by R. J. Ross
He's just patting my head as he tells these stories, grinning as he remembers the past. "But it got really bad when Amara came to the school. You'd come around a corner and see this absolutely stunning woman sitting in the grass with a gigantic panther lying across her lap. There was this cult following that said she was a witch with the ability to turn people into animals. Or summon them from thin air."
I've never heard that before. I'm listening closely, my tail twitching behind me. "So Adanna's parents have been together since college?" Zoe asks.
"It was one of those things," Nico admits. "Pan and Amara, as soon as they met they were dating, practically. But it's worked out well, I take it. They've got two kids and a giant cat sanctuary out back. Pretty much what Pan seemed to want ever since I first met him. His dad, though, had a few complaints. Thought a mere animal speaker would dilute the bloodline, or something. Cub, you know I like your dad just fine, but your granddad? He was hard to get along with."
I look down, knowing very well what he's talking about. Granddad has never agreed with me training to become a super villain. He was the most excited when Cubby was born, saying "It's finally time that the title goes to its proper holder," right in front of me. I still feel a little sick at that memory, honestly.
"Did you and Mom meet in college, too?" Sunny asks, interrupting my thinking, much to my silent relief. He's dropped down on the floor in front of Zoe, and turned so he can look up at all of us.
"No, actually," Nico says. "Your mom and I met during a little... ground war, I suppose you could say. I know Jeanie said Summer never went up against super villains, but that's not exactly true," he says. "There was a big move to turn a bit of unused land into a research facility--"
"What land?" Zoe asks.
"Nowhere too important, some... park or something," Nico says, waving it off. "National, I think..."
"You were going to turn a national park into a research facility?" Sunny demands in outrage.
"Nobody was using it!" Nico says in an injured tone. To my shock, Trent is the first one to start laughing. Sunny reaches up, grabs a throw pillow off the couch, and throws it at him.
"Shut it, this is serious," he says.
"But I can just see him--" Trent says, still laughing.
"Well, anyway, just as I was bringing out my blueprints for the new facility a tree shoots through the paper and slams into me. It sent me flying a good distance, and when I get my breath back, well there's this pretty redhead on top of this massive tree holding a hand out towards me."
"She was helping you up?" Zoe asks.
"No, she was aiming this huge vine the size of a mac truck straight for me," Nico drawls. "But I was so busy staring at the pretty redhead that I didn't notice the vine until it was too late." The entire room is laughing at this point, even I'm amused. It's just so easy to picture it with the way he describes it. "So I, being the nice guy that I am, go, 'Really, lady, you could just TELL me what the problem is before hitting me with a tree!'"
"And what did she say?" Sunny asks, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
"She goes, all serious like, 'Put the blueprints down, metal boy, and step away from the national park.'"
"So what did you do?" Zoe asks eagerly.
"Well obviously, you get a redhead armed with an entire park, you put the blueprints down. But they were pretty much ruined, anyway, so it wasn't that big of a deal," Nico says. "Then I asked her out to dinner, and she said yes," he goes on with a little smile. "I think she just wanted to make sure I didn't go back when she wasn't looking." His hand leaves my head and goes up, pushing Zoe's hair behind her ear with a fond gesture. "And... well, we fell in love. Pretty simple, really. But then I got tossed into the Cape Cells and she had twins that I never heard about until almost a month ago."
Wait--he'd never heard of the twins until recently? I look at Zoe, then at Sunny, huge-eyed with shock. They hadn't grown up with a father? And what about their mother--where's their mother now? "Rowr?" I say, looking at Sunny.
"What?" he asks, reaching out and scratching me under the chin. Why is everyone so comfortable petting me in this form anyway? Wait, not what I was wondering. But then again, is it my place to ask?
"Um... our Mom went missing almost two years ago," Zoe says, gently running her hand down my back. "We were put in the foster system for a while, until Dad got paroled. So we're sort of a new family."
