by R. J. Ross
"No, I just need some information from her," Liz says as he knocks on the door and opens it.
"Excuse me, can we speak with Jenna?" he asks. Liz, on the other hand, is staring at the teacher he's talking to with a stunned expression on her face.
She'd never thought she'd see Banshee in a straight skirt, after all.
***
"This one next!" Jetta says, dragging the goth boy behind her with a huge grin on her face. The looks on peoples' faces, she thinks in glee--she's almost positive that some of them recognized her from her debut. Going to the Power and Light District had been GENIUS! "I want to ride the Firefly Twister next!"
"Firefly," Ace says, looking at the poster in front of the ride. "She's an interesting one."
"I know," Jetta agrees. "She's amazing. I mean, I know Star Spangled is S class, too, but Firefly is so much cooler. Why don't they ever make movies about female supers?" she asks him as they get in line. "I mean, they're making a Mega movie, right? But Firefly is way cooler than Mega ever will be--" She stops as her phone vibrates against her leg. "Oh, I've got a text," she says.
He has this bored expression on his face that tells her he really doesn't want to be here. He could at least fake it, she thinks irritably as she checks her phone.
JENNA: r u alone?
JETTA: no, I'm on a date
JENNA: w/Ace?
JETTA: yah
JENNA: get away from him.
Jetta looks up at Ace, that same worried ache coming back. "What's the problem, Jetta?" Ace asks.
JETTA: y?
JENNA: where r u?
Jetta hesitates again, glancing up at Ace--but it's one too many times. She yelps as he grabs her wrist, pulling the phone out of her hand. Then, to her complete shock, he starts takes to the air, floating far over her head as he starts typing on her phone.
JETTA: who R U w/right now?
JENNA: what?
JETTA: Who's w/U? R they from Central?
There's a long moment where there's no reply, but he doesn't need one. "Can they track this?" he asks Jetta. She's still staring up at him with a terrified expression. "Does it have GPS tracking?" he demands when she doesn't reply. Slowly she nods. "Time to go, then," he says crushing the phone before swooping down and grabbing her around the waist.
"Who are you?" she asks. "Ace can't fly--right?"
"But Mimic can," he tells her with an evil laugh. Ah, the relief of not pretending--
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" The shout makes him stop, realizing that they're surrounded by supers.
Super teens, that is.
"Put Jetta down right now," Ace says.
***
It would be more intimidating if I weren't balancing on a sewer lid with Jack standing right behind me. But you work with what you've got, right? Besides, Jack isn't paying attention, he's talking over the earbud--which I should get my own out, right?
I dig in my pocket, pulling out the earbud in question and sticking it in. "Where are the teachers?" I ask quietly.
"We're here, but we need to lay a trap for him," I hear Dad say. "Keep his attention--as much as I want to tell you to get out of there, we need a distraction. Jack, if he touches my kid I'm going to fail you for the rest of eternity, got it?"
"I screwed up once, it's not going to happen again," Jack says. "Where's Nico?"
There's a silent moment for two beats, then a slightly hoarse voice says, "I'm here. Where are you?"
"Central Hall theme park," Jack says. "He's flying, guys, so I figure he's blown his cover--"
My eyes are glued to Jetta. She keeps looking from me to Mimic and back again, obviously confused. This is all my fault. I should have gone after her this morning after she slapped me, asked what it was about, but no, I was so stuck on having my abilities back that I ignored it. Now she's being held captive by a psycho who can steal her abilities, or worse.
"I've got a hostage here, you know," Mimic says, holding Jetta up like a trophy. She struggles, but she's no match for him. "You wouldn't attack a guy with a hostage, would you? And you--Maximum!" he says, pointing to Max, who's behind him. "You're a super villain--don't you know how this will ruin your rep?"
"I'm doing this for a fellow super villain," Max says. "Ace is one of us."
"That's right, goth boy's one of us," Ace says. "So give back the blonde."
"Try and take her from me," Mimic says. Shadows appear all around him, twisting and writhing until they take form--dragons. Three of them. I can't help but stare until Jack elbows me in the gut.
