by R. J. Ross
"So basically, we're just props," Max says. He's standing with a black haired girl who I figure is his girlfriend. Have to admit, she is pretty cute. Not as cute as Jetta, sure, but cute.
"Remember," Nico says, "Mimic's still out there somewhere, so be careful. Keep in groups, and don't wander off to do something stupid. You might be capes, but you're not that tough yet. Other than that, have fun and take notes on Jack's work--if you see any obvious screw ups, you get to point them out to him tomorrow."
"Thanks," Jack mutters.
"And no powers, unless you absolutely have to. Keep it from being flashy, even if that happens. This isn't your debut, it's the blonde chick's."
"Jetta," I say.
"Yeah, her." I get the feeling he's not very impressed by her.
"Why hasn't she and her sister been brought into the school?" Morgan asks.
"For certain capes the idea of having their precious children taught by an ex super villain is more than they can handle," Nico says bluntly. "Sure they'll use us to provide villains that make their kids look good, but they wouldn't dream of sending their up and coming brats over here for actual training."
"What branch are their parents?" Max asks.
"East."
"Then why is one of them in Jack's school?"
"As far as I can tell, she moved in with an aunt or someone when they began training her sister seriously," Nico says. "As if having her around will cause problems in her sister's training," he drawls almost to himself. We start to walk as he does, and I find myself sucked back into the crowd, with Justin--THE Justin--walking next to me, his hands in his pockets.
Why? I've got no idea. It's sort of creeping me out, until he speaks.
"I remember," he says quietly. "Something about you, at least."
"Where from?" I ask.
He looks at me, a little grin on his face. "As far as we can tell? The future." Then he walks on past me as I stop and stare at him in shock.
What?
I get bumped into and glance at the little black girl that did it. She grins at me widely. "You're gonna get left behind," she tells me, grabbing my jacket arm and tugging me along behind her. "Carla," she says.
"Uh," I say. Nice, right? But I'm not used to strangers willingly touching me. Even my own mother isn't very touchy feely, okay?
"No, it's Ace," she provides, as if I've forgotten my own name. "Remember? Your name is Ace, mine is Carla. I'm not used to strangers, either," she admits. "But Morgan says you're like us, right? And... you look lost," she adds, flushing slightly.
I feel lost. "Yeah," I say quietly.
"Carla," one of the guys says.
"Oh... um... but--" she says, looking to the other male and back to me. "I have to go," she says. "Vinny's a jerk, but--" she shrugs and runs forward. "Don't get left behind!" she adds back to me.
We pull to a stop at an empty park. The moon is starting to get higher in the sky, lighting the metal playground in an almost pretty light. It's abandoned, with only the creaking of metal chains filling the air. The wind is gently swaying one of the swings.
"Now," I hear Nico say. We all watch the tall man as he steps onto one of the swings. Music fills the air, a fast paced song about a party. I think I know the band, not that I would ever admit to listening to them. The supers around me look at each other in surprise, breaking into grins. Sure it's a few years old, but nobody seems to care. "Time to do your jobs as future capes. So get started, kids, make it look like a party."
You've never seen a dance until you've seen supers dancing. It's ridiculous and sometimes hysterical, but a handful of them actually have some good moves. Like Vinny? Vinny can dance, I think, watching the guy starts flipping and twisting in the middle of the group.
I glance over as Max steps up beside me. He holds out a water bottle with a silent move and I take it, following his eyes. "Do you usually do this?" I ask.
"Nope, first time. But not the last, I bet," he says as he finishes his own water and heads into the group.
I glance at Nico, who's now lounging on top of the swing set, drinking a beer. The music changes to something else fast paced and I almost jerk as someone in the crowd grabs my jacket sleeve, pulling me into the group of kids. I find myself dancing with Morgan, who's grinning widely as she bounces around. I have no idea how to dance, so I just sort of mimic her, moving with the thumping beat that is loud enough to be felt. She spins, her arms over her head, that huge grin contagious. My cheeks are hurting. I'm almost shocked to realize that I'm actually grinning back.
