by R. J. Ross
“Not the TREE!” I wail as I hear it start to crack with the weight of the hit. I’ve already killed enough trees today! I race over to the trunk, pressing my hand to it and forcing it to bend with the weight rather than break. I won’t have another tree murder on my conscience, okay? I glance up as a sharp light blinds me, seeing Jack race past to grab Shadowman from Pan and haul him into the sky.
“Nice, Steel!” Max calls over. “Hold him there. We’ve got questions to ask.”
Panther shifts out of his massive form, checking the tree before jumping to the ground. “Good job, Sunny,” he said. “Now, Max, Ace, ask him where his boss is.”
“I’m not telling you anything,” I hear Shadowman say.
“Jack, turn so the board and you are reflecting sun,” Pan called up to Jack. I see Jack nod and shift, making Shadowman curse. “Don’t think I haven’t heard exactly how to deal with you, Shadow--I know your weaknesses. Now, before Max shows you just how good his gravity control has gotten, why don’t you tell us where your boss is?”
“Why do super villains want to know?” Shadowman demands. “This is none of your business!”
“You attacked us, first,” Ace says. “And regardless of what side we’re on, you’re the one interrupting our training time.”
“Do you KNOW how rare it is to get a chance to be trained by Panther?” Max demands, glaring at the man. “This was going to be epic! But you just HAD to butt in on it--you are absolutely on my list,” he snarls.
“Yeah, whatever,” Shadowman says, snorting derisively. “Fine! I give! He doesn’t pay me enough for this gig--but I’ll only tell you if metal-mouth here lets me down first.”
“He’ll let you down when you tell us where Kunnins is,” Max says. Yeah, it just totally figures he knows all about what’s going on. I don’t. I never do--and I’m Nico’s own flesh and blood! Well, yeah, okay, so Max is Mastermental’s flesh and blood. I guess that sort of DOES trump me in status and all that--“If you don’t, we’ll let Sunny use you as training again,” Max adds, shocking me back to paying attention.
“He’s the guy that caused the earthquake, you know?” Ace says cheerfully, floating on his little circle of light with his hands in his pockets. Ace hadn’t even been there when we faced off against Shadowman last time, but he obviously doesn’t like the guy already.
“What IS he?” Shadowman asks, looking down at me again. I give him my cheesiest grin and wave at him.
“A Superior elementalist,” Pan says.
“Cute, ain’t he?” Max adds cheerfully. “Let me think--wasn’t it a Superior that took you down last time? When you were--oh, that’s right, trying to kidnap Sunny’s girlfriend!” he says, as if only just now remembering.
He DID try to kidnap Adanna! It’s been a while, okay? She never mentions it and I’ve practically forgotten. “Let him down!” I call up to them. “I want to see what happens when he tries to drag ME underground,” I add with a vicious smile.
“Underground?” Shadowman asks blankly.
“He’s a dual elementalist,” Jack says. “He’s got earth, too.”
“I see... Okay, fine, he’s down there,” Shadowman says, pointing straight down. “Now I’ve told you, let me go. Super villains don’t go around capturing other super villains.”
Jack looks at Pan, who nods. He lets go of Shadowman, who drops down--right in front of me. I stare him straight in the eye, my hands in fists at my side. And then I realize--“I’m not a super villain,” I say, slamming my fist into his gut as his eyes widen. It sends him flying back through the air and crashing into a tree. He sinks into the shadowed trunk. I can feel him for a moment before he’s gone entirely.
“He’s gone,” I say.
“He usually jumps ship about this time,” Max says. “Looks like we’re going to have to save Skystep, huh?”
The same look crosses all of our faces. “Wouldn’t it be more ‘saving them from her’?” Ace asks after a long second.
If I laugh, well, can you really blame me?
***
“They’re coming,” Shadowman says as he appears in the small hospital set-up, “and I’m leaving,” he adds, grabbing his bag of things.
“Wait! Take us with you,” Kunnins demands.
“No time--they’ve got too much power as a group, and frankly, you’re not paying me well enough for this,” Shadowman says bluntly. He walks past them and through the wall, leaving them behind. Ginger is still holding a guinea pig in one hand and a needle in the other.
