Rise and Shine

by R. J. Ross

  Rise and Shine

  by

  R. J. Ross

  Rise and Shine

  Amazon Edition

  Published by Book Candy Publishing

  Copyright © 2018 by R. J. Ross

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover design by Leslie Zielinski

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ~Other works by R.J. Ross~

  The Winstead Files Series

  Courting the Beast * Snow White, Snow White

  Seasons of the Fae Series

  Raven's Return * Death of a Dryad * Water Wielder

  Cape High Series

  Super Villain Dad * America's Grandson * Hello Kitty * Don't Know Jack * Daddy's Girl * Aces Wild * Steampunk Time * Fire Hazard * Ditto Ditto * Sunny Daze * Life Light * Guitar Hero * Super Girls * Shadow Boy * Super Villain Grandpa * Mic Drop * Coyote’s Howl * Rocky Road * Rainbow Rush * Rise and Shine

  Cape High Side Stories

  Cape High Christmas: A Side Story

  Cape High Villainy: A Side Story

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER ONE

  *The Panterus Large Cat Sanctuary*

  “The wedding is next week, right?” Adanna says as we lounge on the bench out back. Cubby and Robo are playing a game of tag, and I move slightly as I feel a hand on my shoulder, watching as Cubby jumps over me.

  “Yeah, on Wednesday,” I say, not even blinking as Robo follows suit.

  “I was thinking of going present shopping. My parents are getting something, sure, but I’d like to give them something, as well,” she says. “I would like you to go with me to pick it out, except we’d have to have someone drive us, or I guess we could run, but we’d be stuck carrying the gift…”

  “I…” I frown, because we both know what she’s not saying. “I’m working on it.”

  “You’ve been talking about it for months, right? Your dad said he was going to teach you, soon.”

  “Well… Dad’s been busy, and Mom’s been setting up her new plant nursery AND planning the wedding, as well, so… it’s sort of hard to find the time to ask…”

  “What’s the problem, kids?” Adanna’s mom asks with a smile as she comes out with a platter of cookies. “Boys! Time for a snack!”

  “Sunny’s putting off learning to drive,” Adanna tells her, grabbing one of the cookies. “He’s not the only one, though. We’ve got a handful of people old enough to drive, but can’t, at school.”

  “You do, do you?” Amara says, looking intrigued. “Oh my goodness, I would LOVE to! I should have enough time to fit in a driving class once or twice a week!”

  “Wait, what?” I say.

  “I’m going to call the school, Sunny, can you two watch the boys?” she says before running off to the house.

  “What just happened?” I ask Adanna, still confused.

  “You just got enrolled into driving class,” she says, now holding the plate of cookies and eating a second one. I take one of the cookies just before the boys grab as many as their hands can hold, grinning at us.

  “I love cookies!” Robo says.

  “Should he be eating that?” I ask as the two race away. “He’s a robot, right?”

  “He’ll be fine,” she says, waving it off. “His system is built to break down anything he eats. And he’s not a robot, he’s an A.I. There’s a difference.”

  “What’s the difference?” I ask. Oh, sure, my dad and sister built him, but I’ve got no clue how he works.

  “A robot wouldn’t put shaving cream on my hand while I’m sleeping,” she says, rolling her eyes. “It’s double trouble all the time, now. He’s exactly like a regular five-year-old… well, no, he’s exactly like a super five-year-old,” she says. “Kim’s dad did an amazing job on his skin and hair. He even feels like one, now. People keep asking Mom if they’re twins whenever she takes them shopping.”

  “Yeah, I caught a glimpse of the pets, too,” I admit. “They look like real animals, even move like them. I sort of wanted one, myself.”

  “Your dad could make you one?” she asks.

  “Well, I’m still grieving over my last pet.”

  “What last pet?” she stops and stares at me. “PLEASE tell me you’re not talking about the exploding mutant guinea pig.”

  “It was a heartbreaking time, okay!” I say as she starts to laugh. “I’d like to have a pet, but… well, I’m not sure I want one that’s smarter than I am.” She starts laughing even harder, so I give up and take her cookie.

  All of a sudden Cubby jerks, looking up excitedly. “It’s on!” he says, running past me for the house.

  “It’s on! It’s on!” Robo says, chasing after him. I look at Adanna, who groans and gets to her feet.

  “Come on, we’re watching them, remember?”

  “Petleaves! Everybody loves Petleaves!” plays from the wall as we walk into their front room. It’s some sort of commercial, I guess? I walk over, looking at the wall-sized television, wondering what’s so fascinating. On the screen are a group of kids about Cubby’s age, surrounding a very strange looking plant…

  “’Danna, Sunny, it’s on!” Cubby says, pointing at it.

  “I know, Cubby, but remember, Papa said no. The only creatures we buy off the Dark Shopping Network are the ones that need to be in our sanctuary, remember?”

  I feel a chill run down my spine, barely hearing the two as I stare at the screen. The plant on the commercial… it’s moving just like an animal.

