by R. J. Ross
"Morning, Max," Dad says. "Want to come in? Zoe's still in bed."
"Yeah," Max says. A second later the door closes again and I hear someone moving around in the kitchen. I should get up, I think. Get dressed. I definitely don't want Max seeing me in my Eeyore nightshirt. That would be really awkward. I get out of bed, moving as silently as I can to dig out some clothes.
"Zoe, I know you're up," I hear Max say. "We need to talk."
I ignore him and get dressed, heading for the bathroom without even looking in the direction of the kitchen. A few minutes later I have no choice but to go in. At least, that's what I tell myself. I step into the kitchen only to stare blankly at Max cooking bacon and eggs at the stove.
"How does it wind up like this?" I ask my dad.
"He's better at over easy," Dad says. He's already sitting at the table, eating. I hesitate, then head for Max and reach for the spatula.
"Don't let him abuse you like this," I say, even as he pulls the spatula out of reach.
"I don't mind," he says. Abruptly I realize just how close we are. It's making me nervous. "Why did you ignore me yesterday?"
"Fine, if you want to cook, you can cook," I say, heading for the table without answering his question.
"If you want to not answer, you can not answer," he mutters, clearly irritated by me. A few seconds later he's putting a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me, then looking at the hall.
"You can borrow my blowhorn if you want, it usually gets him up for a minute or two," Dad offers, now drinking a cup of coffee, his plate already in the sink.
"Nah, let him sleep in," Max says as he starts cooking again. "So Technico--Dad's back in town. I told him you're looking for your money."
"Good."
"He said I should invite you all over for a pool party sometime. Also--we were caught on film."
"Doing what?"
"The stoplight episode," Max says. I suddenly feel sick to my stomach. "It's already on youtube. Hey, hey, don't panic," he says as the lights flicker. "Nobody's face was shown. It's fine," he adds, turning down the heat quickly and coming over to me.
"It's not fine," I say, not looking at him. "It's my fault. People could have been hurt--your identity could be found out--all of our identities could be found out--" I jerk as he turns my chair, making me face him.
"It's fine," he repeats, forcing my to look him in the eyes.
"What if someone recognizes you?" I demand.
"Who could? I was home schooled--the only time I ever went to school was at your old one, and I used a fake identity to get in. No one knows who I am, even out of the mask, Zoe. If they see that they'll just think its another hero that forgot to bring a mask along. Now calm down. Breathe. Good girl."
I can't help but stare into his eyes, captured. Maybe he's got telepathic abilities like his dad? He's brainwashing me, I bet. I really, really need to look away--his hand comes up, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "Don't go panicking on me, okay?" he says. "I haven't finished cooking my breakfast."
"So what did your Dad come home to say, anyway?" Dad asks before I can think of a response.
"He says Zoe's unstable," Max says cheerfully as he goes back to the stove.
"What?" I demand. "I am not unstable! Your--your dad is unstable!"
"That she's likely to take out the electricity of a city or so if she gets too emotional," Max goes on, ignoring me. "You already knew that, I bet," he adds, glancing at my dad.
"It's possible," Dad admits. "I haven't done any testing on her range, actually. I'm thinking it's more likely she'd only take out a few blocks. Not because she can't take out an entire city, but because she's already paranoid about it." I don't know how to respond to that. It's a sobering thought that even Dad has contemplated my taking out everyone's electricity. Instead I look at my plate, poking at the eggs with my fork.
"What I want to know," Max says, flipping off the stove and heading for the table. He sits down right next to me, the jerk, "is what exactly can Sunny do?"
"I don't think we're going to find out for a while," Dad says. I look at him curiously. "Sunny's got a lot more self control than you do, kiddo," he tells me. "Which is probably a good thing, considering my theory."
"What theory?" I ask.
"I'm betting Sunny's elemental powers don't focus on just plants," Dad says. "I'm going to find out sooner or later, although I might have to raid the Hall's labs to check for certain. Now let's get back to the Zoe problem."
