Daddy's Girl: Cape High Book Five

by R. J. Ross

  "You okay?"

  I jerk at the question, looking up at where Justin is coming down the stairs. It was him that asked it, right? It sure sounded like him, but why is he even--oh, never mind.

  "Yeah," I say. "I'm okay. I just... I dunno, need some time to think, okay, guys?" I say. The group parts, letting me go through and up the stairs. As soon as I reach Justin, though, my wrist is grabbed.

  "You don't look okay," he says almost silently. I look him straight in the eyes.

  "I will be," I say. "And grabbing me like that is dangerous."

  "I'm so used to you stealing my voice I don't care," he says as he lets go. I head up the stairs, trying to erase that little moment from my mind. He'll probably regret that statement when I get stronger, I think as I reach my dorm room. He'll accidentally grab me and get knocked out--

  I totally forgot I had a roommate, I realize belatedly as I open the door and see Noelle sitting in front of my laptop. For some reason that sight makes me feel nervous. I wonder why. "You should ask before using other people's things," I mutter as I cross over to my bed and lay down.

  "I didn't break it," she says a bit too quickly, scooting her chair away from the desk. "Um..."

  "What?" I demand when she doesn't go on.

  "You're crying."

  "Brilliant observation," I mutter, wiping at the tears that kept escaping me. "Now forget you noticed." I roll over, laying on my stomach and turning my head away from her. I can't get the image of Dad's face out of my mind, of his hand coming up and touching the glass, of how he kept saying how me being happy is the same as him being happy--from behind a glass wall. Memories are crowding my mind and the tears are falling in earnest. I almost don't feel the bed dip behind me until I feel pressure against my side.

  "I'm sorry," Noelle whispers.

  I can't think of anything to say. I turn my head so I can see her. She's sitting on the bed with her back to me, but so close we're touching. It's hard not to, though, since it's a pretty narrow bed. It's just... I have no idea what to do about this situation. And, I decide, I'm too depressed right now to care. "I... I miss my family," she whispers. "Even if in a way they're here, they're not them. They don't know me. I want to go home. I just want to go home."

  "At least you have a home to go to," I say hoarsely.

  "Where did you go? Is that what's making you cry?" she asks.

  I turn away again, staring at the wall for a moment as I debate on whether I should talk to her. Is she an assassin from the future? I doubt it. I mean, she sounds like she's close to crying, too. "To see my father," I say. "I went to see my father."

  "But--isn't that a good thing?" she asks. "You went home--"

  "No, I went to see my dad," I say, my tone strained. "There's a difference."

  "Oh," she says quietly. I hear her overly fluffy skirt rustle as she moves a bit and I glance over at her again.

  "Is that outfit what everyone's wearing in your time?" I ask, wanting to change the subject.

  "No... not exactly," she says, tugging at the skirt a bit self consciously. "It's just... I want to be a time traveler. I mean, I've got the watch and everything--so I thought I should start dressing like one."

  "Time travelers dress in steampunk?" I ask. "How many time travelers are there in your time?"

  "Um... one."

  "Who is it?"

  "Me?"

  "So... you're dressing how you think time travelers should dress," I sum up.

  "Well if I'm the only one I need to set the fashion precedent!" she says, sticking her nose up in the air even as she squirms. It startles a laugh out of me, one that sounds a bit congested thanks to the crying I've been doing. "That's what Dad said, too," she says quietly. "He made fun of me for an entire day before... before saying I look adorable and hugging me."

  "You miss him?" I ask.

  "Yeah," she admits. "And my mom and my grandpa--I miss them all. But... this isn't about me. What is your father doing instead of being at home?" she asks, squirming so she's looking at me. "Is it important?"

  I stare at her for a moment. "You know how you said there's things you can't tell me? That means you're good at keeping secrets, right?"

  "Yeah, I have to be," she admits.

  "Then my dad... he's in the Cape Cells."

  The door bursts open and half of the dorm falls in with shocked expressions on their faces. Whoops.

