by R. J. Ross
"Sure," he says. "And you did well. I expect you'll be making a few more mini-debuts in the future?"
"I want to get some more training in--this was sort of out of left field, but I definitely plan on it!" I say.
"And have you thought of a name?"
"Yeah," I say. "I'm going to be Blackbird."
"Simple, but I like it," he says. "Now, before I let you go, I'm going to give you your first assignment."
"What?"
"Talk that Freddy boy into working for us. Nico says he'll make a great cameraman for you."
"Talk--but--" I turn bright red, hearing him laugh knowingly.
"I'm sure you can convince him easily enough. Say hello to your aunt for me," he adds before hanging up.
I groan as Ace starts laughing. I give him a dirty look, even as my outfit changes back to normal. "Oh shut up, it's not the same as asking him to date me!"
"Sure it is--worse, even," Ace says. "It's asking him to be your future partner. Ask Trent about that sometime."
"Whatever," I say, knowing that my face is bright red. "I can fly," I say after a second, my mind going back to the biggest revelation of the day. "Sure, I need special equipment, but not much." I feel a thrill race through my body and I jump to my feet. "I need a new uniform! It should be the same silent material, but it needs to connect when I want it to, so I can take off! This is so awesome! Thanks, Ace!" I give him a brief hug before racing up the steps and looking for Nico.
I come to a stop at the sight of Freddy standing there. "Hey--" I start out.
"Do you like Ace?" he asks.
"Um, I--" I say, thrown off guard. "Well yeah, I mean--"
"Then I'll stop bugging you," he says.
"What?"
"I mean, I don't think you've got that great a chance, since he's got a thing for Morgan, but--"
"I don't like him like that!" I say, shocked. "I like him as a friend, and just a friend."
"But you just hugged him--"
"He showed me how I can fly--I would hug ANYONE that did that," I say bluntly.
"So... does that mean I still have a chance?" he asks.
"I don't know. Do you?" I ask him, walking right past him. When I don't see him anywhere, I head back down the stairs, yelling, "Nico! I get a say on my colors, right? I'm thinking shiny black and maybe a bit of dark blue, but I want it in that silent material like Freddy wears!"
I don't dare to look back at Freddy until I'm halfway across the campus. He's still standing there with a confused expression on his face.
I still fully believe that boys are nothing but trouble, don't get me wrong--but it looks like I'm going to be really, really good at trouble from here on out.
Maybe, if he plays his cards right, I MIGHT give him a chance.
***
For a moment she got to play family, Mother thinks as she sits down on the table of her little headquarters. It was a lie, of course, and the children hadn't actually liked her that much, but still, it had been entertaining. A husband, kids... she'd spent so long focusing on that sort of thing.
"It failed," Shadowman says blandly. "Really, what were you even planning with that one? Other than wasting a bit of time?" He'd been the one to watch the thing first hand. She'd had to rely on what he told her. She looks at him for a long moment, wondering if he'd told her everything. She really doubts it.
"Hard Knocks is a well-known, respected member of the super society, isn't he? If I could use his children to infiltrate the school, I could get the younger generation of supers on our side. It's just a matter of manipulation and time. Or barring that, I could try and convince him to attack the school for no reason and show that even the heroes are unstable and shouldn't be trusted--it would have taken a bit of work and a lot of misdirection, but I think I could have managed," she says. "But most importantly, he was heading for Cape High. The entire world knows that Cape High is run by Technico, who, as we now know, has a relation to Superior. I need to find Superior--which would be easier if you would just TELL me where he is."
"Superior is dead," Shadowman says, looking her straight in the eye. This time she KNOWS he's lying to her. "Superior died a very long time ago, and regardless of all those cliché 'back from the dead' plotlines the capes pull, they never really do come back from the dead. Almost dead, sure, but not DEAD, dead. Only one guy in history did that, and He was a God, not a super."
She stares at him, trying to get into his brain. But he's grown completely immune to that in this short amount of time. It's extremely annoying. "You're lying, and we both know it, but if you won't tell me where he is, I'm going to do whatever I can to find him--and his son is the best way to do that."
But really, she had seen a handsome man with adorable children and just couldn't help herself, she thinks silently. She misses that family feeling, pathetic, but true. "Enough of that," she declares. "Bring me a computer."
