by Lexie Dunne
“I’m going to see an old friend.”
Norville Prison, one of Davenport’s many facilities for those of the mad scientist persuasion, was located a reasonably safe distance away from Omaha. One expensive cab fare later, I signed in at the front desk, surrendered my cell phone, and followed a guard to the visiting room currently festooned with tacky Christmas décor.
They brought him in shackled at the ankles and at the wrists. The first time I’d seen him, he’d been dressed like a lumberjack, his face gnarled with age and general evilness. Now he wore a tan jumpsuit, and he looked even older.
The evilness was still there.
He sat down, and I looked across the table directly into the eyes of my Maker.
“Why, if it isn’t my greatest creation,” Dr. Mobius said. “What an unexpected surprise. I was given to understand that you’d been gravely injured, possibly beyond the assistance of my serum. But I see you survived. A pity.”
God, I hated him.
“Come to see me brought low?” Mobius asked. “If you find yourself in need of schadenfreude, I’ll concede that the chains are a bit of a nuisance.”
“Leave her alone,” I said.
Dr. Mobius drew back in exaggerated offense. “I beg your pardon?”
“I know it was you,” I said. “You orchestrated the plan for the nanobots.”
“My dear Girl,” Dr. Mobius said. “They caught the gentleman responsible for that. I know you’ve been injured, but the Mobium should be making you smarter.”
“Cut the bullshit,” I said. I leaned forward. “You and Rita have always thought you’re so clever with your roundabout little plans.”
“Those plans worked in the past, did they not? You were such a useful pawn, taking care of our problem. And I’m led to understand Ms. Detmer obtained her final objective with your assistance.”
“I don’t know why you want Kiki forced out of Davenport, but I’m telling you: this stops now.” Kiki wouldn’t thank me for interfering, but I didn’t move, daring Mobius to look away first. “No more. Quit scheming and leave your granddaughter alone. She’s got enough on her plate without you sticking your nasty nose in.”
Dr. Mobius tilted his head, falling quiet as he regarded me. I held tight to the cold fury balled up in my chest. Finally, he began to smile, and then to chuckle. “Perhaps I haven’t given you enough credit. The Mobium is something of a miracle, is it not? The old Girl would never have figured this out on her own. What gave me away?”
“You got sloppy,” I said. “Getting Wilbur Scott to release Elwin Lucas so Tamara Diesel could kill him? I saw his body. That wasn’t erasing the evidence. That was a staged picture, sent to somebody else as proof of his death. Brook’s the only person on the planet who wanted that man dead more than you and I believed her when she told me she didn’t do it.”
Dr. Mobius slammed both his hands onto the table. “He should have suffered more.”
“What I can’t figure out is how you got a high-level Davenport executive to be your stooge,” I said.
“Perhaps they should stop sending their executives on prison visits in the name of public relations.” Dr. Mobius relaxed and folded his spindly arms across his chest. So that was the last puzzle piece. Wilbur Scott had become Dr. Mobius’s obedient servant after a PR trip. No wonder I hadn’t been able to find any transcripts of conversations between them. “I merely offered the man what he already wanted.”
“He tried to ruin her life. Why are you making it harder for her?”
“I love my granddaughter,” Dr. Mobius said. “I want the best for her, and logically she should be as far from superheroes as possible. If she’s forced out of that odious company, my goals are achieved.”
“That’s not love, Doc,” I said. “That’s twisted.”
“What do you know about love? You’re an infant.”
“Here’s what I do know,” I said. I rose to my feet and risked his bad breath to get right up in his face, ignoring the uneasy looks the guards sent my way. “Kiki has worked hard to get where she is, and she doesn’t need you hanging around her neck, plotting to ‘fix’ her life for her. So I’ll promise you this: if I find out you’ve been interfering again, I’ll make sure you’re thrown into the deepest, darkest hole I can find. And then for the rest of your life, I’m going to make sure all you’re ever allowed to do is dig that hole even deeper. Do we understand each other?”
