Just Cause: Revised & Expanded Edition

by Ian Thomas Healy

  Sally opened the file and zoomed in on the first picture. “Sondra, meet Junior. Junior, Sondra.”

  Sondra raised her spoon in greeting. “It’s a pleasure.”

  Sally continued skimming down the first page of the report. “Junior’s real name is Heinrich Kaiser. He’s the son of a German national and possible Nazi war criminal who immigrated to Guatemala sometime after World War II.”

  “That’s him all right.” Sondra looked at the picture with her odd, bird-like eyes. “And why’s he involved with Washington?”

  “His specialties include construction, power infrastructure, imports, and buying off local government.”

  “I imagine that’s not so tough in Guatemala,” said Sondra. “Okay, so he’s a local celebrity with his fingers in the kind of pies Destroyer likes. That’s a good starting point. He can bring stuff into the country without nosy customs inspectors and provide Washington with a suitable power base for his work. The question is, what is Washington doing for him?”

  “Paying him?” asked Sally.

  Sondra shook her head. “Look at the money this guy is making through his legitimate business.” She pointed to some figures on the screen. “He’s not lacking in funds. Shoot, he might be the wealthiest man in the country, maybe all of Central America. You don’t just pay someone like that. You give him something he wants.”

  “He’s rich and powerful. What does he want that he can’t get himself?”

  “More power. His own battlesuit. I don’t know. Harlan Washington is a very intelligent and resourceful man. Who knows what he’s put on the table?”

  “I’d like to know.”

  “So would I.” Sondra fluttered her wings and a few pinfeathers dropped onto the table. “Hey, is that supposed to be Kaiser Senior?” Sally looked up. They were on the page that showed Kaiser’s father. Sondra didn’t seem to have trouble reading the small print on the screen even though she stood well back.

  “Yes.”

  “Sally, that’s the same man. I’m sure of it.”

  Sally looked. They had similar facial features but the hair was all different. Oh, thought Sally as she looked down at her own hair trimmings on Sondra’s coffee table. Haircuts change. But still, she couldn’t tell from the quality of the old photo of the father, and she asked Sondra about it.

  “I’m looking at ratios,” said Sondra. “The size and placement of the eyes in relation to the rest of the face. The angle and width of the nose. The way the lips press together. I’m telling you, this is the same guy.”

  “But this picture is from…” Sally consulted the file. “1950. And he doesn’t look a day older. That’s more than fifty years. That means…”

  “He’s got to be a parahuman,” said Sondra. “This just got a whole lot more interesting.”

  Sally smacked her forehead. “My grandma and granddad dealt with a German parahuman after the war. Grandpa wrote about it in his book. I remember.” She turned to look at Sondra. “I wonder if this is the same guy.”

  Sondra raised an eyebrow. “How are your grandparents these days?”

  “My grandpa died when I was just a baby, but Grandma Judy is just fine.”

  “Overdue for a visit from her favorite grand-daughter?”

  “Yeah, I haven’t been to see her since I went to the Lucky Seven last summer.”

  “Then we should go talk to her.” Sondra ate another spoonful of ice cream.

  “We can do that? I was hoping to maybe go home to visit my mom sometime soon.”

  “Yes, we can. That’s the great thing about being part of a government law enforcement agency. We can go anywhere as long as it’s for an active investigation. We just have to clear it with Juice.”

  “It’d be nice to go home,” said Sally, full of wistful thoughts of the warm winter temperatures in Phoenix.

  “Then it’s settled. We’re going. Pack your bag.” Sondra grinned. “It’s been too long since I felt warm sunshine on my wings.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I have the greatest respect for my grandfather and the American parahumans he recruited, for without their tireless efforts against the Axis powers, the world might have been a very different place for me to raise my own children.”

  -Dr. Grace Devereaux, appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Feb. 21, 2002

  January, 2004

  Denver, Colorado

  “I’ll only be gone a couple of days.” Sally punctuated her promise with a kiss. She perched in Jason’s lap in the lounge as they pretended to watch a bad science fiction movie on the big screen. “You know, visit my mom and my grandma, do a little shopping, warm up my toes.” She wiggled them for emphasis, wrapped up in two pairs of thick socks. “It’s not supposed to be this cold where people live.”