I finish my food quickly, looking for a chance to run. I've got a pretty good idea what this is leading up to, and I definitely don't want to be here for it. I haven't worked up the courage to turn him down yet!
"Yeah," Max says, looking perfectly comfortable eating breakfast at our table. "This is the part where you let us talk privately," he goes on, looking pointedly at my Dad.
"We don't need to talk," I say, finishing off my food and getting to my feet to run to my room.
"You need to talk," I hear Dad say behind me. I almost get the door closed before it stops moving. Shoving on it is like shoving a building--I can't budge it as much as I try, and let out a yelp as the door swings open.
"That is so not fair!" I yelp as Max walks in, his hands in his pockets. "Using your powers is cheating!"
"I didn't realize we were competing," he says, letting the door close on its own, and me fall backwards from where I'd been pushing against it. "We need to talk."
I stare at him, then glance at the window of my room, wondering if jumping from a really tall building might get me flying... or if I'd survive hitting the ground below. "I don't want to have this talk," I say, heading for the window. His hand grabs my wrist. "Don't make me have this talk, Max, I'm not ready for it!"
"Too bad," he says. "Look, Zoe, I--"
"I can't do this," I say, stopping him. "I can't like you--I can't like anyone! Don't you get it? It's not like a normal crush or something, if I get too emotional or worried or start thinking about stupid things I can really hurt people! Just look at the stoplight thing! People could have died, Max, and it would have been my fault! It's not you--it's me--it's absolutely me," I say, jerking out of his hold. "And as much as I want to be a normal teenage girl and have a crush on you--I can't. I can't, and the more you tease me the harder it is!"
"I--"
I slide the window open and jump out before I can hear his reply. I'm not flying--nothing's happening--oh crap, I'm going to die--
I land on my feet, bending my knees and touching the concrete with one hand in front of me to brace myself. For a second I stay like that, shocked that I'd just jumped down from a fifteen story building and didn't even have a bruise, then I take off running. I have to go fast--Max could catch up.
***
"She run?" Technico asks as Max storms out of the room.
"She ran."
"Bad habit of hers, I think."
Max merely grunts, grabs his mask from his coat, and goes back through Zoe's room and out the window. Casually Technico goes to finish the food that's cooking, wondering if Max will be able to handle this.
***
I'm in the city. I didn't run that far before realizing that I'm surrounded by electricity and other things I can accidentally blow up. That's why I'm standing on a street corner, looking around and trying not to panic. There's people all around, talking on cell phones, walking to their work, or to shopping, or who knows where. Cars are driving past, stoplights are flashing overhead. It's noisy, hectic, and I'm remembering what Max said about taking out an entire city.
What would happen if I did that? I've seen movies about EMPs, where all the machines stop and the planes crash and cars crash and--
"Stop," I tell myself, moving back and leaning against a wall. "Stop. Calm down."
"Zoe."
The word is almost silent. It's only because of my hearing that I even catch it. I look around, searching for the source. Somehow I don't think it's Max. "Who are you? Where are you?" I ask, seeing no one tha
t I recognize.
"Zoe... it hurts..."
I can't find him. I take a step forward, then another, trying to pinpoint where the soft voice is coming from.
"IT HURTS!" He's screaming now, and the world around me shakes faintly, metal rattling all around me. It's not me doing it, I realize as the world seems to go into slow motion. The norms are starting to notice--pulling their phones away from their ears and looking around. They look curious, asking each other if they were imagining things.
"Where are you?" I say again, stepping into the middle of the street unconsciously, not even realizing that a bus is heading straight for me until someone grabs me.
"What the heck are you thinking?" Max demands, shaking me slightly.
"There's someone calling for me," I say, glancing down at where the bus has jerked to a halt past the point where I was just standing.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" A street light starts to shake, the sound of metal screeching fills the air as it pulls from the ground and shoots straight for us. Max jerks out of the way, dropping me to the ground before reaching out with a hand to stop the pole. I land on my feet again, turning to watch as Jack steps into view.
