by R. J. Ross
I have no choice, I think, bending at the knees and jumping as high as I can with the little girl in one arm. My fingers brush against the shingles of the roof, but I know I'm not going to make it--
A hand catches mine, hauling me onto the building. I look up at Jack, wondering when he had gotten there.
"Good job," he says, patting my head, "but not good enough," he adds, and shoves me off the building.
I scream.
***
"Nico, we've got a problem," Max says over his earbud, looking at the group surrounding him. It had been easy enough to block the attack on himself, since it was a large scale attack rather than aimed, but he’s worried about Trent. The other teen has gone perfectly still, his hands clenched at his sides. He moves closer, trying to read his mind--
'Ye, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death--'
Max doesn't recognize the words, but it seems that it's keeping Trent from freaking out. That's all he really needs. He reaches up, pressing a hand to Trent's forehead and tapping into his mind. A wall that's already building itself develops fully in Trent's mind.
Trent looks up. "Thanks," he says. “Emily?” he asks, looking for his girlfriend.
“I’m looking for them, but I don’t have much experience, and I’m still fighting off the attack,” Emily says, touching her temples even though it doesn’t help. It’s probably for the look of it—she is from the Star Spangled school of posing, after all.
“Don’t worry about that right now. We need to clean this mess up,” Max says as he turns to Aubrey, only to curse as he sees the healer floating. There's a bright glow surrounding her that's about to go off if he doesn't wake her from her terror.
He takes to the air, trying to push through her natural defenses without hurting her. It's like shoving through pure honey, he thinks as he grits his teeth and pushes harder. The power pulses and then shoots out in all directions. That brief moment allows him to reach her--
"Don't stop her!" Emily says as his fingers touch Aubrey's forehead.
"What?" Max asks.
"I think she’s helping people break free," she explains. “It’s sort of that instinctive thing she does—”
"But she's stuck," Max says, pressing a hand to Aubrey's forehead and breaking her free of the terror that's gripping her. "I would let millions of norms suffer a bit of a fright before I let one of our own," he says coldly.
"That's not very considerate," Aubrey says, landing. Her eyes stop glowing.
"Sure it is--especially when I think the two of us working together can do it without freaking out," he says. "Take my hand--"
"Wait," Trent says. "Keliah, Carla and Bombastic are in there. We HAVE to get them first before they hurt someone."
"Point," Max says. "I'll go after Bombastic, you go after Carla, you're the only one that has a chance of keeping up with her. Emily, you take Keliah. Meet back here. Aubrey, try and free as many as you can while we're gone."
The group nods and heads out, leaving Aubrey standing on the roof with her hands out to the crowds, her eyes closing and her jaw tightening as she tries her best.
***
I feel arms wrap around me--and more arms, until I'm almost suffocating from being hugged. Vaguely, as if from a distance, I hear a voice in my mind. "I'm not as strong a telepath as Max is, but maybe--Keliah, can you hear me?"
I jerk, another rush of fear running through me. Emily--she hates me--
"I don't hate you," she says. "You just hit a sore point with me--several sore points. Come on, Keliah, we need a wall. Picture a wall," she orders me.
I can still see Jack shoving me off the wall, feel the feet trampling me into the ground--
"A wall, Keliah. Picture the bricks--one brick, two bricks, red brick, blue brick--" she says. "You can do it, blondie. Just build a little wall--good. That's a good wall."
It looks like it's made of Lego's, I think as my imaginary wall starts to grow. I add a few painted bricks, since it's my wall, and there should be a little sniper hole--
"No holes," she says.
"Every castle needs... a sniper hole," I protest softly.
"No holes. Not until you're older," she tells me with a hint of amusement. "We need to shut this thing out completely. Also, Jack isn't even here, so that was completely in your head."
"He's not?" I ask, feeling a hint of hope.
"No. And he isn't the type to shove you off a building until you're closer to flying. Well, mostly. He'd probably toss some people off before that. But not cute little girls," she says.