Kunnins looks at the needle. “That’s enough, there’s no more time.”
“What?” Ginger asks.
“Use it on the boy,” Kunnins says. “We’ve got no choice--that’s his only chance--OUR only chance.”
“I can’t DO THAT!” she says.
“Either you do it or I tell the nurses to take out your brats,” Kunnins says in a cold voice, getting in her face. “No, I’ll do it myself while they finish you off,” he threatens.
“You wouldn’t,” she whispers.
“Watch me,” he says.
“Fine--I’ll do it,” she says, putting the guinea pig back in the cage and heading for the teenager on the bed. Guilt rushes through her as she picks up his wrist, sliding the needle into his vein. “I’m sorry,” she whispers to the boy before slipping the needle out of his flesh and stepping back. For a long moment the two just stand there, watching the teenager for some sign of reaction. The beeping of the machine monitoring his heart speeds up for a moment before calming right back down.
“It didn’t work,” Kunnins says.
“I don’t--I mean--” she stutters, shocked. “I was positive--”
The ceiling starts to crack. They both look up, watching as a root shoots through the thick concrete. Ginger hears Kunnins cursing as if from a distance. The sight has her heart pounding so hard that the blood is rushing in her ears.
They’re going to die. She hears people screaming, and she’s positive that the ones not in the room with her are running away. She only wishes she could.
Where are her children?
***
The cracking sound of the ceiling being attacked by roots makes Skystep look up from the two boys showing her around the base. “Oh no he didn’t!” she snaps. They both jerk as she lets go of their hands and steps into the air. It looks as if she’s walking up steps as she heads straight up and through the ceiling. The two look at each other and race for the exit they’d gone through to go hunting. There is no WAY they were going to miss whatever it was that was about to happen!
Skystep slips through the earth, heading straight for the little punk holding his hands out and downward. “STOP THAT!” she bellows, slapping his hands. “You’re ruining my new base!”
“What?” Sunny asks blankly, glancing over his shoulder at Pan. “But we’ve only got so much time--”
“This is MY base!” she says, her hands on her hips as she glowers at him. “I traded for it!”
“What did you trade?” Pan asks.
“I was going to get the two brats and their mother out...” Skye says in a mumble, because she HASN’T done it yet--she was going to! She just got distracted!
“Then go DO THAT and we’ll go through the door,” Pan says.
“But you ruined my ceiling!” she complains.
“We’ll fix it later,” Max says.
“Remember, either you get the kids and the mom out or you don’t get the base!” Pan calls as Skystep heads down again.
“Can we give her the base?” Ace asks after a second.
“Not at all, but I’m sure we’ll find someone that can,” Pan says. “Now come on, we can’t be certain that Shadowman actually left,” he calls, racing for the other entrance. “Max, get Nico on the com--he’s going to want to hear about this.”
***
“They’re right THERE?” Superior demands, already wearing his white uniform. “You sent my grandson straight to where that psychopath Kunnins is--”
“How was I supposed to know there was a place under a national forest, Father?” Nico demands as they fly over several crowded towns. “I will, at least, thank you for not telling Mom,” he adds a bit dryly.
“She was busy having a tea party,” Superior waved off. “As much as I enjoy seeing your mother lose her temper, I’d rather not draw attention to this.”
“You can’t kill him,” Nico says. He stops mid-flight as Century appears in front of them. “In fact, what you CAN do is talk to an old friend,” he adds, shoving Superior forward and racing on by.
For a long moment Century stares at Superior blankly, a look of confusion on his face.
“Nice to see you again, Charles,” Superior says a bit lamely. He inwardly curses his own son. He should have thought of this trick first!
“I thought you were dead,” Century says.
“Really, Charles, how often does that line get said in our line of business? It’s practically a cliché.”
***
“It isn’t working,” Kunnins says almost silently, still staring at the boy on the bed. “Why isn’t it working?” he demands, turning on Ginger. “WHY ISN’T MY BOY BETTER?”