  ***

  Silver and navy blue. That's what they've stuck him in, Nico thinks with a hint of disgust as he looks down at his new uniform. At least it's not red and gold, he consoles himself. He managed to avoid the cape entirely, telling the tailors that if they put a cape on him he would shred it, regardless of what material it was made out of. There'd been a long discussion of whether a shredded cape would be acceptable in a Hall member, but finally they gave in. Mostly because they realized just how much he'd look like Superior if he had one. Not that he doesn't already, he thinks in disgust as he glances at the mirror.

  He's supposed to step onto the stage any moment now, to tell the press who he is and how he's turned his life around and become a good guy, yadda yadda, all that stuff. It makes him cringe just thinking of becoming the "Hall's Prodigal Son." He can already see the newspaper headlines.

  He glances up as the door of his little changing room opens and Mastermental steps in. The shorter man looks him over, nodding after a moment. "Nice," he says. "The circuit lines are a nice touch," he adds, looking at the silver lines that cover the dark blue uniform. "Do they actually do anything?"

  "Not a thing," Nico drawls, bringing up his hand. "But the gloves do. I put them together myself."

  "And what DO they do that you need gloves for?" Mastermental asks.

  "Instant holographic television," Nico says cheerfully, lifting his hands palm upwards and bringing up a screen in front of him. "I can get every single television channel on EARTH with these suckers. Plus I can use it as a computer monitor if I need to show people things."

  "I see," Mastermental says. "Now I need to go introduce you, please refrain from cursing, being too politically incorrect and commenting on the general stupidity of the masses."

  "Yeah, yeah," Nico says.

  "Or the not so general stupidity of the press," Mastermental adds before leaving the room. Nico lets out a sigh and follows him, waiting behind the curtain as Mastermental introduces him.

  "Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, I know rumors have been rampant in the past few weeks. I am here to quell those rumors by saying," insert dramatic pause, "they are all true. The once dangerous super villain has joined the side of good. I am pleased to introduce you all to the newest member of the main branch of the Hall, Technico."

  Short and sweet, and leaving him with a million questions to answer, Nico thinks in irritation as he steps out from the curtain and into the flashing lights. Mastermental walks past him. "Do restrain yourself from killing cameras this time, won't you?"

  "Can I mention the school?"

  "I don't see why not. It'll cause a massive shock to the norm population, which means more publicity, which, of course, means more students coming to get in. Then we'll introduce entrance testing to make it truly elite."

  "Fine," Nico says, stepping up to the podium. He looks over the crowd, then stares at Mega, who's standing in the back with his arms crossed over his chest. Is he acting as security? The thought is forgotten as another bright light flashes in front of his eyes.

  ***

  We're surrounding the television, practically sitting on top of each other as we watch the interview. Thankfully it had interrupted what was rapidly turning into a grill session. Even Noelle and Justin are sitting on the edges of the group, waiting to see what Nico says in his interview.

  "I've never seen him in uniform before," Blackjack says from the chair he's claimed. "I know he had one before, though. Did you ever go up against him back in the day, Banshee?"

  "Once or twice," Banshee says.

  "How'd it go?"

  "
Why do you think I chose to focus on Panther, instead?" she drawls. "Of all the villains at the time, Nico was the hardest to deal with. It took all of Central Hall to catch him the one time we did."

  "Makes sense. I was in the South Branch at the time--"

  "Quiet!" half the room yells as Nico steps up to the platform, wearing a blue and silver uniform. Our attentions are glued to him. I bet most of the world is, right now.

  "Hello, everybody," Nico says, leaning against the platform in a bored manner. He doesn't look too excited to be there. "As Mastermental said, my name is Technico and I'm a recovering super villain. Nice to meet you all." It sounds exactly like a line from a television AA meeting, I think. What in the world is he plotting? "Before you ask, yes, I am a technopath. I manipulate electronic machinery, I'm good with building machines and computers. Now, I'm supposed to answer questions, so..." he waves at the crowd in a bored manner.