For a moment, as I watch her dance, I forget what we're here for. It's only when a flash of light catches my eye that I remember. I glance over, seeing Jack dancing with a softer looking girl. He's laughing as she forces his arm up so she can spin while holding onto his hand.
We're not here for a party, remember? But as soon as I think that I'm dragged into a group dance, which spreads like wildfire. I think it's called shuffling, but I've got no clue. All I know is that I suck at it, but it's really fun. I've never felt like this before, even when I go to the clubs. In the clubs I pretend I'm like the others, but here... here I really am, right?
The music stops abruptly with a screech as the cheap speaker gets broken. "I've finally found you," I hear Jetta say. She's standing on top of the playground tower, her hands on her hips. For a moment she looks confused, staring at the group below. I can see what she's thinking, since the worst thing that Jack is doing is dancing with a girl--who looks downright irritated at the interruption, if that expression on her face is an indicator.
Jack isn't nearly as thrown off as either female. He steps out of the crowd, his long coat flapping slightly in the wind. "You're looking for me?" he asks. "You must be looking for me, I don't figure anyone else had an appointment for the night."
"I might have," I hear someone say. Jack looks over his shoulder.
"No you didn't," he says.
"How do you know, you didn't ask."
"Seriously, Sunny, shuddup," Jack says. "So what's this about, blondie?"
"You're a super villain. It's my job as a hero to take you out," she says, pointing at him dramatically.
"We've got media in five," Nico calls almost lazily from where he's still lounging. "Make it look good, kids, we're doing this debut up right. I want to see terror and hear squealing, got it?"
"Wait, what?" Jetta asks. "You mean this--"
"Cape High kids," Max's girlfriend says. "So nobody will get hurt."
"Three minutes, forty seconds," Nico says.
"I'll be careful," Jack says to Aubrey, getting a kiss on the cheek.
"You'd better be," she says.
"Oh, how sweet," Jetta drawls. "Afraid I'll hurt you?"
"Nope. Afraid that I'll hurt you," Jack says, digging in his pocket and slipping his earbud on. He turns, looking straight at me. "You ready?" he asks. I realize I'm still wearing mine.
I nod, silently, not sure what I'm supposed to do. I can only think that she's got one up on him. I doubt he's faster than--I glance to my right as he sticks out his hand. A sewer lid, one of those super heavy ones meant to keep kids from getting it off, rattles and takes to the air, flying over to the metal teen. It hovers next to him and he steps on top of it.
"I said I don't run fast," he says over the com. "I didn't say I couldn't move."
"That's cheating!" Jetta says, only to turn red as the entire group looks over. "I can't fly yet!"
"So?" Nico asks. "Your family asked for my most prominent villain. Max declined--"
"I absolutely did," Max agrees.
"So you get the school's tinman," Nico goes on. "We only have two, you know. But asking for my best means he gets to do his worst. Now, have at it, the media's here." And then he's gone, leaving just the teens and the two who are about to fight.
"So basically," Jack says in my ear, "we're being used to showcase the capes raised traditionally, because there aren't many teen super villains."
"Who are you talking to? You'r
e not going to use these kids as help, are you?" Jetta demands, her expression angry. "It's bad enough that you have that stupid sewer lid!"
"I'm not the one getting help," Jack says cheerfully. "You are. Now get in character, I can feel a van pulling into the parking lot. They'll be here any moment."
"Wh--"
"Your lines, blondie. You have them, right?" he demands, looking almost bored.
The sounds of car doors closing make me glance over as a woman with big hair and a designer coat rushes over. She turns so her back is to us and faces the camera. Then she checks her hair, patting it to make sure the wind isn't tugging too hard on the plastered together strands. "Okay, in five, four, three--"
Jetta strikes a pose. Holy crap, did you know they actually did it this way? I mean, I've always sort of wondered, but this is ridiculous! It's more like they're actors than super--
"This is Mary Cunick from Fox Ten," the reporter starts out in a dramatic tone. "We're here where a lovely, if naive, young cape is calling out the dastardly Cold Steel--"
Jetta launches off of the tower, racing for Jack and slamming into him with a tiny fist--or she would have, had he not just dodged her completely. She catches herself nicely, twisting so she lands on her feet.