  Jason curled a hand around one of her feet. “Like five little ice cubes,” he said. His hand was pleasant and warm, like the rest of him, so Sally jammed her other foot in between his thigh and the chair.

  “You know what they say about cold feet?”

  “That you need electric socks?” asked Jason.

  “No, silly. Cold feet, warm heart.”

  “I thought that was hands.”

  “Cold feet, warm hands?”

  “No… You’re making fun of me.”

  “And they said you were only good at picking up heavy things.”

  “Who said that?”

  “They.”

  “Ah. Them.”

  “Them too.”

  Jason covered her mouth with his. She opened up to him, reveled in his attentions. Gradually, she became aware of someone else in the room with them and she turned to see Sondra staring at the wall with feigned interest.

  “I’ve got to go,” said Sally.

  “I know,” said Jason. “I’ll miss you.”

  “I know.” She winked him. “Call me after your gig tonight.”

  “It’ll be late. Probably after one.”

  “I don’t mind.” She kissed him on his nose and climbed out of his lap.

  “Ready to go?” asked Sondra.

  Sally nodded. “Let me just grab my bag. I won’t be a moment.” She’d packed upon waking that morning so that chore would be out of the way.

  Juice waited in the hangar to see them off. Just Cause had a small civilian jet at its disposal, and Ace’s backup pilot would fly them to Phoenix aboard it. “Have a good trip,” said Juice. “Give my regards to your mother, Sally, and invite her to come visit us up here. It’s been far too long since we’ve gotten together.”

  “I will, Juice. Thanks for letting me go.”

  He smiled. “I’m pleased that you’ve taken such an interest in this case. I hope you find out some useful information. Make sure you share anything you learn with us.”

  “Will do.”

  Sally and Sondra boarded the jet. It was well-appointed and comfortable inside, with plenty of room for Sondra to stretch out her wings instead of having to fold and sit on them like she had to do most times. Sally had a hard time sitting still in her seat and buckling up for takeoff. She was excited to return home. She wanted to show her mom the new costume, tell her about the Antimatter Woman in Wyoming, and… Well, she wasn’t quite sure she was ready to discuss Jason with her mother.

  “You and Jason make a cute couple,” said Sondra as the jet taxied onto the runway and picked up speed. “It makes me remember what it was like when Jack and I first got together.”

  Sally chuckled. “I guess I’ve fallen pretty hard for him.”

  “He’s a lovely boy. He’s head over heels for you as well.”

  Sally’s heart fluttered. “Really?”

  “Oh my, yes,” said Sondra. “I can see it in his face when he talks to you.”

  They chatted throughout the ninety-minute flight. Sondra recounted some of her stories about growing up on a Reservation in New Mexico, and Sally told her best tales about the shenanigans her class perpetrated upon the Hero Academy.

  As the jet traveled south and left the sn
ow and cold behind, Sally peeled off successive layers of clothing until she was down to shorts, a t-shirt, and her tennis shoes. Sondra watched the striptease and laughed. “Ready for warm weather, are you?”

  “Oh my God, Sondra, I checked the weather and it’s supposed to be eighty degrees today. Eighty! I might never go back to Just Cause again.”

  “Except for a certain blond-haired boy.” Sondra chuckled.

  Sally nodded. “Yeah, he’s worth going back into the stupid arctic conditions for.”

  The pilot notified them they were on the final approach to Phoenix Sky Harbor. Sondra folded her wings, buckled in, and waited for the jet to land.

  A few minutes later, the jet rolled to a stop on the tarmac and Sally skipped down the steps to let the warm sun caress her. Sondra unfurled her wings, leaped from the doorway, and circled for a few seconds before she touched down next to Sally.

  “That feels good.” She smiled. “Is your mom meeting us?”

  Sally’s phone beeped to announce an incoming text message. She flipped it open to look. “She’s stuck in traffic. Do you want to go meet her?”

