Sunny Daze

by R. J. Ross

  “Panther?” Prisma asks. “Amara?”

  “We’re fine with it--in fact I think it’s a brilliant idea,” Pan says. “We do what we can for the large cats--”

  Before he can finish, though, a strange, unearthly scream rips through the air. It’s overwhelming and sharp, pitched perfectly to break all the glass in the room. Champagne glasses shatter, the bowl holding the punch does as well. Red punch pours like a waterfall over the table and ground.

  I almost faint at the noise, barely managing to stick my fingers in my ear--only to pull them out straight away and race across the room. I manage to grab my girlfriend as she tumbles to the floor, unconscious.

  No one manages to catch Panther. Whoops. But it’s when Jack slams to the floor, bellowing with pain that I really feel stunned.

  ***

  *Minutes before*

  “You look beautiful,” Aubrey says to Jimmi as they clasp hands. “We need to move fast, I want to see the boys make fools of themselves,” she adds as she pulls away and heads for the still unconscious teen on the bed. Her hair floats around her shoulders and she adds in “hair fixing” time to her schedule.

  “I thought about getting an official version of the uniform I got at home,” Jimmi says, going back to her battery to recharge, “but then I realized I didn’t have to--I wanted to look pretty,” she adds, staring at the battery. “Vinny left before I was even dressed, so I couldn’t show him.”

  Aubrey inwardly sighs, mentally shaking her head as she touches Tank. Her eyes glow and she feels the power flowing steadily through the teen. “You’re going to have to be patient with him,” she says, for what seems the twentieth time.

  “I know, but it’s hard to--it’s easier to focus on a one-sided crush than it is to focus on... well... this,” Jimmi says. “Like you said, if I let guilt--”

  “Stop,” Aubrey says abruptly, her eyes glowing brighter, her hair sticking straight up. “I said STOP,” she snarls at the teen on the table. The force she’s using is so strong that Jimmi feels her hair threaten to stand as well. The machines hooked up to Tank start beeping loudly, alerting the staff that something was wrong. Tank’s body starts to shake, rocking back and forth as something shoves him off of the table.

  His eyes open, completely black, save for a glowing blue iris. They don’t seem to actually SEE anything. His shirt rips in the back as two large, bat-like wings with claws at the tips burst out of his back. The shirt is torn to shred as spikes come out of his shoulders and forearms, and his fingers grow longer as they turn into claws. His mouth opens and a scream bursts out. The sound is so loud that Aubrey feels the world swirl around her. She falls back, stumbling into a chair and covering her ears.

  The glass window shatters. The machines start squealing, and the doctors running towards the room fall to the hallway floor, unconscious. Jimmi is crouched on the floor, her hands over her ears as Tank screams again. Those glowing blue eyes snap into focus as he jerks free of all the wires and cords. Jimmi finds herself staring straight into those foreign eyes, waiting for him to recognize her.

  There’s nothing there, she realizes as he rips the blue hospital gown off. He dismisses her and crouches on the bed, his wings spreading once, and then twice, before he launches himself through the broken window, flying away.

  “We need to get him back,” Aubrey says.

  “How?” Jimmi asks.

  “I don’t know,” Aubrey replies, realizing that they’re both yelling and can only just barely hear each other. Her ears are ringing from the scream. “But we’ve got to get him back--there’s still the chance he’ll explode.”

  ***

  “What was that?” I hear someone say--barely. I can literally feel my eardrums healing, which would be awesome in another situation. Right now it’s just disturbing. I gently put Adanna down, leaning her against Panther. I need to go see what’s going on--I’m not the only one thinking that, I notice. Dad and Grandpa race out the door. I do the first thing that comes to mind--I chase them.

  I see Grandpa pulling open the elevator doors and hear the shrieking of metal as Dad takes out the ceiling so they can fly up the shaft. I can’t fly, I think as I enter the elevator, but I’ve climbed elevator wires before, so I jump, grabbing them and climbing up. I get to the top just in time to see them already down the hall--heading straight for the room where the teenager from down south is.