"Quit staring and do something," he hisses.
"But they're awesome," I say, watching them move. They look so real, with shining black and blue scales and--
"Incoming fire!" Jack snaps, grabbing my shirt and dodging the fire wildly. For a second we're upside down as he twists out of the way, then we're back upright. "Take them out already--you can bring them back later, right?" he demands.
"Oh, right," I mutter, holding up a hand. This is harder to do when flying around avoiding flames, okay? But I can feel them--I focus on one that's facing off against Max and tug with all my power. It goes blurry, then solidifies again. I look over at Mimic. He drops Jetta and holds up both arms at the dragon I'm trying to take from him, an intent expression on his face.
"She landed safely," I hear Adanna say over the earbud. "Keep focusing on the dragon, Ace."
I nod--just as we're run into from behind by another of the dragons. I don't have time to scream as I'm thrown off the lid--but I don't hit the ground. I find myself hovering a few inches away from the concrete, staring at a particularly pointy looking rock. I'm flying. Well, sort of. That thought is completely lost as a dragon slams me face first into the ground, so hard that it makes an indent.
I want to complain, but I don't have time. Instead I twist, grabbing the dragon by the wing even as it takes to the air again, dragging me with it. I climb on its back, or at least try to, and tighten my hold, pulling at the illusion that makes it feel so real. It's powerful, and I'm gritting my teeth trying to take it over. This is my power?
Wow. What a head rush. Although to be honest, the head rush might be the fact that the dragon is flying upside down trying to throw me off. All the blood is going to my head. I hold on tighter, pulling hard to flip him back upwards. It's not working. But on the other hand, I think, it's easier to take the power back--it's practically coming back on its own.
The dragon I'm holding onto flickers, losing its substance before disappearing entirely and leaving me in the air. Not for long, though, I realize as I start to fall. Fly. Fly, already. Come on, is there a secret code word to get this stupid flying ability to work? I hit the ground with a grunt. "Ow."
"You okay, Ace?" Jack asks over the earbud.
"Just... dandy," I say, only to shake it off. "I'm fine," I say, blushing slightly at how stupid I had sounded. Ever met a goth OR a super villain that uses a term like "Just dandy"? I haven't. I wish I had a face mask right now, seriously.
Wait. I'm an illusionist. Duh. I run a hand over my face and imagine a mask. There, that's better. A bit late, sure, and I've already done a ton of embarrassing things already--but I took out a dragon. That's got to count as awesome, right? And for a moment I flew--sort of. I glance at Jack, who's battling with the dragon that threw me off his lid, and have a thought.
If I can't fly yet, I can fake it. I stare right in front of me, picturing a silver disk floating in the air. When it appears I allow myself an evil little grin before stepping on. I blink as a golden mic is thrown at me, glancing up at Max as he dives through the air, slamming into the third dragon. "This is your debut, man!" he yells at me.
"This isn't a--" I hear Dad say over the earbud.
"Why not?" I hear Nico say. "Boys and girls, we have the area surrounded. Be extremely careful not to let Mimic near Ace, but while we're tightening the field--Ace, do it up big, kiddo. You're the main attraction."
I rise in the air on my flying disk, looking down at the crowd watchi
ng us. It's huge. They're cheering and taking pictures, like this is some sort of stunt that the park put together for their enjoyment. I can use that, I realize.
"Please allow me to introduce myself," I say. My voice echoes throughout the park and I grin. "I'm here to prove once and for all that there is only one Hidden Ace." I feel stronger, I realize as I hover over them. Strong enough to do what seemed so hard earlier.
I toss the mic to the ground, watching as Morgan grabs it, then I hold one hand towards Jack's dragon, the other towards Max's. My hands fist and I grit my teeth, pulling as hard as I can.
The dragons disappear. But I'm not done yet, I think, holding my hand up to Mimic. Morgan jumps him first, and I see a look of shock on Mimic's face as she wraps herself around him tightly. He starts to shove at her, but he doesn't seem to be able to shove very hard.