  “Sure.” Sondra slipped her arms through the straps of her backpack. She had to wear it unconventionally across her chest so it wouldn’t interfere with her wings.

  Sally keyed her mom’s cell number into her phone. “Hi, Mom,” she said when Faith answered. “We’re here. Don’t bother with the traffic, we’ll come to you. Where are you?” She waited while her mom said. “Okay, just pull into that parking lot. We’ll be there in a few minutes.” She shut her phone and looked at Sondra. “I’m not supposed to run really fast yet. Doctor’s orders.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I can keep up.” Sondra grinned and spread her wings.

  Sally shouldered her own bag, glad she’d packed light, and ran off toward the airport exit. Sondra followed after her and flew low and fast so as not to be a hazard or distraction to civilian air traffic.

  They were off airport grounds in about a minute, and only took a few more minutes of weaving through lunchtime rush hour traffic to find the parking lot where Sally’s mom awaited them.

  Faith Thompson was still fit even at nearly fifty. Her skin was a bit more weathered than her daughter’s was, but they both sported the same shade of blonde hair. She drove a Cadillac convertible, and the weather was nice enough she had the top down. She’d pulled her hair back in a short ponytail with a bandana over it to keep the wind from blowing it loose. She removed her sunglasses as Sally and Sondra approached and waved, smiling.

  A moment later, Sally hugged her mom as Sondra beamed at them both. “Look at you,” said Faith. “Carrying on the family tradition.” She paused, sniffing. “Are you wearing sunscreen?”

  Sally rolled her eyes. “Mom, it’s winter. There’s no sun back in Denver. It’s above the Arctic Circle or something.”

  “Bull. I know what the weather’s like out there. Now I won’t have you ruining that gorgeous complexion of yours. There’s a tube in the glove compartment.”

  “Do we have to do this right now?” asked Sally through gritted teeth.

  “I’m sorry,” said Faith. “You must be Desert Eagle.”

  “Sondra, and it’s an honor to finally meet you, ma’am.”

  “Please call me Faith.” Faith put her sunglasses back on. “Your wings are lovely.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Sally, why don’t you hop in back and let Sondra sit up front here?”

  “Oh, that’s all right,” said Sondra as she saw the look of disgust on Sally’s face. “There’s more room for me to spread out my wings in the back anyway.”

  Soon their bags were stowed in the Caddy’s trunk and Faith pulled the car back into traffic. She snarled at other drivers and wove from lane to lane the way she always had. Sally had long ago learned to ignore her mother’s driving habits for fear they might make her give up riding in cars for good.

  “How’s Grandma?” Sally asked in an effort to distract her mom before she triggered fatal road rage in somebody.

  “She went to the doctor last week,” said Faith. “You know she’s been having some trouble walking?”

  Sally recalled her grandmother’s careful, deliberate footsteps. “Yes?”

  “She’s going to have to have both hips replaced.”

  “What?” Sally couldn’t believe she’d heard exactly right.

  “Sally, her joints are coming apart. She’s been in pain for years.”

  “Why didn’t she say something? Why didn’t she tell us?”

  Faith shrugged. “She’s a proud woman. She always was. I already had this out with her last week. She never said a word of complaint.”

  Sally shrank back in her seat. “I can’t believe she’d do that.”

  “There’s more,” said Faith. “The doctor thinks it’s a likely side effect of super-speed running. He wants to check me as well.”

  “Are you going to go?”

  Faith’s mouth tightened to a fine line. “I have to. I’ve been hurting too. I always thought it was just arthritis, just getting old.”

  “Mom…” Sally couldn’t think of anything to say. Was this going to be her legacy as well?

  Sondra leaned forward. “As I understand it, hip replacement is a pretty common procedure these days. Almost routine.”

  Faith nodded. “The doctor said he doesn’t foresee any complications. She’ll be in a wheelchair for awhile afterward and in physical therapy, but she’s feisty and fit. She’s a veteran. She’ll be fine.”

  Sondra placed a solicitous hand on Sally’s shoulder. “Nothing to worry about, Sally.”