I look up at her, knowing that even if I could talk in this form, I wouldn't be able to say anything. So instead I rub my head against her hand for a second before I jump off of her lap--only to be caught by Sunny. He places me on his own lap, looking down at me seriously. "Hey," he says. I'm certain he's going to say something stunning and thoughtful, because the mood is right for it, but--"How come she gets love? It's totally not fair! Every time you're in this form with me you beat me up!"
I look at him for a long moment then put my paws on his chest, stretching as tall as I can. He leans down. "What? Do I get--"
I swat his chin. "Myrrrr," I say in reproof then jump off his lap. Nico is the first to start laughing. I return to my spot at the edge of the group, getting touched several times along the way by whoever was closest, and shift back into my human form. "Just because I look like a cat does not mean I am one mentally," I rebuke Sunny. "I’m still me."
"And cat or not, she wants to beat on you," Taurus says.
"What did I do to earn that?" Sunny asks with a frown.
"You're lazy!" I say. "You even sleep for your studies! I bet you've never trained in your life other than our classes!"
Nico is grinning. "You need to impress her, Sunny," he says, reaching down and messing with Sunny's hair. "If you want to be her GOOD friend, you're going to have to work harder."
"I don't want him to be my good friend," I say, wondering why that was so emphasized. "Not only is he going to be a hero, he's going to be an environmentalist, yet he sleeps so much I feel sorry for the environment!"
The entire room is laughing, except Nico (and Sunny, of course.) Nico's just grinning slightly as he watches me. I stick my nose up slightly, standing behind what I just said. "Well," he says when the laughter stops, "this is his growth period, Cub. Think of him like a tree. This is where most of the work is happening in his roots. We won't see that many leaves until he gets older. It's sort of like your cub form. You're cute, sure, but you're not that dangerous at all."
"But he can still learn to fight!" I protest. "Just like your wife, he'll have to deal with people that try to destroy precious places!"
"Fine," Sunny says. "I'll learn."
"Who should we have teach him?" Nico asks Taurus. "I mean, sure he's going to learn to fight like Summer did, but hand to hand techniques... hmmm..."
"Adanna can teach me," Sunny says, looking quite satisfied with himself for some reason. "I'll help her with playing, and in exchange she can teach me that stick stuff she knows, right?"
"I want to learn it!" Zoe says. "I mean, what happens if I'm in an area with no machines? How do I protect myself? Or what if Sunny's in an area with no trees? This is a great idea! And Adanna's been doing it since she was little, right?"
"Cub, do you want to teach them the basics?" Nico asks. "We can have a volunteer class, so anyone that needs it can learn. Max, Trent, you two probably won't need it, but Emily, you could use it."
"Yeah, I could," Emily says.
"And when your dad comes home, we'll invite him over to show us the more advanced stuff," Nico says. I... really should have kept my mouth shut, I think with an inward sigh.
CHAPTER FOUR
The vine is growing, sliding through a crack of concrete, digging into the earth under the floor. It's an agonizingly slow thing, Summer thinks. Her power has weakened from being asleep for so long--drugged for so long. But she has hope. She can feel the vine sprout, searching through the building, winding up through ducts and curling around wires.
She can't fight. There's a reason she was captured, she was no match for the m
an that looks like Nico. No, if she's going to escape it will rely on the silence of the women that take care of her and the stealthiness of her plant. She can only thank God that the women have said nothing so far.
Her hand jerks as she feels the plant get electrocuted. Her eyes open for a second and she allows herself the tiniest of smiles.
The power goes out.
***
We're in the garage of the apartment. It's huge and empty, save for two cars--one that really needs a paint job, I notice. I step in front of the group, wondering why Trent's parents have shown up for this, then wondering why Liz is standing there looking like she's going to learn, too, even more. "Um, well," I say, feeling my fourteen years of life extremely sharply. "Papa and I have been teaching Cubby how to fight... but I'm not sure it's how I should teach you--"
"Teach it the way you know best," Trent's father says cheerfully. America's Son. Why am I standing in front of America's Son, about to teach Firefly and a handful of other heroes how to--to do the sticky dance?? Oh lord, please make this moment disappear, please?