  “What happened?” I get there just in time to hear Dad ask.

  “He mutated,” Aubrey yells, “he went that way--we have to find him!”

  Dad doesn’t hesitate, he just scoops Aubrey up in his arms (fluffy dress and all) and flies through the window. I only have a second to react--I jump on Grandpa’s back, holding on tightly like I do Trent coming down the stairs in the morning. Who would have thought being lazy would pay off so well? We take off after the mutated man.

  ***

  For a long moment nothing happens in the party, except Jack slowly stops bellowing in pain. He lies there, panting and holding his head. The supers that surround him poke at their ears, looking at their fingers to see if there’s any blood. It’s only Tatiana that looks perfectly calm. She even has a cup of punch in her hand, although the punch bowl is gone. For a long moment Summer looks at the woman, trying to figure out how she does it.

  “They are very quick to run into trouble, our boys,” Tatiana says with a smile, sipping from her plastic cup as if she were still in party mode.

  “Why didn’t you follow them?” Summer asks, getting to her feet and dusting off her flowing golden dress.

  “In this outfit?” Tatiana asks, motioning down to her own blue dress. “I would not like to tear it--I am very fond of it, you know. It is hard to find a dress that is flattering when you are a woman of my build,” she adds. It’s quite obvious that she could have, in other words. Summer lets a tiny smile cross her lips, only laughing when Tatia gives her a brilliant smile in return. “Besides, Clifford has not stopped talking about how well he and Nicolas work together. I would not wish to take that father son bonding away from them.”

  “Father, son, and grandson bonding,” Summer says, looking over at her daughter, who’s going from super to super, checking on them. “I think Sunny followed them.”

  “Wonderful!” Tatia says, looking elated. “These life or death moments make for lovely family time. Now, since this is the Capes of Ethnicity party, where is that wayward daughter of mine and her boyfriend?” she demands, looking around the room.

  “Daughter? So--you’re going to claim Liz?” Summer asks quietly.

  “There is no mother in the picture. Clifford explained to me what happened, and how Nicolas tossed Sparky out of the house. Do you think I should not claim her?” she asks, looking hesitant for the first time since Summer had met her.

  “I think she’d love it if you did,” Summer says. “She didn’t come, though. I couldn’t talk her into it--I think Emily’s been giving her too much trouble over dating Taurus. But I can introduce you to Taurus!” she says. “He’s right this way.”

  “Yes, please,” Tatia says, heading over to the large man in formal uniform. He’s lying on the floor, only now waking up from unconsciousness--shape-shifter types tend to have better hearing than most. Tatia doesn’t bother to wait for him to stand. She leans down and picks him up, setting him on his feet as if he weighs nothing. “Oh, he is better looking in person!” To the still-groggy Taurus’s shock, she hauls him into a crushing hug. “It is good to meet my future son-in-law!”

  “Um...” Taurus says, looking over at Summer, who’s now holding the cup of punch. “Thanks, Ms. Tatiana,” he says, patting her on the back. “What, exactly, happened?”

  “We don’t know,” Summer says. “Nico and Superior went to find out.”

  “Oh. Think we should clean up in here a bit?” Taurus asks, looking around. Most of the capes are starting to recover, with only a few still completely out of it. No one is panicking. Even Cubby looks calm, and he’s the youngest in the group. />
  “We could do with more punch,” Tatia declared, finally letting go of him. “And we should check on the metal boy, I am not sure that sound was safe for him.”

  “Yeah, that sounds good,” Taurus says, going to get the punch. When an S-class tank mentions needing more punch, it’s smartest just to get it for her. Especially, he thinks, when she already considers you a future son-in-law.

  ***

  “That sonic attack is going to make it difficult,” Grandpa says as we see the poor guy flying in front of us. “Catching up to him is no problem, but if he hits us with that, he might do a bit of damage--even if it just means we fall out of the sky.”

  “I can create soundproof headphones, but we’re going to be there a bit too quickly,” Dad says, “and I didn’t exactly bring everything I’d need for them in this suit.”