"Do you really think I'd let you ruin these kids' fun?" she demands. "What are you planning on doing with them? Hostages?"
"Actually I was thinking I'd turn them into lackeys," Jack says with an evil grin, going higher in the air on his sewer lid. The metal playground equipment starts to rattle all around us and I glance back as I hear a screeching noise. One of the smaller rocking toys has been pulled off of the spring and is floating behind Jetta. "You think you can take it?" Jack asks me over the earbud. "Since you already took a fist to the face with no problem."
"This is bigger than a fist," I mutter. Jetta races forward, jumping into the air and grabbing the sewer lid. She doesn't even seem to realize what's going on behind her. "I'll take it," I say as the toy starts forward. "NOO!" I bellow, jumping up and taking the hit of the toy full on.
"Dramatic," Jack says as the blonde turns and stares at me. I send the toy off course, holding on tightly as it plummets to the ground. She turns back to Jack, grabbing his pants to pull him off of the sewer lid and slam him to the ground.
"I told you these kids aren't for you!" she says, towering over him dramatically. "I won't allow evil like you to terrorize the youth of America!" Then she runs over to me, pulling me up from the toy and looking me over. "Are you okay, citizen?" she asks, looking concerned.
"Yeah, I think," I say, staring at her. What? Okay, we all know I'm playing the damsel in distress right now, but seriously--she's still really hot.
"He's getting away!" I hear someone say even as Jetta's moving closer. Dude, she's totally going to kiss me or something, right? I--
"I need to catch him," she says, pulling away. "Be more careful, next time," she tells me. "This is hero work, not civilian work." Then she races off in a dramatic fashion, leaving me totally abandoned.
Fun.
"Don't relax just yet," Jack says over the earbud. The media is packing up their things, the gang is cleaning up the broken stereo, but I sit up at the words.
"What's happened?" I ask. I feel like I'm part of the team right now. It's a foreign sensation.
"She's following me. Pretty fast for a B class, too. I can't exactly go back to the apartments with this annoying little blonde on my heels, you know."
I hear Nico let out a curse and realize he's listening in. "Okay, she's trying to herd you, isn't she?" he asks.
"Seems like it. She gets on my heels when she doesn't like where I'm headed. What should I do, go higher?"
"No, there's probably cameras picking up on this," Nico says. "Who do we have on hand?"
"Me," I say. "I'll help."
"Change your clothes and get a hat, then meet me in the Power and Light District," Jack says. "I'm pretty sure that's where she's pressing for."
"Or send over someone else," Nico says. "We're not going to force you to do the dirty work when you aren't even officially a student, Ace. Your dad would try and kill me."
"Try?" I repeat.
"Try," Nico confirms. "You've had a rough day--"
"Not to interrupt the touchy feely moment here, but either I run or she's going to catch me," Jack says. "Can I get an answer now?"
"Let her catch you. If she managed to get that far, she deserves drawing out the fight a bit," Nico says. "But be careful about damage, we weren't scheduled for that area. Ace, if you're in, get there now and try and distract her somehow, pull off a damsel in distress again. I'm going to alert the resident business owners."
"Do you see me wearing a skirt?" I complain even as I grab a hat off of one kid's head. "Gimme your shirt, Trent," I say as I tug the hat on. He shrugs it off and I trade it for mine before racing off. I know exactly where the Power and Light District is. This is going to get messy.
"No, but I can see you wearing eyeliner," Jack drawls.
"It's fashion," I mutter, feeling my neck get hot. It's not because I'm running again, either. I've done eyeliner before, okay? I was hoping it would make people certain that the creepy black eyes were just contact lenses to make me look more goth.
"You've seriously done it?" he asks, starting to laugh.
"Shut it. I had a reason!" I reply, coming into sight of the brightly lit party area. I look around, catching sight of the crowd watching Jetta first. She's running across the roofs of the building, chasing after Jack. I look at Jack. "So what do I do next?"