  ***

  *The Cape Cells*

  “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?” Nico asks, appearing on the wall of Herold’s cell.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Herold says, turning the page of his book without even looking up. “If it’s about how often my mother calls, well, I was hoping you would notice it earlier. I think that qualifies as a form of cruel and unusual punishment.”

  “Ah, yeah, that is,” Nico says shamelessly, “but I was talking about the cat. You’ve been having a lot of fun with that, haven’t you?”

  “That is hardly my fault,” Herold says, closing the book. “You gave me an extremely powerful toy, Technico, and regardless of whether I have my powers or not, I still retain most of my memories of operating systems.” The “toy” that they’re discussing jumps into Herold’s lap, purring loudly as he sits there. Herold reaches up, scratching him behind the ear. “Besides, I’ve found out something very interesting thanks to Micro, here. Something I think you might want to know.”

  “What?” Nico asks.

  “Oh, do you really think I’ll tell you that easily?”

  Nico looks at him, and then all of the feeds that Micro sent Herold start running on the wall, in several different screens, i
n fast forward. Several of them show air ducts far too small for a human to go through. Others show the various villains being recorded without their knowing. Many of them are of Atlanti, baby-talking her octopus A.I. “Other than the crush on our local octopus, I don’t see anything too interesting,” Nico says.

  “It’s hardly a crush,” Herold says, “she’s raving mad. But that doesn’t make her less appealing to look at.”

  “Granted,” Nico says. “But I don’t know what you think you can blackmail me with.”

  “If you can’t find it, then why should I tell you?” Herold asks, smugly. “Also, I noticed that those little vents are set up with some sort of chemical release. Would that affect my cat?”

  “It depends on what chemical I send in,” Nico says. “Of course, knowing your little trick, I’m going to have to work on that, aren’t I?”

  “How long have you known?” Herold asks.

  “You used my own system to check his memories, Herold. No, I’ll be even more succinct. Your little Micro IS my system, and we both know it. I just thought I might ask what was going on when you started paying more attention to the new guy than you did Atlanti. What’s so fascinating about him?”

  “You have a way to reverse my power loss, don’t you.”

  “Too high of stakes for something I can find out on my own,” Nico says. “Continued access to the vents and Micro’s vision in exchange for any interesting information you stumble upon.”

  Herold looks thoughtful for a moment. “I have no way of accessing Atlanti’s sleeping quarters.”

  “Or her bathing quarters. No, you don’t,” Nico says. “I preprogrammed all of the A.I. for protection of privacy. Seeing her baby-talking her octopus is something the guards have access to, as well, and even you could see just by opening the commlink. She leaves it on.”

  “Why?”

  “Ask her, sometime,” Nico says. “I think she enjoys being the idol of the Cape Cells.”

  “It figures,” Herold scoffs. “Not hard to do, considering she’s the only female in the place. Now tell me, what can I offer to get my powers returned?”

  “You tried to take over the country, Herold, you blew up quite a lot of public property, and several people would be dead right now if it weren’t for our healers. Don’t expect your powers back any time soon.”

  “Well, it was worth considering,” Herold says.

  “So… you want to tell me something?”

  “The new guy,” Herold says, “he’s constantly talking to someone. At first I thought he was merely insane, which is no big deal in this place, but I don’t think that’s it. What is he, anyway? You put him in some sort of old-fashioned diving suit, so we can’t even see him.”

  “He’s a miniature planet,” Nico says. “But… that is interesting. I’ll look into it.”

  “Will you have time? I’ve been told repeatedly that your wedding is rapidly approaching.”

  “And since you know so much, you must be aware of just how little say I get in that,” Nico says. “But I can have the guards look into it.”

  “You won’t tell them that I’m spying on them, will you?” Herold says.

  “For now,” Nico says. “Everywhere you have access to is being observed by people, anyway. Although that makes me wonder…”

  “Why haven’t the guards mentioned his talking to himself?” Herold finishes. “It’s an interesting question.”

  “He’s not the most stable of guys, they might think he’s insane, like you did,” Nico says, before he stops, glancing over his shoulder.

  “Hey, Pop? Is Mom home?” a teenage voice asks in the background.

  “She’s working on the apartment for your grandparents and Marie,” Nico tells the teen before turning back to the screen. “Ah, that’s another thing I should warn you about, Herold.”

  “What? What apartment?”

  “For the next few days, or so, well, our parents will be in town.” Nico hangs up before the cry of despair can even leave Herold’s lips.

  “Why,” he says, “WHY did this have to be after they set up a family visiting hour?”

  ***

  *The Apartments*

  “I need to talk to her… but if she’s busy…” I say. I ran all the way here. I’d like to mention that Adanna and I both know that we don’t NEED to drive somewhere to go shopping, but she wants me to learn how to drive. I don’t really blame her, I mean, I know as well as she does that when we graduate we’ll need to act as norms. When you’re a super, that means knowing how to drive anything that can be driven. She already knows how to. I think she learned when she was six or seven.