  "Do you have any other special powers? You were seen flying before," a man in the audience asks.

  "I can fly, have super strength, all the basics," Nico says. "My main ability is with machines."

  "How strong are you?" a woman asks.

  "Stronger than all of you," Nico drawls. A few laughs are heard, although they sound a bit awkward, as if not sure he's joking. "Honestly, I will confess one relationship that you might not know," he goes on. We see the crowd at this, their faces either confused or anticipating. "I have a half sister in the Hall already."

  "Who?" a man asks.

  "Firefly."

  The crowd lets out a low roar as they try and deal with that. Firefly is one of the few S class supers in the Hall, so now I'm positive they're trying to figure out Nico's ranking. I can practically see them noticing the similarities. Nico and Firefly have similar faces, even mannerisms, especially when doing a press release. "If you're Firefly's brother, why were you a super villain?" a man practically yells to be heard.

  "My sister wasn't even a working cape at the time I was arrested," Nico says. "Her choice to become a super hero was after that. For good reason, honestly. The food in the cells is terrible." That gets another laugh, one a little less awkward than the first one. "I'd like to go on record now, though, saying that I'm not planning on going super villain again."

  "Is that why you joined the Hall?" a woman asks.

  "I joined the Hall because--" he hesitates and looks at the cameras, as if contemplating something. "I'm needed for a new project that's started," he says.

  "And what project is that?"

  "We call it Cape High," Nico tells them. "It's a special school for budding supers. We oversee their training and their growth."

  "And why are you qualified for that project?" a man asks, his tone bristling. "I don't think we should allow a super villain to train our future super heroes--"

  "But I already have," Nico says, leaning forward again. "Who do you think taught Firefly everything she knows?" The shock can be heard even from this side of the television screen as Nico straightens. "I think that's enough questions. Thank you for your time," he adds in a bland tone before walking away.

  "Well, then," Blackjack says, glancing at Banshee. "Looks like we're coming out."

  "They'll want press releases from the rest of us to make sure it's not just Nico running the place, of course," she agrees with a sigh, crossing her ankles in front of her. "I'm going to have to dig out my old uniform. I never did get Jack to fix the dents," she complains. "But on the other hand, it'll take the focus off of Mega's new movie. That upstart's been getting a bigger head than usual over that."

  "Oh well," Blackjack says. "I guess I saw it coming."

  "Mega's big head?" Banshee asks.

  "No, having to do a press release. Mega's big head wasn't coming, it always was."

  Banshee laughs at that and the rest of the group starts talking about the interview and how the school is now known about all over the world. I can just relax a bit, knowing that it's changed the subject from me and my dad. For most of them, that is. Noelle and Justin are just watching me, with serious looks on their faces. It looks like they haven't forgotten at all.

  ***

  "So," Justin says. Why he's in my room, I have no idea, but he is. Everyone's already eaten dinner and gone their own ways to do homework or just hang out. That leaves me vulnerable for an ambush, if Justin and Noelle's presences is any indicator. "Your dad's in the Cape Cells."

  "Thank you Mr. Obvious for being so discreet," Noelle drawls, giving him a dark look. I think he just lost his pedestal position in her eyes. I hope so, at least. A girl can hope, right? "She's having a really hard time right now, you know?"

  "Yeah, but it's why we're here, right?" he says. "We're doing an intervention or whatever."

  "An intervention," I repeat. "For what?"

  "To... I dunno, fix things," he says. He looks a bit red right now. Is he embarrassed? He should be, I mean, seriously, where in the world did he get "intervention" from? "How long? I mean, how long has he been in the... cells?" What was he planning on saying before cells? Slammer? Big house?

  "Since I was ten," I say a bit too sharply. "He got caught on camera taking out a super hero." I don't look at them as I drop on my bed. I can't. "I mean, it's pretty hard for the world to miss a super hero going unconscious and a white guy turning black."

  "He turned black? How?" Noelle asks.