"I don't--I don't like him more than I like Aubrey," I admit, not really paying attention to what I'm saying. My mind is almost fully focused on the wall I'm building. "Aubrey's too nice to steal her boyfriend."
She lets out a little, surprised laugh. "She is, isn't she?" she says. "She's here. She was worried about you."
"She's here?" I ask, jerking to the present as my mental wall is completed. I find myself being hugged by all three versions of Emily, and face to face with one of them. She grins at me. "Nice to have you back," she says. "It almost got me, too."
"What was it?" I ask, trying to squirm free of their hold.
"Fear," Emily says. "It was fear."
My eyes widen. "I need to get to Grandpa," I say, jerking free completely and looking around. "Why can't I FLY ALREADY!" I complain angrily.
"Max is going after him," she says. "Nico's looking for the source, and Century is on his way. We need to get you somewhere safe, Keliah. I know you need to get to your grandpa, but you're not on a level--"
"I don't CARE," I tell her. "He's MY grandpa! I'm not going to leave him alone--he's been alone for far too long! And he gets moody! Someone has to pull him out of it! I need someone to pull ME out of it, and so does he!"
"You don't understand, Keliah," she says, her voice far too calm and reasonable. "Fear makes capes way more dangerous than anger does. Do you really think he'll listen to you?" she asks.
"I have to try," I say.
"Then that's what we're going to do," she says as the other two disappear. "Hold on tight," she tells me, hugging me again. I blink and we're standing on a building near the middle of the park. I look around wildly, only to stop at the sight of Max and Grandpa facing off in mid-air. It's tense and I almost scream as Grandpa changes completely, his skin black with orange cracks. He rushes forward, slamming into Max with an outraged bellow.
"MASSTERIA!" The scream echoes in my mind as the two slam into the ground. "GIVE ME BACK MY GRANDDAUGHTER!"
"GRANDPA!" I bellow, jumping off of the roof and racing to them. I grab his shoulders, ignoring how it burns my hands. "GRANDPA I'M RIGHT HERE!" I bellow. "That's not Massteria--that's Max!"
I tug, my palms burning and blistering, but he doesn't budge until Max presses a hand to his face.
He turns back, naked save for a tiny strip of material, and shocked. I fall back, starting to cry with relief and pain. My hands, I think, looking at them--they're already starting to heal, thankfully.
"Keliah?" Grandpa says, turning to me. "Sweetheart--your hands," he says, looking stunned as he sees what I'm looking at. I shove them behind my back, only to cover my eyes with them a second later.
"I told you not to burn your pants off, Grandpa," I say, laughing a bit weakly.
"Oh," he says, letting out a curse and covering himself. "I'll be right back," he says, rushing away.
"How are your hands?" Max asks, making me look over. "You grabbed him."
"They're tender, but healing," I admit, looking at them. "I'd do it again," I say, stubbornly.
"I know you would," he says, standing and ruffling my hair. "Good job. Now get your grandpa and get out of here."
I nod, hesitating. "What about Carla?" I ask.
"Trent's on it," Emily says. "If any of our team can catch her, it's him."
"Or me," Max says. "So I'll just be going, now." He takes to the air, and I automatically glance at the screens above our heads.
; "He's totally ruining what's left of his villain rep, now, isn't he?" I comment.
"Absolutely," Emily agrees. "Sucks to be him!"
***
"We've got incoming," Massteria says, looking up from his work, "from both sides. Technico is searching for us and Century's on his way--"
"I can take them," Deathblow says arrogantly.
"You can take them on your own," Massteria says, dropping his hands. "I'm out of here. Century has that time stopping thing."
"So you're just going to leave Boombastic?" Deathblow demands as the smaller man jumps off the building and starts to run. Reluctantly he chases after him, intent on getting an answer.
"I've taken care of him--for now," Massteria says. "He's about to get a message from one of my little plants."
"Plants? I thought you were a psychic type--"
"Don't be a moron," Massteria says. "I planted a THOUGHT in one of the more susceptible norms. He should be finding him about now."
They race away, AWAY from the direction that Century is coming from.