“You think your threats frighten me?” Dr. Mobius rose to his full height and leaned forward. “They don’t. I will do everything I can to protect my granddaughter. She’s the only family I have left.”
“She can take care of herself,” I said.
“And you.” Dr. Mobius’s eyes lit up with hatred. “You and Brooklyn Gianelli, and that woman my granddaughter gave my cursed serum.”
“Her name is Angélica. They’ve been together for over a year now. If you love your granddaughter, you should probably pay attention to who she’s dating.”
“All three of you are my responsibility,” Dr. Mobius said. He grew colder and more furious, drawing himself up to a more impressive height. “I’ve unleashed more powered people on this world. I consider it my greatest shame. But mark my words, my dear Girl, I intend to deal with my responsibility. I will end you.”
We locked eyes in a battle of wills, his hatred against my disgust.
And then I bounced back half a step and shrugged, lightly.
“Eh,” I said. “You’re not that scary. But thanks for playing.” I turned to the guard. “I’m ready to go now.”
Dr. Mobius blinked and reared back, obviously flustered. “That’s—that’s it? That’s all you have to say?”
“I came to deliver my warning. It’s been delivered. I’d say nice seeing you, but it really wasn’t.” And with a breezy wave, I followed the guard across the room.
Dr. Mobius’s stunned look followed me out and kept me warm all the way back to New York.
“You realize,” Guy said later, after I’d been roundly scolded for escaping and banished to the couch in our apartment, “that he was making a death threat against you.”
“Yeah, I got that.”
Guy put a plate full of dinner in front of me, shaking his head and smiling when I eagerly snatched it up. “He’s sadistic, but he’s also smart. That doesn’t worry you at all?”
“I’m considering it a problem for Future Gail,” I said.
“What makes you so sure Future Gail is going to have problems?” Guy raised his eyebrows as he sat down next to me with his own plate.
I raised my eyebrows back at him.
“Good point,” he said with a sigh.
I twirled a giant mound of spaghetti around my fork and told myself that I was stuffing my face because I was hungry and not because I was nervous about sharing the second conclusion I’d made while lying in the hospital bed the night before.
“Hey, I,” I started to say, right as Guy looked up and said, “Gail, we need to—”
We blinked at each other. “You go ahead,” I said.
“No, yours sounds really important, you go first.”
“After you.”
“Fine.” Guy pushed his glasses up his nose and shoved his hair out of his face. I’d made him get a haircut since he’d started to look a bit shaggy while I was in my coma, but it had outgrown that already. He blew out a nervous breath. “What would—I mean, would you—um—”
“Guy?” I asked, warily.
“I was wondering if you’d be okay if I took on some longer hours at work again. Just for, like, a few months.”
“Is this about going back to look for your sister? Because I’m pretty sure I found her,” I said without thinking about it.
Guy, clearly about to say something else, snapped his mouth shut. “Say what now?”
“This is not about Petra?” I asked.
“No, I was going to take on extra shifts to save up for a ring, if you were okay with that.” He waved impatiently.
�
�Say what now?” I asked.
“You found my sister?”
“You want to buy me a ring?” I asked. “Like an engagement ring? That kind of ring?”
“Gail, focus. My sister.”
I stopped before I could point out that an engagement ring—and the marriage that would inevitably follow—was a huge deal. After all, Guy’s sister had disappeared for years. It had torn his family apart and driven his elder brother to the edge. Guy himself nearly damaged our relationship looking for her. Of course she had to be more important.
But a ring? For an engagement?
“Right,” I said, only now noticing that Guy had grabbed my hands, squeezing them in an almost painfully tight grip. And I was returning the favor just as hard. I could barely hear my own thoughts over the pounding of my pulse, and I felt oddly breathless. Carefully, I shoved that down to focus. “Right. Well, um, I think I found her. I could be wrong, so please don’t get your hopes up.”
“So where? Where is she?” Guy asked.
I took a deep breath, and told him.