"Um, well," I say, feeling like an idiot. Usually I love this part--but usually it's a three year old standing in front of me! "Since Cubby's so young, we ah... do the sticky dance," I mumble.
"I want to do it!" Trent says, making me look at him blankly. "I know I don't need it--but--it's called the sticky dance," he says, urgently, like the name has some great, important meaning. "How often in your life do you get to learn the sticky dance?"
I stare at him. "Anyway," I say, when he just shrugs. I pull a short metal piece out of my pocket, clicking a button and elongating it into proper bo staff length. "Papa said you designed these for him," I say to Nico.
"Back in college, yeah," he says.
"But I don't have any for them," I say, pointing at the group in front of me.
"For now just teach them the steps," he says. "As they are, they'd probably hit each other by accident."
"Okay... well, I'm trained in a few things," I say. "The first is stick fighting from Africa--there's two sticks, one which is either attached to a shield and your hand, or just attached to your hand by thick cloths, the other--the one I was going to show you, is bo staff fighting, but it's really hard to teach bo staff when you don't have bo staffs in your hand," I say, looking pointedly at Nico. "So um... I guess we can do the sticky dance without the stick, which isn't really either, it's just a dance Papa came up with to teach us how not to hit ourselves with the stick."
I start, sliding my foot in a half circle to the back and dancing, then stop, frowning. "It needs the music," I say, pulling out my smartphone and bringing up the bouncy, wordless song that my papa taught me with. It's pretty childish, I realize abruptly, not nearly as tough sounding as fight training should be, but it's fun. It fits the bouncy twisting and sliding, flipping with one hand, without hands--
I stop, abruptly realizing that I haven't told them anything, just done the dance. They're just staring at me, grinning with amusement. "Well," I say, straightening up. "The sticky dance looks like that."
Yes, I totally meant that as an exhibition. They need to see it first, right? Yeeeah. "Well, the first move is a sweep of your foot, like this," I say, showing them.
"Your little brother does this?" Sunny asks as he tries the move. "With all the flips and everything?"
"Sure," I say, looking at him blankly. "He doesn't have his cub form yet, but he can do a flip!"
"So your agility comes at birth."
"Didn't yours?" I ask.
"Nope, not that I can remember," he admits.
"Oh," I say. "Well, we can start with the easier moves," I decide. I start walking around them as they try the move I just showed them, showing them what they're doing wrong. They're laughing, I realize with surprise. They're having fun because of something I'm teaching them. It feels good.
***
She's almost out, Summer tells herself as she starts up the stairs. She's weak, yes, but she's strong enough to make it out of this building, strong enough to go to her children. How long has it been? How long did they keep her under like that? What has happened to her babies while she was out?
Her hand tightens on the rail as she steps onto the rickety floor of the building that the lab is hidden under. The light creeps through wooden slats that cover the windows. She wants to stand in it, soak it up, get her strength back, but she can't.
She stumbles forward, reaching for the handle of the door, only to stare in shock as it opens up in front of her. "No," she whispers as a large male outline blocks the sun. "No," she says again, racing for the window to burst through the wooden planks. Her ankle is grabbed and she falls onto her face with a grunt.
"Who--" the man starts out, only to look at her blankly. "Lady? You're awake?" he asks in awe.
"Let me go," Summer begs, jerking at her foot. "Please, let me go."
"But we need you--"
"You don't need me! My children need me. Please, Distort," she whispers, looking him straight in those pale eyes of his.