His eyes are glowing. Swirls of silver lace over the skin exposed by tattered clothing, as if its part of him. The way he's moving, though, is stiff, awkward. He's got one hand up, his attention on the metal pole he's controlling. There's a strained expression on his face, as if this is taking every ounce of his being to keep up.
"Jack?" I say. I can't help but think of what he's already said. It hurts. Looking at him now, I can see what hurts. "Jack, you can't fight Maximum--" I say, heading for him.
"Shut up," Jack says. "You're always trying to tell people what they can and can't do, Zoe. I hate that!"
The grate that I'm standing on starts to shake. All of the grates on the street do, no, not just grates. Everything metal in the area starts shaking again, vibrating wildly and starting to rise. I yelp, jumping off of the grate, not wanting to drop down into the large hole underneath.
"It's got to be metal manipulation," Max calls to me, slamming the metal pole down into the ground so hard that it ruptures a water pipe. Water starts spouting from the ground. The norms are scattering, heading for someplace safer--or worse, someplace with a better photo angle. There's no way this won't be on youtube, possibly before the fight even ends.
"What am I supposed to do about it?"
"Calm him down!" Max says. "If he keeps going like this--"
"This has nothing to do with her!" Jack bellows, lifting a hand and jerking it in a fist. The pole that Max slammed into the ground jerks out again, heading straight for the flying male. It catches Max's shoulder, slamming him backwards through the side of a building.
"Stop it, Jack!" I say. "You're hurting--"
"I want to hurt him! Where does he get off showing up like he did? Where does he get off--"
"Not him. YOU are hurting," I say. Those metal swirls in his skin, they're bleeding now. Every time he uses his powers, I see more blood trickling down his arms, soaking into his tattered shirt.
"Why should you care?" Jack snarls. "You hate me!" The things that were rattling are now in the air, swirling around us like a tornado. His eyes are glowing so brightly that I can barely stand to look at them. The world feels like its falling apart all around us. The swirls? They're getting wider. All of a sudden he falls to his knees, leaning forward so his hands are on the ground, the weight of gravity is almost crushing him.
"Get it together, you moron," Max snarls.
The metal floating in the air slows, then starts falling, hitting the cars, the concrete, the shop signs that surround us. I dodge a sewer lid, diving to the side to avoid getting hit, then race to grab a young woman from being crushed by a huge metal sign. It hits me and I shove her away, taking the brunt of it.
"Zoe!" Max yells.
It hurts. I feel like I'm going to faint for a second before shoving it off of me. The world seems to swirl in front of my eyes for a bit before snapping back into focus. I start for Jack, stumbling and limping until I fall to my knees under the same pressure holding him. It lifts, but I crawl forward rather than try to get up.
Jack is lying face down on the ground, blood seeping from the metal parts of his body, his breathing harsh and ragged, like each gasp is harder than the last. "Jack," I say, turning him over. "Jack, look at me--you're going to be okay--"
His shining eyes have dimmed. "Zo--"
"I'm here. We're going to get you help--" I can hear his heartbeat, I realize. There's something wrong with it. It's stilted, off--the beat is completely lacking. I glance at Max, but I know already that he can't do something about this. I'm not sure I can, either--but there's an electric field in humans, and with the metal...
I jerk Jack's shirt open, pressing my hand to his chest. This won't work, my mind whispers. It won't work because I can only--
"Focus," Max says.
I open my mind, telling myself that Jack is a lot like a computer right now. I'm still shocked when I see an image of his heart in my head. Steel lines swirl over the heart's tissue, constricting it, keeping it from pumping like it should. But it's not just his heart, I realize in terror. Steel laces over his lungs, his intestines--all of his insides are as lined as his outside is.
Tears are streaking down my face. "Stop," I beg. "Stop growing--go back--go back!" I say, picturing the steel in my mind. I'm terrified that it's not working, terrified that I've bitten off more than I can imagine--
Lub-dub.