  “What’s the problem?”

  “Were you just talking to someone?”

  “Yeah, but it’s nothing important.”

  “Okay… well, there was this commercial on TV over at Adanna’s. Can you bring it up?” I ask, dropping down on the couch next to him and staring expectantly at the wall.

  “There are thousands of commercials playing at any one time, Sunny,” Dad points out after a long second. “Can you give me a better description?”

  “Oh, sorry,” I say, feeling really stupid right now. “I know it’s on the ‘Dark Shopping Network’ and that it’s about a plant… I think they called it a ‘Petleaf’ or something. Pop, it wasn’t… well, it was natural, but it WASN’T right. It was moving like an animal. They were selling them to kids Cubby’s age. How many kids Cubby’s age are on the Dark Shopping Network, anyway?”

  “The plants around here all move a lot,” Dad points out, but the screen starts flickering before several different windows appear with commercials playing. I watch them closely before pointing at one. “And even illegal shoppers have children,” Dad adds. “Or they have the means to get them legalized and want to invest.”

  “That one,” I say, pointing. “And the plants around here are just reacting to Mom and me. This is different. Pop… can you get me one? Not as a pet. I need to see it up close.”

  His eyes are glued to the screen, a twitch developing in his jaw. Next to the commercial another window appears, bringing up information. He looks like he’s going to do something drastic. “I see,” he says, instead.

  “If it didn’t creep me out so much, I’d want one,” I admit. “I mean, can you imagine what I could do with a plant animal? But… that’s just… not right. We need to show Mom.”

  “I would agree… but she’s already stressed out, as it is,” Dad admits, relaxing slightly. “Let me look into it a bit more. This says they haven’t sold any, yet. They’re trying to build up the hype before the big release day.”

  “Pop…” I say, frowning.

  “What?”

  “Are you really going to let Amara teach driver’s ed?”

  “She wants to?” he asks, distracted. “She’s a great choice for it. She has several different licenses. Plus, while your sister picked up on driving easily, you… well…” he looks at me while he tries to put it nicely.

  “I’m not a technopath,” I say, dryly.

  “You’re a super. You should have more than enough ability to drive a car, Sunny. You just… tend to get a bit distracted.”

  “Can’t drive, can’t fly,” I list, feeling more and more depressed as I go. “Some Superior I am.”

  He looks at me for a moment, a hint of a smile on his lips. “I felt about the same way when I was your age. Don’t worry, the old man isn’t someone you want to emulate, anyway.” He reaches out, messing up my hair.

  “That’s not what I was talking about!” I complain as he gets to his feet. “Zoe’s flying already, and she’s setting up schools, and she’s one of the leaders at the school, and I… I’m not.”

  “You’re almost old enough to send over to the jungles with a teleportation watch,” Dad says. “How about this, after we get through the wedding, the honeymoon, and you learn to fly, I’ll send you out with Pan, if he’s willing. He can train you in everything you’ll need to know when you’re out in the field.”
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  “Can Adanna come, too?” I ask.

  “Sure,” he says. “You two both plan on doing that sort of work, anyway, and since her dad will be there, he won’t be ‘sending his baby girl off with her boyfriend.’”

  “Yeah!” I say, excited. “Oh… but… what if I never learn to fly?”

  “Oh, you’ll learn to fly. But, honestly, flying is overrated,” Dad says. “Some of the most interesting capes we know don’t fly. Plus, those that travel through parallel dimensions don’t have to worry about running into bugs.”

  “Bugs,” I repeat.

  “It’s really bad when they splatter.”

  “That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve heard… in the past week,” I say.

  “Not as bad as the exploding guinea pig.”

  “I’m never going to live that down, am I?” I say. “Hey… those pet plant things, who made them?” I have no doubt he knows.

  “It’s a brand new underground company,” Dad says, “and whoever set it up went to great lengths to make sure no one knows who’s funding them.”

  “So who IS funding them?” I ask.

  “That’s what I’ll be looking into,” he says. “Commercials on the Dark Shopping Network aren’t cheap.”

  “Unless you’re a technopath,” I say.

  “Yeah, unless you’re a technopath, then again, I’m still getting my paycheck docked for the last time I hijacked the television signals. So…” He looks at the wall as it lights up with an image of Grandpa, Grandma, and Marie, “Time to go deal with the parents.” He pauses, looking at me for all of a moment before pushing me out of the apartment in front of him.

  “Hey, wait—” I start out.

  “Look cute, kid, and be a good distraction,” he says once we get to the stairs. I yelp as he tosses me over the railing, but I’m easily caught by my grandmother.

  “Hey, Grandma!” I say, grinning at her, “Nice to see you.” Especially since, you know, she might have just saved my life. Well, not really. Pretty sure I wouldn’t have any problem with a fall from that height, but still, tossing your kid at your parents has got to be illegal, or something, right? Where’s Child Protective Service when you need them?