"You know my name?" he asks, his hand loosening ever so slightly. She takes advantage, jerking her leg away and racing through the wooden slats to roll onto the ground outside. She hops to her feet, powered purely by fear, and runs as fast as she can. She's not going to make it. She knows she's not. Distort is as fast as Nico--
"Wait," Distort says, appearing in front of her. The world warps, twisting around her and making her feel sick to her stomach even as she pulls to a stop, turns, and races off in a different direction. He grabs her arm. "You can't leave. Star won't be happy--"
"Distort, I have children," she says. "Kids. They need me. I don't know how long I've been gone or where they are now, but--but please?" she begs, not trying to pull her arm away. Memories drift through her mind, those moments where she was almost conscious, moments where Distort had spoken to her, telling her all they he'd seen that day, bringing her gifts she doesn't remember.
He hesitates. "But if I let you go, Star will be mad," he says in a childlike tone.
"But my children need me, Distort. I'm all that they have."
"Are your children nice?"
"The nicest," she says. "They're good kids. But if I'm not there they might not stay good kids. So let me go, Distort. Please?"
"We can bring your kids here!" he says.
"No! They'll be stuck in a bed all the time, Distort, they won't get to live, they won't get to see new things--please, Distort, please?" She's getting desperate. She only has so much power, but maybe with enough emotion she can beat him--
"I will miss you," he says, slowly letting go. "Goodbye, pretty lady." There's a look in his eyes, she thinks, a bleak expression that makes her suddenly fear for him--but she has no choice. She needs to find her babies.
***
We went to bed pretty late for a school night, probably about eleven thirty, but I'm lying on my cot, staring at the ceiling and the clock on the wall says it's three o'clock. I need to sleep, I think. I've got a busy day in the morning with school and everything, but I can't. I keep trying to get used to the smells and the sounds. I miss the sounds of the cats out back. Usually I can hear them breathing. I can hear people breathing now, of course, but they're not my cats.
Yeah, my hearing's that good. I can hear every single person in the building. Especially Taurus. He's snoring. Sunny talks in his sleep, by the way. He's saying something about flowers climbing up his leg. A tiny smile pulls at my lips at that one, especially when I hear movement. I can picture him trying to kick the flower off.
Nico isn't asleep. He's silent, far more silent than the people sleeping, but I can hear him in the front room. I don't know why he's still awake, he's got work in the morning, just like we've got school. I glance over at Zoe, watching her for a second, then get to my feet, heading into the front room.
Nico looks up as I come in. Although the lights are off, the light from the moon has slipped through the window, lighting the room. "What's wrong?" he asks quietl
y as I walk over. He's sitting on the couch, not doing anything, but he's the one asking me what's wrong. "Can't sleep?"
I sit down on the other end of the couch, bringing up my legs to my chest and resting my chin on my knees. "No," I admit. "The sounds are wrong." I look curiously at the tanktop and knit sleeping pants he's wearing, wondering--"Why are you wearing America's Son pajamas?"
He lets out a laugh, stopping it quickly. "Ken's got this habit of wearing other supers' brands," he says. "He even hunted down a Technico shirt from back when I was working as a cape, so I figured I might as well return the favor."
"But he's a super hero," I say.
"Yeah, he makes no sense," Nico admits. "But he's not a bad guy to hang out with. Neither is Trent, you know."
"But I will be a super villain and he will be a hero--we'll be on opposite sides," I say. "I don't want to be friends with the people I'm trying to kill."
"Your dad's never seriously tried to kill any of the heroes," he says. "If he had, some of them would be dead long ago. Sure there's the death traps and pitfalls and fights, but honestly, what's a super villain without something like that?"
"What?" I ask. But my mind is rushing, thinking about all the stories I've heard my papa tell. I stop, a little smile playing on my lips as I remember one in particular. It had been when one of the younger supers was just starting out--Papa had complained for an entire week about how long it had taken him to escape the death trap. Pathetic, he had called it. "Oh. I see," I admit.
"Now I'm not going to say there aren't truly evil super villains out there," Nico says. "But your dad, he's a traditional super villain--one that only goes so far, and not farther. Honestly, the only reason he's even doing it at all is because it's traditional and it helps fund his true calling. Your cats aren't cheap, Cub. And honestly, I've been meaning to make a donation ever since I got the money from my inventions."