That one heartbeat is all I hear before I'm pushed back by men in white coats who take over. Max is right behind me. His arms wrap around my waist as he whispers things I can't hear. All I can do is watch as they take Jack away in an ambulance. I have no idea if what I did even helped. I can only turn in Max's arms, sobbing my heart out.
My picture is on the front page of every newspaper in Kansas City the next morning. It's a shot of me leaning over Jack, my hand on his chest as tears flow down my face.
***
"My kid's face is on the KC Star, Double M!" Dad snarls, shoving the picture into Max's dad's face. "You expect me to stick around after that? Who knows who's going to come after her?"
"Yes, she's in the picture," Mastermental says in a patient tone. "But your daughter was never seen using her powers in this little episode. She was seen being hit with a sign, but no one noticed the weight before we cleared it up, she was seen crying over a fallen villain, but that is not using an ability--that the norms will notice," he explains.
You know how Sunny and I were talking about going to the Hall a while back? Well, we're here. Sunny's standing on my left and Max is on my right, and Dad--well he's right up in Mastermental's face, talking about how he's taking our family to some remote island and never coming back.
"Someone will figure it out," Dad says.
"It'll be taken care of. We've already withdrawn the twins from their school and Cape High is almost finished, right? I expect you, of all people, will know how to put up a simple cloaking field around the school grounds--"
"These two are all I've got! Do you really think I'm going to risk it on a simple cloaking field?" Dad demands.
"Then make it a complicated one," Mastermental says in an almost bored tone. "Include several defenses--lasers, minefields, whatever strikes your fancy as long as you provide a way for the children to get on campus safely--perhaps a badge system of sorts, or DNA markers, I don't care. The parents will, of course, be informed of these things, although not where they are placed, exactly. We'll also have a standing guard system--the usual. Nico, do think things through."
Dad goes silent, a dark expression on his face. I step forward, finally getting the chance to ask what I've wanted to ask since the beginning. "Mastermental, sir," I say. "Have you heard about Jack?"
He hesitates and I feel my hands going clammy. "I'm afraid he's still in a deep coma," he says finally. "It's... questionable of whether he'll recover or not. The metal sprea
d to his brain, as well--I--I'm sorry, Zoe."
"Is there any way to turn him back?" I ask.
"As of now, no. We have several of our scientists looking into it, though."
I nod, blinking back tears as Dad tugs me into his arms, hugging me. Not even a guy I hate deserves to wind up like this.
"I've been told, though, that what you did on the field might very well have saved his life," Mastermental says gently. "Perhaps with work and time, you and your father can... help." I nod against Dad's chest, not able to look at the leader of the Hall just now. "But I cannot make any promises."
"Do you know who did it to him?" Max asks. "Even if he's in a coma, you can read his mind, right?"
"No, I'm afraid I can't," Mastermental says. "The changes to his DNA and the metal lacing his brain makes it virtually impossible. Regardless, we are still looking for answers. We will find them. Why don't you all go home for now? I'll send America's Son with you to help secure the area."
"This conversation isn't over," Dad says quietly. "If someone comes after my kids, I will not hesitate to retaliate."
"Understood. Believe me, Nico, the entire Hall feels the same way."
***
"So we're moving?"
"Yes."
"And we're taking the pretty lady with us, right?"
"Of course. Without her, we don't have an elementalist."
"Why are we moving? I was comfortable here."
"Because if Mastermental reads the boy's mind, they'll know where we are."
"Oh."
***
We can't go to church. Dad says that if we take one step outside the apartment without him he'll force us to work construction for the rest of our lives. He told Ken that last night, while Ken helped guard as Dad set up a brand new security system for the apartment building. (I'm almost positive that there are way too many lasers in the system to qualify as legal, but I'm not going to say a word.) Honestly, after everything that happened yesterday, I'm not really in the mood to meet new people anyway.