"For what?"
"What does it matter, Shadowman?" she asks, looking him in the eyes. "Bring. Me. A. Computer."
He sighs and heads out, grumbling the entire way.
The Blackbird Show
"Since we don't have a journalism class, and you'll be graduating soon, I've made a deal with Andre," Nico says, leading me into my own room. He'd kicked me out for half an hour, leaving me to wonder what, exactly, he was doing. I'm about to find out. "Now, I had to add a few things to your room, so it might seem smaller. If you want to expand into the next door room, I'll be willing to negotiate," he adds as I step into my room.
The entire right side of the room is now a conglomerate of glowing blue parts and metal. "Desk," Nico says. A desk folds out from the wall, glowing faintly. It even has a keyboard built in. "Monitor one, three, and five," he says. The wall above the table lights up in three different places. "Two, four, and six," he goes on. The spots between the first three light up. "Monitor one, bring up Cape High, Blackbird," he commands.
It's a simple directory, with one recording listed. "You have a mouse," he says, looking over at me after a second. "I just find mice annoying--you can run all of this by simple commands if you want."
"So... you gave me a massive high tech computer system because I don't have a journalism class?" I say blankly, looking at the well padded ergonomic chair sitting in front of me. I have the oddest feeling it'll conform when I sit in it.
"No, you're going to run a vlog," he says. "And since this will be seen by your future employer, I expect you to make it look really good."
I look at him, shocked. "Mr. Harrison will see this?" I ask.
"He'll be your teacher," he says. "Well, more of a mentor. You'll be expected to do something weekly--you can write news reports or interview people in the school, like you did Ace. But Andre isn't the only one who'll see it. This will be seen by the school, faculty, and possibly a few of the parents, as well," he says. "At least, the main page will be. You're welcome to set up folders in the Blackbird files, so you can record and edit things. Your phone is, as you've already discovered, a very good camera. But if you need to cover an event I'll give you access to the school recording system. You CAN get away with a single report a week, but will you?"
"Not if I can help it!" I say, excitedly.
"Your mom--"
"You mean Aunt Barbara?" I say, not really bothered if he IS calling her my mom.
"Yeah, I mean her. From what I've heard, she's better equipped to carry the mom title," he says, much to my shock. "Unless she can swear absolute secrecy, she won't see this--she's too much of a reporter. Although I might be willing to let her see one or two if you cover something off-campus."
I hesitate. "How much is this--" I wave at the gorgeous setup, "costing Mr. Harrison? Because if it's too much I honestly can't accept--"
"Andre's one of the richest capes in the world, you know," he says.
"I don't care," I say. "If I'm living off of him, I have to be responsible."
"The setup cost me... a trip to the junkyard that won't be made up until either Zo
e or Jack come back from their mission, and half an hour," he says with a shrug. "But if you want to pay me back, I can drag you out there to dig through scraps for an hour or two. It isn't costing Andre a dime. Now if you think you need more room since I made your room smaller, THAT will cost him."
"No, it's fine," I say, looking at my massive room with a snort. "I think I'll survive. Thank you," I say, itching to sit down in the chair.
"If you do a good job here, I'll set you up with an RV for your future job," he says, "as payment for being our reporter. With all the villains out there, I think you'll be living on the road."
"That sounds amazing," I say, giving into the temptation and sitting down. "So... um, how do I call Mr. Harrison?"
One of the screens flash and a rather surprised looking Andre Harrison appears on monitor number one. "Jennifer?" he asks. "So you've gotten your new setup?"
"I have!" I say, grinning broadly. "Now I just need to figure out how to use it."
Nico leans forward, pointing at a key. "To record yourself, just hit that." he says. "And you've got your choice of vlog layouts that you can use. They're all titled 'The Blackbird Show.' We can change that if you want to."
"Thank you, Nico, for helping her out so much," Mr. Harrison says.
"Oh, it's not altruistic," Nico says. "This should keep the kids busy, too."
"This is so amazing," I say as the layouts come up on one of the screen. I grab the mouse, clicking on the interview with Ace and dragging it down into the one I like best. It starts playing automatically, and I start typing in the area under the screen.
"We've lost her," I hear Nico say.
"Looks like it," Andre says. They sound amused, but I don't have time to reply. I've got a news report to make! I don't even notice when Andre hangs up and Nico leaves--I'm too lost in the future.
