by J. D. Wright
There were several others, but Nick was afraid to get too sidetracked and be late to his next class. He was about to close off the tab when he saw the very acronym he was looking for. In the bottom-right corner of the page was S.U.C. in lettering so light that it almost blended in with the page. He clicked on the link and the new page loaded.
It was blank. Well, almost.
There was only one line of text and a short text box beside it. Then there was a small button below. The line said, ‘What is your power?’
Nick stared at the screen for a moment, unsure if he should bother with it. It was probably some fake page that would take him to a porn site or something. But his curiosity got the better of him. He turned the volume down just in case a moaning woman popped up if he was wrong about this. Then he clicked in the text box, typed ‘mind reading,’ and clicked on the button.
The page changed to just a single line of text now. ‘Thank you. You will be contacted shortly.’
“What?” he mumbled.
How could anyone contact him when they hadn’t even asked for his name or email address? No phone number, either. What the hell?
Irritated now, he closed the browser and went off to class.
The end of the day couldn’t have come soon enough. Nick left some of his books in his locker and tucked the rest into his bag before tossing it over his shoulder. The entire time, he tried to ignore the girl in the locker next to him, who was mentally arguing with herself about whether she should ask her friend’s older brother to prom.
Nick thought it was admirable, the way the girl was worried about how her friend would react. Most people would do whatever they wanted without a care for how others would feel. He had seen it time and time again with the cases his father tried in court. Selfish people with no respect for others or their property, taking what they wanted no matter who it hurt.
The girl walked away and Nick almost felt a sense of disappointment that he wouldn’t get to see how that story played out. He’d have to keep an eye—or an ear—out for her later.
On the walk out to the parking lot, he contemplated his own crisis, but it wasn’t the mind reading that bothered him right now. It was Scarlet and her apparent multiple betrayals that plagued him. He could go on as they had been and pretend he didn’t know. They would undoubtedly be crowned prom king and queen and take hundreds of graduation pictures as Guillotine High School’s happy couple. He could fake it until they went their separate ways over the summer.
But he just didn’t want to.
The rain had recently stopped and the sun was peeking through the clouds. Nick thought it was a good representation of the way he felt at the moment, like a cloud had lifted and shown him the light. This had happened to him for a reason. Maybe this was a gift from his mother. Sure, he thought it felt more like a curse, but there could be an upside to it, right?
He spotted his girlfriend standing in front of her red convertible, talking to a few other girls. He strolled over, and when Scarlet saw him, she immediately left the group and walked toward him.
“Listen,” she said, “me and the girls were thinking about going to the—”
“We’re done, Scarlet,” he interrupted. “I’m dumping you.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
Scarlet stared at him with an open mouth for several seconds before she snapped her lips together and scowled. “No.”
“That wasn’t a question, Scarlet.”
“You can’t break up with me, Nick.” Her voice was firm but her eyes showed a gleam of uncertainty. “Not right before prom!”
“I can break up with you whenever I want. And I just did.”
Scarlet shrieked, drawing attention to them. “What kind of monster are you?”
Nick stepped forward and lowered his voice. “I’m the monster? Have you ever been faithful to me in the entire two years that we’ve been together? At all?”
She stuttered, but no reply came out.
“I didn’t think so,” he said, crossing his arms. “You deserve this, Scarlet. And I don’t deserve to be cheated on. You’re free to fuck whoever you want, so be my guest.”
Now, she looked furious. “Who told you that? I will kill them. They’re lies and you are too smart to believe that.”
“I have it on good authority that it’s the truth.” The best authority, he thought. Straight from you.
Seeing her current tactic wasn’t working, she changed to a new one and softened her face, biting her lip in a way that Nick used to think was cute…but not anymore. Even the tears pooling in her eyes did nothing to sway him.
“I made a mistake,” she said. Looking around to see how much of an audience they were playing to, she upped her game and added, “I love you, Nick.”
Nick laughed. He couldn’t stop himself. And he felt a bit of satisfaction when she reared back as if he had slapped her with his amusement.
“You don’t love anyone other than yourself, Scarlet. I’ve known that all along, but I overlooked it for two years because I thought you might finally grow up one day. I guess I was wrong.”
Before she could argue again, he turned and walked away. But that didn’t stop her from calling out to him as he left.
“You—You’re just angry that you weren’t enough for me! Want to know why I cheated? Because you couldn’t keep me happy, Nick! Nicholas! Get back here!”
He ignored her. He didn’t stop until he got to his jeep.
“That’s rough, man,” Mitchell said, frowning. “I’m sorry. I wish I’d known she was running around behind your back.”
“Yeah,” Travis had the gall to say. “She’s just a slut. You can do better.”
Nick glared at Travis for a moment, considering his options. Obviously, it takes two to have sex, and Scarlet hadn’t done it by herself. This betrayal was a double-edged sword since she’d done it with his best friend. He could ask Travis when he banged Scarlet and why he never told him. But even though he knew there was a possibility that it didn’t happen in the past two years, he didn’t really believe that. Travis had slept with his girlfriend. He was sure.