"Please, Dad, stop," I hear her say as she slips what looks like a bracelet onto his wrist. The other kids are grabbing him, now, but I know it isn't because of them that he stopped. My power comes rushing back. I don't even have to pull, I realize in shock.
I really wish I'd realized it would knock me out, though, I think a bit hazily as I feel myself falling. I'm out before I hit the ground.
CHAPTER NINE
"They've actually got him," Superior hears his son say in wonder over the earbud he's still wearing. "Not bad for a group of teens--but regardless, close in, everyone. We're taking him in."
Superior says nothing. He just sits there, staring at the woman in front of him. The slow and steady beeping of the machines attached to her go unheeded, the bustling of nurses behind him, ignored. She's still alive, he thinks, his hand reaching out to gently touch her hair. She's not awake, or aware, but she's still alive.
A part of him had hoped she would die long before this, rather than be stuck in her body, helpless. For such a strong woman...
"There is never an end to hope, my love."
He jerks, the memory of her words so strong that he feels like he heard them aloud. "No..." he says slowly. "No, there isn't, is there?" He stands. Mary hadn't been able to bring her out of this, he'd asked the healer all those years ago, but Aubrey isn't Mary. Aubrey's proven herself to be stronger than Mary ever was. Superior starts pulling out all the wires stuck to Tatiana, sending the entire small hospice staff racing over to stop him.
"Sir, you can't do that--" a woman says, futilely grabbing his arm. "You'll kill her!"
"This won't kill Tatiana--staying here for any longer will kill her!" he snaps, continuing his work. He's almost gotten her free--
This is all Mimic's fault, he thinks. If he could go back in time he'd kill the man long before this ever happened.
The woman on the bed seems to turn static for a moment--then disappears entirely. Superior goes perfectly still, shocked. "Tati?" he says, reaching forward.
There's no one on the bed. There's no one grabbing him, either. In fact the staff is looking at him like he's crazy. "Can I help you, sir?" the same woman that had grabbed him just seconds before asks from the desk.
"What... in the hell?" he asks blankly, looking around.
***
"Come, little kitten, you can do it." The voice seems far away, but right next to her at the same time. It also sounds funny, a part of her mind whispers, even as the rest is doing something she can't quite understand. Numbers are floating around her mind, long codes of zeroes and ones, along with lots of words she's pretty sure she's heard her grandfather mutter--her mouth is moving.
"Three... two... one... rebooting," Noelle hears herself say. Her mind clears and her eyes open, looking blankly forward as she feels her mind click over and over again. A part of her is certain that it's doing a systems repair. But... she's a kid, not a computer!
"Hello," a white haired woman says. She's right in Noelle's face, smiling widely. She's also huge, Noelle thinks, leaning back slightly in response. Not fat, but huge. Like one of the BIG tank women. "Are you feeling well?" The woman doesn't speak English like an American. It's tinted slightly with an accent from another country. A large hand reaches out, gently touching Noelle's curls. "You are safe here, kitten."
"Who--um--who are you?" Noelle asks. The sound of a child crying catches her ears and the woman in front of her lets out a laugh.
"I do not know why I continue to try and make him nap," she says, shaking her head. "He is much like his father, my little Nicolas. Too stubborn to stay asleep when things are happening. Let me get him." She walks away, leaving Noelle to look around the small bedroom she's in. There's a doll on the table next to her, it looks sort of like a peanut, but it's painted like a woman wearing a dress. There's a thin line at the waist. Noelle's almost positive that if she pulls the top part off there will be another doll just like it inside. She's seen them before.
"Are you hungry, little kitten?" the woman asks from behind her. Noelle turns on the bed, about to reply only to go perfectly still. The woman is holding a black haired baby. One with a streak of white in his banks.
"Nico... las?" Noelle says, staring at the baby version of a man she knows very well.
Her grandfather.
***
"Now I know how you keep losing those bracelets I make you," Nico says as he appears in front of the group restraining Mimic. Morgan is holding her father's hands so tight that he can't try and get the bracelet off--and his hand bones are threatening to break. She only dares to glance away from him when Nico snaps a power blocking collar around his neck.