Jessie found me on the roof. She wasn’t supposed to be up there, and neither was I, but we didn’t mention that as she crossed over and joined me, groaning a little as she lowered herself to the edge. She set her cane to the side.
Together, we looked over the street at the single-story bar that seemed like nothing special. Through the windows, I could see all three of them. Guy, his older brother, Sam.
And their sister, Petra, behind the bar, wearing a false face.
“So you put it together,” she said.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Jessie was quiet for a long time, even for her. I waited her out. Guy was the one that would rage at her when he finally calmed down, and I figured she had to know that would be coming. I was hurt, too, even though I understood that being the Raptor meant keeping secrets.
But I was her apprentice.
“I was holding off on telling you about the Provenance until you were ready for the uniform and all the responsibilities that come with it,” Jessie finally said. “That was a mistake. I’m sorry.”
I turned to her in surprise. The number of times I’d heard her apologize could be counted on one hand.
“In truth, I was hoping to spare you some pain. And give you at least another year or two where you wouldn’t have it hanging around your neck,” Jessie said. “It’s a lot of responsibility, knowing you’re the one guarding a giant singularity capable of leveling an entire city. It’s the kind of thing that keeps you up at night.”
“Well, I managed to blow it up in spectacular fashion, so I guess I won’t inherit that particular responsibility.”
Jessie put a hand on my shoulder. “That was the best of the options.”
“Um, did you hear the part where it blew up?”
“The Provenance was growing bigger. It was only a matter of time before it outgrew the containment field that Uncle Victor and Aunt Sarah built.” Jessie blew out a breath. “Part of me suspects I should have jettisoned it into the lake and detonated it years ago.”
“What held you back?”
“My mother. Her Villain Syndrome was centered on the Provenance, but she was willing to stay in prison to avoid hurting me. And if it were destroyed . . .”
“She would find something else to fixate on,” I said. “And that might be more powerful than the deal keeping her in prison.”
“Welcome to the balance of dealing with supervillains,” Jessie said.
“It’s like evil calculus,” I said. In Mind the Boom, Guy began to pace. They’d raised their voices; I knew I could make them out if I tuned in, but I didn’t want to eavesdrop. “Where does Petra come into this?”
“She wanted out. I was her mentor, you know, back in those first days when we found the Bookmans. I told her that the villains would only follow her, unless she hid every part of her powers.” Jessie had a small, sad smile on her face now. She kept her eyes on the bar. “I remember she said, ‘That’s fine, I’ll be a hermit,’ and she stomped off. Two days later, she came to me with another idea.”
“She wanted to move to Bucktown and open a supervillain bar?”
“She wanted to help people like her, ones that don’t want anything to do with Davenport. I offered to bankroll her.”
“But you’re literally half of Davenport,” I said.
“Not the half that runs it. Besides, we have a deal: Petra guards the entrance to the Provenance, and I look the other way as she helps people disappear. How’d you figure out it was her anyway?”
“Her hologram malfunctioned in the Provenance holding site,” I said. But there had been other clues that only hindsight could slot into place. Sal had reacted oddly to Guy when we’d visited Mind the Boom the year before. She’d been harsh and abrupt. I’d seen strange, horizontal scars on her shoulder while she’d been tending to Raze, the same scars that covered Guy’s chest and shoulders. And when she’d fought Rita, she’d burst into flame. Just like Guy could.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
“It wasn’t my secret to tell.”
Another burden to deal with while being the Raptor, I figured. In the bar, Guy had his arms crossed over his chest and Sam and Petra seemed to be outright shouting at each other. Right as I began to worry that they might level the place, Sam broke—and hugged Petra, hard.
Guy followed behind a little more slowly, but he held on longer.
“He wants to buy a ring,” I said out of nowhere. “I mean, he hasn’t asked me anything yet, and we got kind of sidetracked with this discovery about Petra, so there’s nothing official . . .”
“And you’re not opposed,” Jessie said.