  “I can grow some moss,” I say, digging through my pockets and pulling out some stalks. “I was planning on using it to add to my uniform, but I fell asleep before I managed,” I say, holding the stalk in my hand and prompting the moss to grow. It does, latching onto the sleeve of my uniform and rapidly spreading up my arm. I grab a small bit and hand it out to everyone, since Dad and Grandpa are flying side by side. When they’ve gotten theirs I pull some more off and stick it in my own ears. I don’t know how much good this will do us, I can still hear, but at least everything sounds somewhat muffled.

  “It’s better than nothing,” Dad says. “Thanks, Sunny. Let’s go.”

  I grab on tight as they rush forward, moving to either side of the flying mutant. What was his name again? I think it was something like ‘Tank’ right? I mean, it just seems rude to be calling him “mutant” all the time. “Stop, Tank!” Aubrey says, drawing his attention. “We need to go back--we don’t know if you’re completely stable yet!”

  Tank just glowers at her, swerving to try and get around the group. “We need to get him to ground without hurting him,” Dad says. “Sunny, can you bind his wings?”

  “It would be easier just to knock him out,” Grandpa says. I find myself nodding in agreement.

  “If we hit him there’s a chance he’ll explode,” Aubrey says seriously. “His genetic change happened so quickly that his body hasn’t had the chance to get used to it. We need to be as gentle as possible with him!”

  “If I wrap a vine around the base of his wings, will it make him explode?” I demand, digging through my pockets with one hand and holding onto Grandpa with the other. This whole not being able to fly thing SUCKS.

  “It shouldn’t, but I’m not going to swear to anything.”

  “It’s our best bet--we don’t want to kill him,” Dad says, “I would hate to have to get a new formal uniform.”

  I reach out, holding one hand out to Tank with a seed in my hand. The vines shoot out, tangling around his wings and drawing them together. Tank starts to fall, screaming loudly. Grandpa shoots forward to grab him--

  I fall off.

  ***

  It seems almost lazy, like the world’s slowed down, I think as I watch the world slowly heading for me--or I guess it’s me heading for it, huh? Maybe it’s part of my powers that make it seem slow. It feels good, whatever it is, I decide as I do a flip in the air. Sooner or later either Dad or Grandpa is going to come and get me--

  I look around. Nobody’s coming. Okay, maybe I spoke too soon, I think, feeling a little bit of panic hitting me. I don’t think I’ll survive hitting the ground. I reach up, touching my ear and saying Adanna’s name. What? If I’m going to die I should at least apologize for standing her up, right?

  “Sunny?” she asks.

  “Yeah, um, I’m sort of falling,” I say, “from pretty high, too.”

  “You idiot, why call ME?” she demands.

  “Cuz if I die I figured I’d at least say goodbye,” I say, stretching out as if lying on a bed. It’s harder than it seems, and I wind up flipping over a few times.

  “Would you just yell for help already?” she says.

  “Oh, right, good idea,” I say. “Gotta hang up, first,” I add, tapping the com. When I’m sure it’s hung up I let out a bellow. Two hands grab my wrist and I look up at Dad and Aubrey, who’s still in Dad’s arms. They both have a hold of me.

  “You took your time yelling,” she says.

  “Actually now that I think of it--let go, he won’t die from this height,” Dad says. “Maybe he’ll learn to fly!”

  They both let go. I’m going to fly--I’m going to fly--

  The tree that shoots up underneath me is far more welcome than I’ll ever admit, I think as it catches me in its branches. “Didn’t work!” I yell at Dad.

  “Eh, we’ll try it again later,” he says. “Da--Father! Do you have him?”

  He almost called Grandpa “Dad.” Did you notice that? I did.

  “I’ve got him,” Grandpa says as I drop out of the tree, “but he’s struggling. If I hold him too tightly will he explode?”

  I head over to where Grandpa is holding Tank. Tank is struggling, jerking this way and that wildly. It’s actually a little worrisome, considering that I accidentally killed my guinea pig in a similar manner. “Don’t hold him too tightly,” I say, “he could explode.”