“I--it should work--but you didn’t give me the chance to--”
“No excuses!” Kunnins snaps, bringing up his cane. “I’ll MAKE it work!” he snarls as he twists the top of the cane off and pulls it up. A faintly glowing stick slides out of the wooden sheath. He moves forward, grabbing Tank’s hand and trying to force the glow stick into the boy’s hand. Before he can manage, though, the flickering orange light fizzes and disappears from the stick. A clear, empty tube is all he manages to get into the teen’s unresponsive hand.
He stares at it, his shoulders shuddering. “It--it’s gone,” he whispers, his head falling forward as he takes a shuddering breath. “I’ve got more,” he says abruptly, straightening again. “I’ll send someone to get them. I just--” he turns back to Ginger, only to see a familiar female pulling Ginger and the twins through the ceiling. He reaches up, his fingers grasping for them and brushing the bottom of one of their shoes. They’re gone.
He looks at the two on the beds in front of him. Will, who is still unconscious, a prisoner in his own mind, and Wes... Tank... Whatever the boy was calling himself last, a shell of what he could have been. And him, a silent voice whispers in a sneering tone, an old man clinging to a boy that’s not even his true flesh and blood. He slowly lowers himself into the wooden chair between their beds, letting the glow stick slide back into the cane with a soft little thump.
It’s over, he thinks, his entire body shivering slightly as the tension leaves him. All he’d worked for, all he’d been fighting so hard to get, all gone. The geneticist he’d captured was incapable of bringing back his boy. He had spent all of his money on this--and it had failed. Now the supers he had tried so hard to keep in check will find him and most likely take him out. He almost looks forward to it, he thinks bitterly. This life has been a failure.
The lights flicker over head and he waits. His hand reaches slowly into his pocket, his fingers tightening around the small gun he keeps there.
***
“I hear breathing and machines in this direction,” Pan says, only to look up as someone punches a hole in the ceiling. We pull to a stop as Dad drops down in front of us. “You’re going to have to fix that, you know,” Pan says to Dad in a casual tone. “We’ve already been yelled at once for ruining Skystep’s new base.”
“What?” Dad asks, his “business” expression changing to confusion. “Have you found Kunnins or did they get away again?”
“There are still three people in here,” Pan says, shoving the rubble and pile of concrete out of his way. “You just threatened the stability of the ceiling,” he complains. “Sunny, can you patch that hole?”
“Um, yeah, maybe,” I say, lifting a hand to the ceiling. Roots slowly knit together, closing the hole. “But she’ll probably want concrete.”
“Where’s Max?” Dad asks as he looks our little group over.
“He got stuck babysitting,” I say cheerfully. “We’re in my territory right now, so I get to come.”
“The rest of us did rock paper scissors,” Ace adds. “He probably thought Jack would pick scissors--he was wrong.”
“Is Shadowman still here?” Dad asks.
“We don’t know, but I highly doubt it,” Pan says as he starts running through the maze of halls again. I don’t know how he can pinpoint where the sound of three people breathing is coming from, but I don’t ask questions. He seems to know where we’re going and I don’t, which is the important part.
“Are they moving?” Dad asks. We’re going at a decent pace, so I’m not surprised when Pan pulls to a stop in front of a door and swings it open. There’s a small bang and the shape-shifter goes still, locked in place by whatever it was that hit him. Dad shoves his way past his best friend, his hand going out. He goes still as well. Now they’re blocking the room from the rest of us.
“Do you really think I’ll go down this easily?” an old man asks from inside. “I don’t know who else is out there, but I’ve got two very good hostages right here, and a needle full of some very potent super stopping chemicals.”
“What are your demands?” Ace asks in a loud voice, waving at me with a hand.
“This is Superior, isn’t it?” the old man asks. “I’ll never forget that face. I always knew he wasn’t truly dead.”
“We’re willing to negotiate, sir, but only if you get to the point,” Ace says, waving at me urgently and motioning to the wall.
“I want you all to turn around and leave,” the old man says. “I’ll be keeping these two until I’m certain that you’re really gone.”
