble with the Oshiros. I'm the one who will have to deal with the aftermath of whatever decision they make.”
Niko chuckled. “Come on, Zana. This is diplomacy, not war. I'm sure you and your army can continue to lay around and twiddle your thumbs.”
“That's quite a condescending tone coming from the Guardian of the North. Planning on waging a war against Domina Winter's glacier? I'm sure the snowball fight will be legendary.”
Niko's nose scrunched up with his annoyance. “You never know, Zana. She didn't attend our great-grandfather's funeral, or the coronation of the imperator. Those are both pretty insulting statements to make. And her domain grows with every passing day.”
Zana rolled her eyes. “No one has seen Domina Winter for twenty years. And the growth of her domain is measured in centimeters. I don't think we need to worry about her.”
“And yet you think the Oshiros, our oldest allies, might be of concern?”
“Have you been paying attention at all? Have you heard how Dominus Takahiro talks to our grandmother? She may be well-versed in taking verbal abuse, but everyone has a breaking point.”
Niko frowned. “Our grandmother isn't the imperator. As long as Dominus Takahiror treats Padamir with the respect that he deserves-”
Zana cut him off with a sharp, “Ha!”
“What's so funny?”
“Oh, little brother. I can't believe they want to put you on that throne instead of me. You have so much to learn about how this empire works.”
There was something about speaking with his older sister that always made Niko feel small, like he was still a child. He wanted to whine and stomp his feet and tell his mother how mean she was being. He let his emotions speak for him without any filter, like he did when he was young.
“I'll make a great imperator. Better than you.”
“Yes, yes. And everyone agrees with you. Except they don't think you're more qualified or more experienced or smarter or really better than me in any way. You just have the right equipment between your legs, so you get the crown.”
“You know what? I'm sick of you blaming your womanhood for the lack of respect you get. Mother handed you everything a normal little girl would want. You were her princess. Flowing gowns and rich desserts and enough shiny jewels and baubles to blind the sun. But you weren't satisfied with that, were you? No. You wanted to be a Guardian. You wanted to command an army. And I think the only reason you wanted that, was because someone told you that you couldn't. But whatever, they gave it to you.”
“I earned it.”
“That's debatable, but either way, the fact that you aren't very good at it, maybe that has something to do with the fact that you are a girl. Armies don't respect them. Domini don't fear them. I'm sorry, Zana, but girls don't make good leaders.”
Zana clenched both fists, took a deep breath in through her nose, and then let her hands fall open as she exhaled. “Sure, dear brother, whatever you need to tell yourself to feel more equipped for the job. But let me remind you, I can do a lot more damage with this,” she held up her fist, “ then you can with that,” and she pointed at his crotch. “Now excuse me while I go try to find the other insignificant member of our family, because apparently I'm the only one who cares.”
She flung open his bedroom door, stomping out of the room before lifting off the ground and flying down the hallway.
Niko let out an annoyed sigh. He didn't hate his sister. He loved her. Even when she was being difficult. And he knew he hurt her feelings, no matter how stupid. He lifted off the ground and rocketed down the hallway to catch up to her.
“I don't need your help,” she said as he flew up next to her. “Go do something important with the rest of the men.”
“Zana, don't be like that. I want to help. I've seen Yuri sneak off into the towers before. The balconies up there would be an easy way to get out of the citadel without anyone noticing.”
Zana slowed her flight until she was hovering in mid-air. She considered what Niko said, letting the worry show on her face.
“He better not have left. I don't care if he's invincible. He's only nine years old. With gold skin that's pretty unmistakable. If anyone recognized him-”
“They'd all bow down to him.”
“Maybe,” she said, pushing off toward the spiral staircase that led up the eastern tower, “but we need to find him.”
Niko followed, ascending to the top of the tower, with its spiraled cone ceiling that looked like a twisted jewel. The two siblings dashed out of the window, into the open sky, scanning the clouds for any sign of their little brother. They saw nothing but the empty atmosphere stretching around the globe.
“What are you two looking for?” a voice asked from behind them.
When Niko turned around, he saw Yuri perched on the top of the tower, still wearing his pajamas. The roof was covered in bird entrails, mixed with feathers that broke free in the wind from the grisly paste that kept them stuck there.
“Yuri? What are you doing up here?” Zana asked, rushing to his side.
He shrugged his shoulders and smiled innocently as he said, “I'm squishing things.”
She grabbed a hold of his wrists and turned his hands over so she could inspect his palms. They were covered in blood.
“That's disgusting, Yuri! Why would you do that?” she asked, backing away from him.