***
Austin pulls out a pair of sweatpants from the empty store, looking at them for a moment before shrugging and tugging them on. They’re too short, and rip slightly where the ankle elastic goes around his calves, but it’s better than being naked.
“Boombastic?” someone says from behind him. He turns, staring blankly at a little boy.
“Where are your parents, kid?” he asks.
“I have a message for you,” the boy says. “Massteria says that you’ve got a pretty granddaughter.” He goes still, and suddenly his eyes fill with tears. “Where am I? Where’s my mommy? WHERE’S MY MOMMY?” he wails.
Austin barely notices the boy freaking out. The message is repeating in his mind, over and over again. Massteria says he’s got a pretty granddaughter…
His mind goes back to the Cape Cells escape, reliving it so clearly that it feels like he’s there all over again.
It’s the usual day for Austin. For the next hour or so he’ll sit there, staring at the television until his brain almost fries, then he’ll get up and workout for a few hours. That’s a bit more of a challenge in the uniform, but not enough to keep his mind busy. Dinner will show up at seven on the dot, after which he’ll read one of the dozen books that he’d been given—probably the Bible. He’s already gone through the history books and practically memorized all the mechanic text books. There’s a pile of designs on his desk, which he’ll hand over to the robots when he’s certain the math is right. Then he’ll write another letter—
The lights flicker overhead and he jerks, looking at the ceiling. That never happens. The room goes dark. The collar on his neck sparks dangerously, just once, and all of a sudden he can feel most of his power flowing back into him. He reaches up, touching it with the barest tip of his finger before ripping it off entirely. “Do not move!” he hears Harry shout. “You’re not going anywhere!”
The sound of a wall collapsing says that the others aren’t listening. “We’re FREE!” Massteria bellows excitedly.
“Take this place down!” Deathblow shouts.
“I will avenge my fellow sea-dwellers!” Atlanti shouts.
The dramatic shouts are coming from all around. It’s only Bombastic that is staring blankly at the remains of his collar. He heads to the nearest wall, pressing his hand to it. The cracks spread over the concrete, glowing red before the wall explodes. He stares at it for all of a second before he hears the guards rushing for his branch.
“Massteria!” he hears Deathblow bellow. “Do your thing!” The sound of machines being destroyed come from the same direction.
“I don’t work for you!” Massteria yells back before saying a single word—a word that will echo in Bombastic’s memory for a very long time. “Gingerbread.”
The sound of running feet stops and suddenly Bombastic can hear fists slamming into flesh and grunts of pain. Bombastic steps boldly out of his room, looking around blankly for a moment before destroying the wall in front of him. It will take too long to make it through the maze of the Cape Cells. At any moment an entire Hall of heroes is going to show up. He wants to see the sun without being collared like a dog, just once. He goes through another wall, and another. Just one brief glimpse of freedom, he thinks as he steps through the final wall, looking up at the sun. His arms go out as he soaks up the sensation.
“Don’t just stand there like a moron,” Deathblow says from behind him. He’s dragging one of the black suited guards behind him. “Take out whatever guards are left.”
“Don’t kill him,” Bombastic says. Deathblow slams a fist into the guard’s chest before dropping him. Bombastic lets out a curse. “I just said—”
“Since when did you turn all goody goody, Boombastic?” Deathblow demands. “You’re the one that took out most of the building,” he adds, waving at the rubble of the Cape Cells.
“I was—”
“Enough of this!” Atlanti says, stepping out of the rubble. She looks down at the black shirt that brushes the top of her thighs. “Legs,” she says in disgust. “Ugly, rigid, lacking in all ways—”
“Unless you’re in the middle of Missouri,” Massteria says, stepping out from behind her. He’s a small, scrawny looking man with a weasel-like face. “We don’t exactly have ocean front property around here. Nice job on the building, Boombastic, they’ll be rebuilding for months,” he adds with a sarcastic tone that doesn’t quite fit. Massteria’s M.O. is sarcasm, so much so that he doesn’t seem able to change his inflection anymore.
“That was—” Bombastic says, looking at it, himself.