  Aubrey jumps out of Dad’s arms and races over, grabbing for Tank’s arm--he lashes out, slashing her dress. She jumps back, letting out a yelp. I can see Grandpa get angry. His arms tighten--

  “STOP!” I bellow as I see Tank’s skin start to change color. “Just let him go! He’s going to explode!”

  Grandpa lets go. Tank races off on all fours, with a strange, jumping sort of run that reminds me of a wild animal. “We’re going to regret doing that,” Grandpa says to me.

  “That’s how the guinea pig exploded,” I say, feeling guilty. “I tackled it and it--it was SERIOUSLY disgusting, and he was a lot bigger than the guinea pig was.”

  “Will he survive?” Dad asks Aubrey.

  “I don’t know,” she admits, staring in the direction Tank ran. “He might. If he can live through the next few days without exploding I think, possibly, his body will adjust.”

  “We should find him and keep an eye on him,” Dad says. “I’ll call Double M and get someone on it.”

  “I’m kind of worried about him,” I admit.

  “I’m terrified for him,” Aubrey says simply before looking down at her dress. “How can I go to the party like this?” she asks, letting out a heavy sigh. “I was finally going to forgive Jack for the donut thing, too.”

  “We’ll pick you up a new dress,” Dad says, patting her on the back.

  I look at her, a frown escaping me. “Aub, was there anything you could have done for him?” I ask.

  She looks at me, a torn expression on her face. “I might never know,” she admits. “If he lasts the few days it’ll take him to stabilize, I’ll have them bring him back in. We’ll see if we can’t figure it out. I just don’t understand why it happened so quickly,” she says, looking at Dad and Grandpa. “What, exactly, did Doctor Hanks use?”

  “We’ll find out,” Dad says.

  ***

  “Why did you do it?”

  The question lingers in the air. It feels like a heavy weight pressing down on her. Ginger can’t even look up at Century, she feels so guilty. “He said if I didn’t do it, he would kill my sons,” she whispers. “They’re all I have. I had to do what I was asked.”

  “HOW did you do it?” Century asks, his tone not softening at all.

  “I was panicking,” she says. “They never got a super for me to use as a base. All they had was half a vial of--of this strange glowing liquid from the nineties! We lost what little research material he had from his last geneticist when we lost the first place, and most of that was pure speculation, as far as I could tell. I tried to figure out what the glowing liquid did, but I couldn’t seem to break it down OR reproduce it. All I knew was that it mutated that dog--who he sent up here because he considered it a failure. That’s not the same as being capable of fixing
the teenager.” She falls silent, her mind jumping back. “The boys, when we got into the underground base, they started to explore. They came to me when they found her.”

  “Her?”

  “The super in the tank,” she says, finally looking up, “the shape-shifter. She was kept in suspended animation in the deepest part of the base. We didn’t tell the--the man.”

  “Shape-shifter? Do you know her name?”

  “They had her call name in her files,” Ginger says, finally looking at him. “They called her Jersey Devil.”

  Century is silent for a long moment, staring at her before saying, “Jersey Devil was a man. It was several hundred years ago, though. Even he would be dead.”

  “This was a woman.”

  “Possibly a daughter?” Voltdrain offers from behind Century.

  “Here’s the important question,” Century says, moving closer and looking her in the eye, “Was she alive?”

  ***

  “I will NOT sit around as they paint my nails and pluck my eyes and do all those torturous actions to me!” Skye declares as she sinks through the roof of her base. She’d fully planned on going to the party--until she found out that it was a formal affair. Once Pan’s wife had brought out the curling iron, she had run as fast as her legs could take her. She has a new base to explore, which is far more interesting than putting on pantyhose. Of course, a real party would be fun--maybe she can talk Panther into having a party when she gets back! With candy and popcorn and piñatas! And CAKE!

  She dances down the halls of her new secret base, humming a song off-key as she goes. This place is perfect, although she’s going to need to get some smell-good stuff--it stinks down here. She pauses, waves a hand in an erratic motion, and promptly turns down a random hall. A room at the end of the hall is closed, with a huge “DO NOT ENTER” sign hanging on it.