Yuri looked up into the air above him, squinting his eyes as he searched for something. “The birds woke me up. They wake me up every morning. All they do is sing and screech and be annoying. I kept telling them to stop, but they kept on doing it. Like I wasn't more powerful than them. But I am, Zana. I'm stronger than them. That means they have to listen to me. So I showed them how strong I am.” He picked up one of the dead birds and held it by its floppy neck. “They stopped singing.”
Zana flashed a look at Niko, who couldn't hide the horror from his face.
“Zana. You have to... He can't...”
“I'll deal with it,” she said, waving him off.
“Zana-”
“I know!” she shouted at Niko, then hoisted Yuri up by his arms. “Come on. We need to get you cleaned up and ready for lunch. You must be starving. You missed breakfast.”
“I ate breakfast,” Yuri said as he smiled wide, baring all his teeth, some of them still stained with blood.
30
ANDRE
&nb
sp; The distinct smell of body odor and stale marijuana filled Victor's apartment. The fact that four people were crammed into the tiny room only made it worse. Carmen, Mickey, and Victor were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the futon, flipping through channels on the TV, while Andre paced across the five foot wide kitchen.
“Where is he?” Andre strained the words through clenched teeth.
“Wesley will be here,” Carmen said, her words floating somewhere between comforting and annoying.
“He was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago. This completely messes up our timetable.”
“Timetable? Do we really got one o' them?” Victor said with a snort. “Or are you just tryin' to sound all mastermind-y?”
Andre stopped and glared at Victor. “What I'm trying to do is be responsible and stick to the plan. The guy that hired us gave us a specific time that we were supposed to pull this off. His notes were very insistent. If you don't want to follow orders, then you can just-”
“Alright. Alright. Don't get yer panties twisted, mate. I'll follow along like a good lil' lackey.”
Carmen got up from the futon and stepped closer to Andre, placing her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Her touch sent a shock wave through his system that he wasn't prepared for, causing his body to tingle in a way that was both pleasant and uncomfortable.
“You have to stay calm or we're all going to be on edge,” she said just to him. “If you want to be the leader, you can't act like everything is going to fall apart. Confidence. That's what we need from you.”
He always found it so annoying when she thought she knew better than him, even if she was right. She was always talking to him as if she was an adult and he was a child, like she had some kind of magical worldly experience, even though her mom barely let her leave the house. He wasn't going to stand for it on that night. That night was the culmination of everything he was working for, and he wasn't going to let her steal the spotlight.
He clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention and said, “Let's go to his aunt's place. We'll drag him outta bed if we have to.”
“She'll be p-p-pissed if we show up this late,” Mickey said, wringing his hands together.
“I'm not worried about her,” Andre said. “There are bigger things at stake.”
“I don't know, mate. Wesley's aunt is pretty big.” Victor puffed up his cheeks and curled his arms around his stomach, imitating a fat belly before curling over in laughter.
Andre stomped over in front of him and snapped his fingers in front of Victor to get his attention.
“Vic, I need you to take this shit seriously, man. We can laugh about whatever you want when we're done. But for the next few hours? I need you on point. Looking at the future. You're my alarm, man. You're my warning signal. Understand?”
Victor caught his breath and smiled, nodding his head. “I'm straight as an arrow, mate. You can count on me.”
“Okay,” Andre said, turning his attention back to the other two. “Then let's do this.”
They made their way downstairs to the cargo truck parked in the alleyway. Mickey crawled into the back of the truck and grabbed onto one of the safety straps to keep himself upright.
“Just watch the c-c-corners,” he said as they rolled the door shut.
Carmen got into the driver's seat, while Andre and Victor slid in next to her on the bench seat.
“Drive casual,” Andre said. “Don't draw any attention.”
Carmen rolled her eyes. “Oh? I figured we could get this thing in a few street races on our way to commit a crime.”
Victor laughed.
Andre let out a heavy sigh. “Just drive.”
Carmen flashed them both a smile. “Aye, aye, captain.”
The truck's tires spun a bit on the snow-covered alleyway before pulling out onto the plowed street. Carmen wrenched on the large steering wheel to make the tight corner onto the one-way street, and headed toward the river that ran alongside where Wesley's aunt lived. Wesley's aunt had taken him in after his parents died, but only for the increase in her welfare check.
When Andre was young, he was embarrassed that he didn't know his dad. Everyone on TV had two parents, and every son had a father to tell them how proud he was. But once he met Carmen and Mickey and Wesley, it became clear to him that he wasn't in the minority. In the apartment building he grew up in, Lucy Grae's dad was the only adult man that lived there. Andre used to wonder if there was an island somewhere full of deadbeat dads. Where did they all run off to? Where were they all hiding? But as Andre grew older, he found out that the city was big and full of shadows, dark enough for the rats to sneak around, unnoticed.