  "He doesn't just take their powers, he takes their appearances and their memories and--it just wasn't pretty," I admit, shrugging. "They couldn't let a guy like that stay on the streets--even if it was an accident. So... I lost a dad and got tossed into the system, until Collector collected me."

  "But--but if he hadn't had that accident he wouldn't have been caught, right?" Noelle says.

  "I don't--I mean, I don't think you understand," I admit. "He isn't... he's not a good guy."

  "But neither is Nico, right? He was in the Cape Cells," Justin says. "People can change."

  "If he knew what would happen, that you'd be separated and you'd only see each other once for the rest of eternity, he would have been more careful, right?" Noelle says urgently. "You'd still be with your dad now, and you'd not have been caught by that other guy, right?"

  "I dunno," I say. "Maybe?"

  "You'd definitely not have been!" she says. It's pretty clear she's got it stuck in her mind. "You could convince him that his abilities could be used for good! Like Nico! They could--they could use him in the Hall!"

  Justin speaks before I do. "What do you mean, 'she could'?" he asks. "It's already happened. It happened a long time ago, when she was just a little kid."

  "Yeah... but she's not, now," Noelle says. I stare at her, the feeling that what she's about to suggest is definitely wrong, or dangerous, or something. "We could at least try, right?" she says, looking me in the eyes.

  "I don't think--"

  "You're talking about going into the past?" Justin demands. "No way--you don't even have your watch, right? It broke and you got stuck here, in your past! Who's to say that even if you DID still have the watch, and it worked, that it wouldn't break in the past, too, and you'd both be stuck there? Or what about the rules? The time travel rules! Everyone knows those!"

  "Movie rules," Noelle says. "I mean, I'm in the past right now and nothing's happened! How do we know that we aren't DOING what we've already done and if you don't do it then you're messing everything up?"

  "That's so convoluted," Justin mutters.

  "It doesn't matter," Noelle says. "What matters is that we have the ability, we should at least TRY! It's just one tiny talk, one tiny little thing that needs to be changed--who would even notice it? Other than, you know, Morgan?"

  Lots of people, I think. What happens if we change the past? If I never get captured because my dad is watching out for me? The zoo kids would probably still have been saved, since Collector still would have gone after Adanna, right? They don't need me... but...

  Noelle doesn't know everything my dad's done. I do. There were more lives than
just Detriment's that were ruined by Dad. Like my mom's... and her husband's. If Dad hadn't done what he did, would they still be living happily together now? Would they have kids--kids that don't have messed up powers like mine? Maybe a dog, a little house, all the things I'd dreamed of when I was in the system.

  If I was going to go back in time... shouldn't I fix the problem from the very beginning? Dad ruined Mom's life, long before he ruined mine. But--but if I did that, I wouldn't even exist now. But if I didn't exist I would never have been stuck in the zoo, or tossed around like an unwanted doll, or even worry about becoming my dad! I--I just--

  "We need to find a way to get my watch back," Noelle says, jerking me back to the present. "But I don't even know where it is. Or if he's fixed it."

  "I do," I say. "I know where it is... but it's not fixed yet."

  "Oh. Well, it shouldn't take too long," Noelle says with a shrug.

  "Why wouldn't it? He said he'd never seen anything like it before," I say, trying to follow her logic.

  "Well, yeah, because he hasn't invented it yet," she says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. Both Justin and I stare at her. "What?" she asks.

  "Why do you have a watch that Nico invented--or is going to invent?" Justin asks.

  "Um... that's not important right now!" she says, blushing brightly. "What's important is that we figure out how to do this--and we need to do it quick, because once he does get it fixed he's going to bring it to me and I'll go back to the future and nothing will have happened. Morgan, you know you want to try, at least, right?"

  Do I? No, not what she's planning... but if I got the chance, would I go back and stop him from taking down Mom's husband?

  "You do, right?"

  "I... I might," I say. "Maybe."

  "Then we need to get that watch." I shake my head, deciding with that statement that this is absolutely an insane idea. Absolutely. Like, so absolutely that I'm too busy freaking out to come up with another word than "absolutely."