I head to the wall next to the door, looking it over thoughtfully. I dare to touch it, seeing what it’s made of. Concrete, I realize. Skye’s going to be mad at me, I think as I look over at Ace. He nods.
I punch a hole through the wall. I barely manage to see the dark expression cross Ace’s face before seeing my hand change. It sort of disappears as a thick, muscular forearm in a white sleeve takes its place. I punch the wall again, making the wall large enough to step through. The old man turns, the color leaving his face as he sees me--or more specifically, he sees whoever it is I look like right now.
“Two of--you’re DEAD!” he yells shooting the gun at me. Whoever it is I look like has to be over a foot taller than me, because the shot goes far too high. I keep moving forward, reaching for the old man. “DIE ALREADY!” he screams, shooting over and over again.
One shot catches me straight in the chest. My body stiffens, no longer moving. It’s obvious that the illusion is of Grandpa Superior, now, because it keeps moving forward as the old man shoots wildly. The illusion grabs the gun out of his hold, crushing it easily. The man hits him with his cane, twising rapidly and revealing a needle at the end. He stabs it at the illusion, again and again. “DIE!” he yells, panicking. “You freak! DIE!”
Jack goes right past me, grabbing the cane and jerking it out of Kunnin’s hold. “I’ll take this,” he says, breaking the needle with his fingers and rolling it into a ball.
“I think we can call this a super arrest,” Ace says as he walks in, creating a pair of handcuffs and cuffing Kunnins--who’s still trying to attack the illusion of Superior. I see his thin, spotty fingers clawing at the illusion. It’s not an image I’ll forget any time soon, I admit. That much pent up hatred, all these years after Grandpa supposedly died...
I see Dad jerk. For a moment his eyes glow unnaturally and I see his mouth moving. I’ve seen this before--he’s rebooting. Within a second, he’s back to normal. “Did you have to destroy the gun?” he asks Ace, looking at the scraps on the ground with a slight frown. “That might have been useful.”
“Sorry, it didn’t occur to me,” Ace apologizes as he finishes cuffing Kunnins.
Dad nods and then walks over to me. I can’t do anything but watch as he looks me over. After a long moment of st
aring at me, he taps my forehead. I fall over.
“Now tell me, old man, where is Shadowman? Where’s the rest of your group?” Dad asks, turning away from me (leaving me on the floor.) It’s a bit longer before I can move. I jerk a few times before shoving myself to my feet. Pan is shaking it off now, as well, I notice.
“Gone. They jumped ship just like the rats they are,” Kunnins says with a slight laugh. “Get it over with, already--finish me off.”
“We don’t kill,” Dad says, pulling his phone out of his pocket and tapping on it. I’m surprised he can get any bars down here--then again, he IS a technopath. “The black suits should be coming soon. Spread out and make sure everyone really is gone,” he orders us, looking at me and then looking at Ace. “Am I right in thinking you picked my son as the diversion?”
“I thought he’d do something a little less straight-forward than punching through the wall,” Ace admits.
“It worked--and you used me as a diversion!” I say accusingly.
“You make a really great one, too,” Ace says.
“Um, right, yeah, okay,” I mutter, blushing slightly.
“Also, good job finding them in the first place, Sunny,” Dad compliments me, messing up my hair.
“It was an accident,” I admit sheepishly.
“Sometimes accidents work out well,” Dad says. “Now get all of the genetic work together before the black suits come. That will come in handy.”
“But this is South Branch territory,” Jack says.
“Which is why you need to move fast,” Dad tells him. “When they do come, bring them to this room. We don’t have anyone here that can help them.” I look to where he motions, seeing the two males in the hospital beds. One’s an old man, the other is a strange looking teenager.
“Yeah, all right,” Jack says before racing away. I look around the room. Now that it’s quiet, I notice the squeaking. For a moment I just stare at the cages full of creatures to the side of the room, one full of mice, the other full of guinea pigs. I don’t think this is what Dad was talking about, but it seems cruel to just leave them like that. I grab the cages and head for the exit, planning to let the mice loose outside and take the guinea pigs to an animal shelter or something.