When they pulled up to the house, Andre tapped his finger against the clock on the radio. “We're still good. We still have time. Turn off the headlights, but keep the truck running. Victor and I will go get him.”
Carmen nodded. “Be nice.”
Andre flashed his teeth at her and said, “Always.”
Victor and Andre ran up the stairs of the building, reaching the fifth floor as Victor wheezed and leaned against the wall.
“Not all of us got super lungs,” he said between gasps of breath. “Give me a second.”
“Don't got a second, man,” Andre said as he rushed to Wesley's door and wrapped his knuckles against it.
He waited a few seconds before doing it again, this time louder. He heard the floor creaking as someone walked up to the door, presumably peeking through the peephole. He smiled and waved. The chain slid off the door, and Wesley's aunt opened it. She looked down the hall toward Victor, then glanced down the other end.
“Hello, Ms. Lockhart. I'm sorry to disturb you so late, but we were looking for Wesley. It's kinda important.”
The older woman scratched her head and said, “He ain't with you?”
“He was supposed to be.”
“I ain't seen him since sometime yesterday. That lazy son-of-a-bitch just showed up, packed a bag full of clothes, and said he was gonna be gone for a while.”
Andre glanced at Victor, but Victor just replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
“Did he say where he was going?”
Wesley's aunt let out a chuckle and said, “Maybe. I don't know. I was just happy to have the place to myself. That kid walks around here like an elephant. Stomping his feet all the time. How's an old lady supposed to get any sleep living with an elephant? Tell me that. And he barely pays me any rent, yet he eats all my food and he takes these showers that go on and on. How am I supposed to pay for that much water? And now he's going on vacation? Vacation from what? Is lying around on the couch too much for him? Bah. Good riddance.”
“Yeah, I'm sure he's missing you too.”
Wesley's aunt frowned and wagged her finger at Andre. “Don't get smart with me.”
“Wouldn't dream of it, ma'am. You have yourself a good night.”
As Andre walked away, she yelled after him, “You tell that boy he better have a handful of money if he wants to move back in here. I ain't running no homeless shelter,” then slammed the door.
Victor shook his head. “Lovely bird.”
“Yeah, man,” Andre said, raising his eyebrows high on his head. “She's always been a real treat to deal with.”
“I mean, I understand why yer mom treats ya like dirt, but-”
“What the hell, man?”
Victor turned his hands up and said, “You ain't exactly been keepin' yer nose clean, mate. If I had a son like you, I woulda knocked yer block off a long time ago.”
“I guess I'll count my blessings that you aren't my father then.”
“I'm just sayin', Wesley's been the best kid outta all us. Got good grades. Always held down one o' them 'real jobs.' Ain't got no record. He's been on the up and up his whole life.”
“Yeah,” Andre agreed as he made his way down the stairs. “I used to think he was a pussy when we were kids, too afraid to get into trouble. But now I think maybe he was the brave one. The life we lived?
The neighborhood we grew up in? Being a no-good, nickle-and-dime criminal was the easy way to get through your day. Wesley took the hard road, man.”
“Whatta hero,” Victor said with a snide tone.
“Naw, man, but he's a good kid,” Andre said.
“Is that why the wanker went missin' when you really needed him?”
Andre didn't answer.
“Where do you think he ran off to?”
Andre laughed, only because he couldn't contemplate the truth. “Maybe he got some girl pregnant and took off to wherever all our dads went.”
“My pops didn't run off.”
“Getting burned to death by heat vision in a botched liquor store robbery while your mom was giving birth to you isn't exactly a rousing endorsement of his candidacy for father of the year.”
“Family needed money. Old man was just tryin' to provide.”
“Aren't we all,” Andre said as he swung open the door to step back into the cold night air, but before he could, Victor grabbed him by the arm.
“Hang on a second.”
“What is it?” Andre said, annoyed by yet another delay. “We don't have time for-”
Victor glanced over his shoulder and said, “I wanted to let ya know I brought along a lil' somethin' somethin' to protect us with.”
He lifted up the front of his shirt and revealed a revolver stuffed down the front of his pants.
“What the hell, man? Where did you get that?”
Victor shrugged and wiped his thumb across his nose. “I got people.”
“Those things are beyond illegal. If you get caught with that-”
“Listen, mate, if we get caught at all tonight, we're goin' to jail. I might as well bring along as much artillery as possible so that don't happen.”
Andre tapped his finger against Victor's chest. “Man, what if you accidentally shoot one of us while you're trying to play cowboy?”
“I ain't got no super strength. I ain't got no heat powers. You want me to come along, I'm bringin' my own kinda power,” Victor said as he shoved past Andre and walked toward the truck.
The Super Power Saga (Book 1): Super Powers of Mass Destruction Page 25