  “You’re staying the night?” asked Faith. “Or are you rushing back up to Denver when you’re done talking to Mom?”

  “We could stay, I guess,” said Sally. “Unless we’re called back or something.”

  “You’re both welcome to stay with me. Goodness knows I have the room. The house has felt a lot bigger to me recently.” Faith looked over at Sally. “I’ve missed you, Sally.”

  Sally blushed. It was weird being nice and pleasant to her mom after so many years of butting heads with the woman. But in the end, honesty won out. “I’ve missed you too.”

  The rest of the drive passed without incident. Sally noticed people raising their camera phones to snap pictures of them as they passed by. Even with her wings folded, Sondra was still recognizable as a fifteen-year veteran of Just Cause. Phoenix wasn’t a hotbed of celebrity sightings, so even Faith and Sally rated interest.

  Eventually, Faith cut across two lanes of traffic to pull into the lot of the assisted-living complex where Grandma Judy lived. It had galled the eighty-one-year-old lady to move into the place where, as she so often said, old people waited to die. However, the staff had been very polite to the veteran of World War II and the American Justice superhero team, and when Judy saw that she could still be as independent as she desired, she accepted residency without too much of a grudge. Since then, she’d become active in the bridge club, painted watercolors, and played a lot of Call of Duty on her computer.

  Sally heard through the apartment door the faint sounds of electronic destruction being perpetrated against virtual opponents. It ceased when they knocked. “Hold your horses,” called Grandma Judy from inside. “I’m not as fast as I used to be.” She still chuckled at her joke when she opened the door. Her lined face brightened as she saw her daughter and granddaughter stood in the doorway. “My goodness, what a wonderful surprise to see you!”

  “Stop that, mother,” said Faith. “You knew very well we were coming over to see you.”

  Grandma Judy hobbled across the room and eased herself onto a chair. “One must keep up appearances,” she said, “if one is to live among the old and decrepit. When in Rome…”

  Faith snorted. “Please, mother.”

  Judy smiled. “Don’t argue with me, young lady. I’m old enough to accept that I’m old, and decrepit enough to accept that I’m going to have both my hips replaced next week
. It’s high time you accepted that as well.”

  “Grandma,” interrupted Sally before her mother could argue. “How are you?”

  “Old and decrepit.” Judy cackled with glee. “I’m thrilled you came to see me.” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “I understand you’re involved with a boy.”

  Sally’s mouth dropped open, an expression matched by Faith’s.

  “You are?” cried her mother. “When did this happen? And how does mother know and I don’t?”

  “It was on Good Morning America.” Judy turned to look at Sally. “He needs a haircut, your boyfriend.”

  Sondra laughed. “He’s not so bad, really. His hair is charming when it’s all messy like that.”

  “Could we maybe not talk about my social life and look at the real reason why I’m here?” said Sally.

  Sondra settled down, an indulgent smile pasted across her face. Faith looked scandalized. Grandma Judy snickered. “Oh, to be eighteen and in love again.”

  “I’m not—look, I’m not here for that, Grandma,” said Sally. “Mom, stop shooting me that look.”

  “I’m not giving you a look. I’m just concerned—”

  “Mom, please?”

  Sondra wrapped an arm around Faith’s shoulders and steered her toward the door. “Let’s give Sally a little space. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunity to grill her about Mastiff. In the meantime, let’s go get something to drink.”

  “But I—oh, all right,” said Faith. “But we will discuss this, young lady.”

  Sally fumed as Sondra and her mother left the apartment.

  “I wish you two wouldn’t fight so much,” said Grandma Judy. “And I wish you’d be a dear and get me a ginger ale from the fridge.”

  “Sure, Grandma.”

  “You remind me so much of her when she was your age. No wonder you two butt heads so much. There were days when I could have cheerfully strangled your mother. She was quite the little hellion in her day. If she wasn’t so much faster than me, you might never have been born.”

  Sally handed Grandma Judy a glass of ice and poured the soda into it. “I’m not really a troublemaker. I’ve tried really hard to be good.”