"Morgan," Mimic says. "How could you?"
"Ace is our friend, Dad," she says. "You took everything he had and you did bad things with it. I still love you, but... I can't let you do things like that, Dad. I just can't." There's tears on her face. She doesn't even remember them falling, but she feels the wind hit the wet trails.
"Someday, Morgan, you'll know exactly how I came to be like this," he says.
"No, Dad, I won't. Please, just... just take him to the Cape Cells," she says to Nico. There's something moving behind them. She slips off the bracelet she put on her father and puts it back on, turning to see what's happening. She assumes that it's just the crowd--
A massive dragon covers most of the ground. It's huge, with shimmering dark red scales. It's waking up. She sees huge black eyes swirling with silver open and look at her. "I--I--um--everyone?" she says, grabbing the nearest person. "I think we have a problem."
Why, though, does it feel like she's seen this dragon before?
"Ace?" Justin says questioningly, making Morgan look over at him. "I--I think it's Ace. I just... don't remember how I know that," he mutters, touching his temple.
The dragon looks at each of them before sitting up, his wings spreading wide before flapping so hard that the entire crowd of norms still watching is knocked over. Morgan feels Justin grab her arm before she gets knocked over as well. She's so busy watching the dragon rise into the air that she doesn't even notice.
"Hey," Jack says. "Can we call him Dragon Ace? Because seriously, that is awesome!" The dragon opens his mouth, roaring so loud that they all stick their fingers in their ears.
They look up as Blackjack lets out a curse and races past them. "He got his powers back too quickly," he yells back at them. "We need to exhaust the dragon so he can gain control in his paint field!"
"Can't we just--"
"Get him away from the theme park," Blackjack snaps. "Everyone. Until he can gain control of his strongest illusion this will continue happening, do you understand?"
"I'm on it," Jack and Max say at the same time. "But we're taking him as one of ours," Max adds to Blackjack.
"Right now I'm not going to argue--just get going! In this form, who knows what sort of damage he'll do?"
***
It's hard to wake up. My head feels like it's filled with cotton, and my eyes seem to weigh a million tons. But there's a hot wind blowing over me, practically burning me. "Stop it," I mutter, shoving the large thing nudging my side. My hand goes still at the texture. It
's sort of like leather, but hot, almost burning. I open my eyes.
There's a dragon nudging my side. As soon as it realizes I'm awake, though, it opens its mouth, letting out a roar that deafens me. I jump to my feet, racing for the castle. It's all there this time, huge and towering with gothic designs and gargoyles decorating it. I expected the castle. I hadn't expected the dragon, I think as a blast of flame slams into the ground in front of me.
I should have.
How do you fight a dragon? Better question--how do you fight your own dragon? Because this isn't those little dragons that Mimic used, he's as big as all three put together, and three times as dangerous, I'm sure. This one is all mine. He's as much a part of the paint field as the castle and the trees.
For a moment I feel a hint of terror as I realize how high it towers over me. It's not like a movie, I think as it opens its mouth. I see flames building up inside, swirling around the dragon's dangly--er, there's a word for that--uvula, that's it! Well, either way, that flame is definitely going to come out. Most likely aimed straight at me.
I shove the fear down and force myself to focus. I need a shield--a fireproof shield--I blink as one appears in my hand. A sword, too. Wait, what am I, a knight? Forget that. I need a cannon.
I grin almost evilly as a massive cannon appears next to me. But the string needs lit--where's some fire? I look around, seeing a patch of grass still flaming, and run over, grabbing a handful of it. It doesn't hurt, I notice idly. But no time for that! I run back to the cannon, light the fuse, and watch the black cannonball slam into the dragon's chest.
"You need to calm down!" I shout at the dragon. "Cool off, you hothead!"
Er, probably not the right thing to say to a dragon almost the size of the castle, huh? But like we've already decided, I'm no knight. The dragon lets out a roar, and I know he's arguing with me. "You think I'm afraid of you?" I bellow as he lets out a flame right for me. I hold up my shield, deflecting the flames. "Just whose world do you think this is?"