"Become my hostage," he says, veering down. The norms jump out of the way, dragging others that are too drunk to notice. I grunt as Jack's arm catches my waist, hefting me off the ground and onto the sewer lid.
"Has anyone seen Noelle?" No, it's not Jack that just asked that, it's Nico. For some reason the question makes me feel a bit uneasy, my mind going right back to that strange sensation I felt when I first saw the girl. But I've got no time to worry about it, because Jack is floating over the crowd, holding me by the waist with a finger pressing gently to my temple.
"You really think that'll work?" I whisper.
"I didn't happen to bring a gun with me, okay?" he mutters in return. "I'm warning you, Jetta," he calls out to the blonde on the ground. "Take one step closer and I'll finish him off."
"With your finger?" she asks blankly.
"You'd be surprised what I can do with a single finger," Jack says braggingly.
"What, like pick your nose?" I ask silently.
"That, too," he says.
"Dude, gross," I say, jerking my head away from the finger in question.
"Let the hostage go!" she orders.
I almost don't see it. There's an entire crowd of people below, one shouldn't stand out, but this one does. I watch in confusion as Noelle steps up behind Jetta. Jetta is completely oblivious, even as Noelle raises a hand.
"Let go," I say, my instincts screaming that something bad is about to happen. Why? Noelle is just a girl! Sure, she's a super, but she's still just a teenager--the hand lands on Jetta's shoulder and I stop thinking logically, giving into my instincts.
"DON'T TOUCH HER!" I bellow. The sky turns dark abruptly, cracks of lightning flashing even without rain. I don't know what just happened, but I'm jumping off of the sewer lid and crashing into the two girls. A lightning bolt hits Jack behind me, but I barely even notice as I jerk Noelle away from Jetta.
The grin on Noelle's face doesn't fit. It's too large, too creepy, and followed by a tiny hand that reaches for my face.
The world goes black as I get slammed into unconsciousness.
CHAPTER FOUR
The sharp, snapped out curse makes the entire group glance over as Nico races from the shadows and leaves them all behind. For a moment they stand there, looking at each other, then Max heads over to Morgan. "Take your group back to the dorm," he says.
"But Ace--" she starts out.
"Nico's on it," he say
s. "We need to get everyone somewhere safe. Like he said, Mimic is still out there." He must see her look of guilt because he drops a hand on her shoulder. "Now isn't the time to worry about it. Now is the time to focus on what you can do as a leader, right?"
"Do we even know what happened to send Nico running off like that?" Vinny asks. "I don't think he usually does that for anyone."
"It must have something to do with Noelle," Morgan says. "Maybe she got caught up in something she shouldn't have. I wouldn't put it past her."
***
It's too late, Nico realizes as the crowd parts in front of him, letting him through. Jack is somewhere hiding, he'd sent him off rather than let him stick around like he wanted to. The little blonde is crouched over Ace's body, looking panicked. She looks up at Nico, her mouth opening.
"Don't," he says, holding up a hand. He crouches down next to the boy and touches his throat, checking for a pulse. "Tell me exactly what happened," he orders after a second of counting. He's alive. He's just unconscious.
"Cold Steel had him hostage, but all of a sudden Ac--this guy started shouting and jumped on me and this other girl, one in a strange fluffy skirt. She had black curly hair," Jetta says. "I don't know what happened, I mean, the sky went dark and lightning hit Cold Steel, but--the girl, she touched his face and he went unconscious," she finishes.
"Where's the girl?" Nico asks.
Jetta jerks, looking around. "I--I don't know," she admits. "I was so shocked when he fell--"
"It's fine," he lies. It's not fine. Mimic had been right under his nose--hiding in his own school--and he hadn't even noticed! But... why had he waited to make a move until Ace came around?
An ambulance siren catches his attention and he looks up, seeing a norm's ambulance heading for them. Someone must have called them. He snorts and picks the boy up in a princess hold. "Get rid of them," he says to Jetta. "I'm taking him to our healer." He takes to the air before she can protest, racing through the air back to the canyon.
"Healer?" she repeats, blankly watching them go. "You've even got a healer?" The only reply she got was the rise in the siren's screams.