Before he could talk himself out of it, Nick gave a short laugh then made a fist, drew his arm back, and swung with all of his might. His fist connected with the corner of Travis’ chin. Travis stumbled back, muttering a curse, and rubbing his face.
Mitchell put his hand on Nick’s shoulder to stop him from swinging, again, but Nick was done. He didn’t give Travis or Scarlet another glance. He got into his jeep, slammed the door, and peeled out of the parking lot as if getting out of there was a matter of life or death.
Chapter Seven
The doorbell rang and Vada jumped up, running to answer it. She flung the door open and didn’t even bother with a greeting. She just reached out and pulled James into the house.
“I can’t wait to see it!” she squealed. “I didn’t know it would be done so fast!”
James laughed and held up the long black bag used to hide the contents. “They’re super fast because they’re…well, supers.”
Vada took the bag from him and he followed her into the backyard. The Lawsons’ home might look like a normal residential house to outsiders, but it held a few secrets. For example, the unattached garage appeared to be just a place to store cars, but it was really a top-notch gym.
That’s where Vada went now, placing her hand on the fingerprint scanner used to gain entrance. What looked like an average garage door slid to the side and Vada followed James inside. The door automatically closed behind them. They had to walk down an entire flight of stairs to reach the lower level. This space was purposely lowered into the ground because paired with the high ceilings, it provided a large area for Josh to practice flying when he was younger.
Garret was inside already, finishing up a game on the simulator. The device, aptly named The Simulator, was a new way for supers to train with their powers and most weapons. It didn’t yet have exercises for every super ability, but
the company added updates often. Garret’s current drill was sparring with a pair of swords against a virtual partner.
Vada ignored her brother’s protests for invading his training time. She went over to a wall that held plaques of their parents’ achievements and pressed a button on the keypad. The wall sunk into the floor and revealed the “closet.”
Only, this wasn’t anyone’s run of the mill closet. It was a giant walk-in room with separate spaces for each family member’s supersuits and accessories. They passed by Siege and Comet’s spaces, where Bill and Michelle’s extra suits hung. Josh’s space was mostly empty because he’d decided not to join the family business.
Majestic’s spot was next, and Vada hung the bag on the hook in the center. She pinched the zipper between her fingers, took a deep breath, and pulled it down. The only sound in the room was the plastic teeth of the zipper as it opened. Vada and James held their breath, waiting for the big reveal. When Vada separated the bag, they both gasped.
“Eeeek! It’s perfect, James!” Vada jumped into his arms and squeezed so tightly he grunted.
“Sure your minor power isn’t super strength?” he asked, laughing when she released him.
“I have to try it on. Like, now.”
James took this as his cue to give her some privacy. He slipped back into the main part of the gym, letting the closet door close behind him.
Once alone, Vada became Majestic, one piece at a time. Her bodysuit was deep red with a gold starburst pattern sewn into the stretchy fabric. It looked exactly like the concept image James had come up with. She peeled this piece on and it fit like a second skin, covering her entire body from the neck down. Then she stepped into the dark purple boots before pulling on and fastening her matching purple waist-belt and wrist-cuffs.
Lastly, she held her mask up to her face and slid the band around her head. It was self-tightening, so once the mask touched her skin, it automatically constricted until it fit securely. The mask was shaped much like a traditional eye mask, except instead of a rounded design, the top and bottom corners curled into points. Vada had chosen this shape because it reminded her of a masquerade mask. She thought it fit perfectly for someone with a name of Majestic.
With everything on now, Vada turned around and walked to the end of the room, stopping in front of the mirror. Oh! It really was perfect and exactly what she had imagined in her mind. How had James been able to capture what she wanted so well when even she hadn’t been able to? Because he was a frickin’ genius, that’s why!
She pulled a ponytail holder out and considered what hair style she would wear with her suit. For now, she’d just tie it back to keep it out of the way. Once her hair was secured, she gave herself one last glance in the mirror before going out to the gym to join James and her brother.
James whistled when he saw her. “Looks good, Vay! Oh, I mean, Majestic,” he added with a wink.
“I don’t know how you did it, James, but I love it.”
“Good.” He walked over to a table and opened the duffle bag he’d also brought with him. “But when you are in disguise, don’t forget that I am too.”
“That’s right. Sorry. We haven’t decided on your name yet.”
Garret walked over and leaned on the table. “What name? He’s an agent, right? They don’t need super names.”
“Not a super name,” James said. “A codename. I’ve been thinking about that, and I still don’t know. It needs to be something that is unique to me but not too unique to where others will guess my identity.”
Garret thought about it for a second then smiled. “Whiskey.”
“What?”
“Your name is Jameson. Jameson Irish Whiskey. And whiskey is a—”
“Letter of the phonetic alphabet, so it won’t be conspicuous. Garret, I could kiss you!” James gave the boy a punch in the shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah. But keep your nasty lips to yourself.” He returned to the simulator and started another game.