“Just surprised.” And warming up to the idea more with every minute. I loved Guy. I loved our life together. Even knowing someday that I’d be the Raptor, and neither of the previous two Raptors had ever had a happy marriage, the thought that Guy wanted to stick around forever made me feel like I could actually fly.
Which I theoretically could, if I phased hard enough, but then everybody would scold.
So I would have to settle for this happy warmth in my chest, and the hope that once Guy got over his shock about his sister being alive and nearby, we’d talk about rings and futures again.
“Speaking of the future—we need to talk,” Jessie said. “My doctor says I shouldn’t put on the armor again.”
“Hasn’t your doctor been telling you that for nearly a decade?”
Jessie made a sour face. “Yes, but this time Audra, Lydia, and Harry decided to gang up on me. Harry played the I-want-my-mom-at-my-graduation card.”
“Ouch,” I said.
“Yeah. He’s an effective little sneak.” But pride laced her voice. “But not as bad as Audra. That woman, I swear.”
“Oh, no, did she guilt-trip you?” I nudged her shoulder, smirking.
“Worse! She strolls right into my hospital room, cool as you please, and says that I should give up being the Raptor because I was terrible at it.”
“But you aren’t,” I said, confused. That didn’t sound like Jessie’s assistant at all. Sure, Audra could be blunt, but not to that degree.
“Are you sure?” Jessie asked. “You’re in the suit for one day, and what do you do? You take out the Raptor’s greatest enemy. Audra had a point.”
“I nearly blew up Chicago!”
“Nearly only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.”
“And bombs! It definitely counts in bombs.”
Jessie made a pfft noise. “Audra tweaked my pride a bit, but once I calmed down, I could see she had a point. I think it’s time.”
“I’m not ready,” I said. Physically, I literally wasn’t ready. But mentally, I didn’t feel prepared either.
“The truth is, most of the time you never feel ready.” Jessie offered me her hand to shake. “I didn’t feel ready when my father passed the mantle on to me. He didn’t want to, and I know how he feels now. But even though it’s bit
tersweet, I’m honored. The legacy will be in good hands with you, Raptor.”
“Th-thanks,” I said around a sudden lump in my throat. I gripped Jessie’s hand, careful not to squeeze too tight. I clenched my jaw to keep the tears from flowing—until I heard Jessie sniffle.
“Oh, come here,” she finally said, and hugged me. When we pulled back, we both wiped our faces. “Don’t tell Audra I cried.”
“Don’t tell Angélica either.”
“Deal.”
“What’s going on?” Guy appeared behind us on the roof. While I’d been distracted talking to Jessie, he’d apparently left Mind the Boom and had sneaked into the alley to fly up and join us. He clambered over now.
“Are you okay?” I said.
“I’m not sure. I . . . need some time.” He brushed at a tear that I hadn’t wiped away. “Are you okay?”
“Better than okay,” I said.
Jessie leaned around me to look at Guy. “I just told her I’m retiring.”
“Wait,” Guy said, looking from her to me and then back. “Does that mean . . .”
“I’m the Raptor now,” I told him. Though I laughed when he scooped me up in a giant hug, going so far as to fly up a couple feet, a quiet voice in my head added: god help us all.
Acknowledgments
This was a long tunnel and so many people promised me a light at the end of it that I don’t have the page space to thank them all (and they were right! We made it!). Thank you especially to Rebecca Strauss, who is the best cheerleader and agent to have in your corner, and to the team at HarperVoyager. In particular, I’d like to thank Priyanka Krishnan for her patience, kindness, and keen eye, and David Pomerico and Anna Will for ushering this book from problematic caterpillar to prismatic butterfly.
On the personal side, I owe everything to Vesna Korent, M.J. McGraw, Roz Foster, Jennifer Shew, Erica Lilly, and my darling sister for being the necessary swift kick in the pants and for being fabulous people in general. Shout-out to my fantastic writing group for Wrestling Maniac and his wonderful powers, and to Alix Comeau for Mr. Midas. To every single person who’s reached out to me to let me know you loved Gail (or even just tolerated her): *finger guns* you’re great, and I like your hair.