“Enough talk,” Deathblow says, looking at each of them in turn. “Where’s the scientist?” he demands.
“That new girl?” Massteria asks. “She’s probably still in there. What does it matter?”
“Huh,” Deathblow says.
“Standing here is just going to get attention,” Bombastic says, seeing the larger male looking thoughtfully at the building where the sound of fighting is still going strong. “How long will your freak-out thing last, Massteria?”
“I’m working on a very low level brainwashing,” Massteria says, still vaguely sarcastic in tone. “The more powerful ones will be breaking free soon.”
“For now,” Deathblow says, his lips pulling back in a predatory smile, “we run.” He’s gone before the others can react.
“I hate that guy,” Massteria says.
“We all do. He smells like bloodlust,” Badmoon says, the first thing he’s said since the escape. The others look at him, a bit surprised to hear even that. Before they can reply, Badmoon is wolfing out and racing away on all fours. Bombastic looks at the sky, taking in a deep breath; he DID destroy most of the building. They won’t be happy with that, he thinks as he runs, as well. Might as well see how far he can go.
He’s seen how far, he thinks now, his hand shaking slightly. It got him to where his granddaughter is in the sights of Massteria. He looks at the shaking hand, glaring at it angrily and clenching his fist, the arm changes, going black and cracked. If Massteria thinks he’s going to run, he’s got another thought coming. Austin might have been trying to play by the rules up until now, but the time for that is over.
NOBODY messes with his family.
But first, he thinks as he looks out the window, he needs to make sure Keliah is safe.
***
The blur rushes past so fast that it sucks the air with it, Trent thinks as the frantic Carla races past him. He takes to the air, trying to see what she's doing from above. There might not be a method to her actions, he thinks, but there's always the chance--
He blinks as he sees her pick up a screaming child, racing to a building and putting the little one inside. She's gone in a second and back with another one--
"Max?" Trent says, touching his earbud. "Do you think there's a chance that Carla is unaffected?"
"Why do you ask that?" Max asks from beside him. Trent looks over, a tiny bit surprised t
o find him there.
"Because she's pulling all of the kids out of the crush and placing them in a building--I think she's going for the littlest ones first."
"She is?" Max asks, looking as surprised as Trent had felt earlier. He frowns and looks down, focusing closely--"It's practically impossible to read her mind in this crowd. I can pick it out, sure, but she's thinking in hyper speed."
"Does she feel scared to you?" Trent asks.
"Terrified," Max admits, "but I think that's what her driving force IS right now," he goes on. "Nico, what should we do?"
"Let her keep going," Nico says over their earbuds. "If she's cognizant enough to realize what's going on through her fear, she'll break free of it soon enough."
“I hate doing that, though,” Max says. “I don’t like one of ours' being terrified.”
"If Nico’s right, she won’t be that way for long," Trent says. "I'll help her," he decides. "You go back and help Aubrey try to break down the assault. Nico, have you found the source?"
"They're gone--but we have another problem to deal with at the moment," Nico says. "Get to work, boys. we want this cleaned up before someone gets seriously hurt."
"Yes, sir," Max says with a slight scowl, flying away. Trent takes a deep breath and dives toward the mass of panicking people. He floats over their heads, surveying them to see who's most in danger. His eyes fall on a boy on crutches and he races towards him, only to stop as Carla appears right in front of him.
"YOU WILL NOT HURT THEM!" she snarls, jumping and tackling him to the ground.
"Carla! Carla, it's me!" he says as she slams rapid punches into his stomach. He almost feels them, he thinks as she goes faster and faster. "Carla, it's Trent! I'm here to help!"
"Don't lie to me!" she says, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You're a super that's threatening to hurt my siblings! I won't let you!"
"Carla, I PROMISE I'm not trying to hurt anyone," he says, wrapping his arms around her and hauling her into a hug. "Think, Carla, we went on a 'date' across the country? I got you that stuffed pony you sleep with at night? I'm Trent--I'm your friend!" he says, ignoring the way she's literally vibrating to try and get free of his hold. It slows down after a second as her eyes focus on him.