“So then, Whiskey,” Majestic said, smiling. “Tell me about my suit.”
“Right, then. Your bodysuit is, of course, fireproof, bulletproof as long as it isn’t close range, and a nonconductor of electricity to a certain extent. I can also see what you see when you are wearing the suit because it has micro-cameras embedded.”
“Good.”
“Your wrist-cuffs have your tracking device implanted. But if they’re ever lost,” he tapped the purple letter “M” in the center of her chest, “your actual suit has a backup tracker built in.”
“Okay.”
“The mask had an option for a communication device but I wanted to use my own, so…” He dug around in his bag, and took out a small round earpiece and a few other tiny parts. Then he fastened the bits to her mask and slid the earpiece into her ear. “We’ll test it out after we get everything else taken care of.”
Next, Whiskey attached a few things to Majestic’s belt, wrists, and boots. She stood there obediently, letting the wizard work his magic. When he seemed to be finished, he stepped back and dusted off his hands while looking her over.
“It seems like I’m forgetting something,” he mumbled.
“This feels heavier than it looks.” Majestic swung her hips around, trying to get a feel for the waist-belt now that there were several items attached to it.
“It will take some getting used to. Oh, yeah. That’s what I forgot.” He turned around and rooted through his bag, finally finding what he was looking for. “Aha!”
Vada looked down when Whiskey placed something into her hand that looked like a compact for concealer. She turned it over in her hand and frowned. “I’m wearing a mask. Pretty sure I won’t need any makeup.”
Whiskey chuckled, then leaned forward and spoke into the compact, “Prest-o change-o.”
Vada felt a light wind whish over her and a weight lifted from her waist. When she looked down, she gasped. Her supersuit was gone and replaced with the last outfit that she’d worn prior to the suit, down to the same flip-flops that she had just thrown on to walk outside. In less than a second, she had gone from wearing her super identity back to being Vada.
“That’s awesome!” she squeaked.
“It’s a work in progress, overall.” James took the compact and studied it. “You have to say the passcode loud enough for it to hear you, but you don’t have to be holding it. That’s the best part of it. I synced it to your suit when it arrived this afternoon. So everything that you leave attached to your suit when you send it into the compact will be there when you change back into it. The downside is that it will only let you wear the clothes you wore before summoning your suit. So if you’re in your pajamas when you change—”
“I’ll be in my pajamas when I change back. Got it.”
“Now.” He tucked the compact into the pocket of her jeans. “Say the words.”
“Prest-o change-o.” She smiled when her clothes instantly changed back into her supersuit. “That passcode, though?”
Whiskey laughed. “I thought it would be funny. But we can change it to whatever.”
“No, it’s fine. Prest-o change-o, it is…oh, crap.” Majestic’s clothes changed again, and she had to repeat the phrase once more to get back into her suit.
“Yeah, maybe we should change that to something else. A word that you’re less likely to say on accident.”
“It’s okay. I won’t say it, again. At least, not on purpose.”
Whiskey pointed to a small fastener on her waist-belt where the compact was already securely attached. “Your compact will return to your waist-belt when you’re in your suit. That way, you’ll always have it, even if you have to ditch your stuff somewhere.”
“Okay.”
“Next to your compact is a pouch with mist bombs.”
“Like smoke bombs?”
“Yeah, but safer because they use fewer chemicals. Good for when you need to make a quick getaway. You also have an electrolaser. Don’t worry, we’ll get to that later.” He walked behind M
ajestic and tapped her belt. “Back here, I put a flashlight and binoculars. I’ll be adding things and making changes as we go and realize everything you’ll need.”
Majestic turned toward him with a smile on her face. “Thanks, James. I don’t think I could have done this without your help.”
“It’s Whiskey, remember?” he teased. “And you could have, but you would have had to ask your parents for help, instead. So, you’re welcome.”
Majestic laughed. “So, now what?”
Whiskey walked over to the table, zipped up his bag, and tossed it over his shoulder. “We should probably go test out the communication and tracking devices. A trial run or something.”
The sun had almost set, but the alley was dark when Majestic rounded the corner. She reached behind her and took her small flashlight from her waist, clicking it on and shining it around.
“I’m in the alley,” she said.
“Yeah, I can see that,” Whiskey replied flatly into her earpiece. “Don’t forget that I can see what you can see. Or at least, what’s in front of you, even though I’m miles away. Just pretend that I’m right beside you because, in theory, I am. Now, let’s work on your communication. Speak in different volumes and let me see how low you can go before I lose your voice.”
Majestic began to sing the words of her favorite song as she walked around in the empty backstreet behind her school. With each line, she lowered her voice a bit, until she was barely above a whisper when Whiskey cut in.
“That’s probably as low as you’ll be able to go. A harsh whisper. If you have to talk lower, I could enhance the sound to hear you but it would take a while and we may not always have time for me to do that.”
“Talk above a whisper. Got it.”
“Try out your binoculars, next.”