Next, to learn how to edit video! I bet there's a program for that, here, too!
SUPERIOR GIRL
by
R. J. ROSS
CHAPTER ONE
*Vinny's Team - Texas*
“I’m thinking of changing my last name,” I say, curled up in the back seat of the RV. I know for a fact that Vinny, Flame and Kaden can hear me, but I don’t care. They can just deal with the fact that Max calls me on a daily basis. I mean, I haven’t seen my boyfriend in weeks, thanks to this mission. I can at LEAST have a twenty minute call.
“To what?” Max asks.
“Rosenthorn hyphen Masters,” I say. “I mean, at first I didn’t think I’d EVER want Dad’s last name--and it got worse when Grandpa showed up, but they’re not really that bad,” I admit. “I mean, I don’t know if Sunny will do the same, but at least one of us should claim the Masters name, right?”
“Sounds good,” he says. “I like the sound of Max Masters just fine.”
“Wait, what? I said I was changing my last name, not you.”
“Yeah, but I don’t HAVE a last name,” he says. “So when we get married and have the little time traveler girl, she’s going to need a last name. I’ll just take yours and it’s all solved.”
“That’s so weird,” I say, trying not to laugh. “It’s always the girl that takes the new last name!”
“Then you’d just be Zoe,” he says. “Which doesn’t sound nearly as impressive as Zoe Rosenthorn-Masters, and I couldn’t shove the Masters name in people’s faces.”
“But wouldn’t it be Max Rosenthorn-Masters? Since you’d be taking my last name?” I ask teasingly.
“Can we get a soundproof room in here? I think I’m going to be sick,” I hear Vinny drawl from the front of the RV.
“The restroom is right over there,” Kaden says in that mild, sweetly helpful tone he always has. Don’t be deceived, though, he’s just making a joke.
“You both need to get girlfriends!” I call up to them, not bothering to cover the phone. “Then you can make other people sick! It’s a lot of fun!” I add with an evil grin.
“Max Masters sounds more epic than Max Rosenthorn-Masters,” Max says, completely ignoring me heckling my teammates. I do it often. Especially to Vinny--since it’s SO obvious that Jimmi’s in love with him. He’s just a moron.
“We’ll be reaching the South Branch Hall soon,” our driver, Kate, says, looking over her shoulder at us. “You’ll all be expected to make yourselves known, so I suggest getting into your uniforms.” It's finally time, huh? We've been doing small gigs for the past few weeks, all in South Branch territory, but this is the first time we've actually visited the Hall, itself. I'm feeling a bit nervous about actually coming face to face with Century.
“Yes, Kate,” I say, getting off the little bed and heading for the pull out closet. “Max I’ve got to let you go,” I tell him.
“Love you,” he says. I turn bright red, still not used to hearing that.
“You too,” I say, seeing several eyes watching me. I hang up and give them all a dirty look. “I’m taking the bathroom,” I tell them, dragging my uniform into the bathroom before they can say anything. The suit looks like everyone else’s--white and gold, with the Cape High logo on the back--is nothing like theirs. I tweaked it a bit while Dad wasn’t looking. Sure, if he stopped by, he’d know--but he wouldn’t call me on it. He’s already heard about me tweaking the RV.
The suit glows faintly as I zip up, letting out a little chime to say I’m logged in. I smile slightly before stepping out of the bathroom and heading for the door. I’m not planning on going hero, but if I have to wear a uniform, it’s darn well going to be the coolest one around, got it?
The RV pulls to a stop and Kate swings the door open.
“Ahem,” Flame says, dropping a hand on my shoulder, “you don’t mind if I go first, do you?” he asks as I look up at him.
“Oh--um--not at all,” I say as everyone starts to laugh at me. “I was just doing what I was told to do!” I tell them. “Kaden, you have to put the uniform ALL the way on,” I scold him, seeing the top half hanging down around his waist. Kaden is one of the zoo kids--one of the ones we never even saw until recently. They went through a lot, so you can’t exactly blame them for hiding from the world. They were all captured and held on display by a sick freak of a norm called the Collector. They come in all shapes, colors, and ethnicities, but all are pretty impressive.
Kaden is probably one of the most impressive of the group. He’s a Polynesian kinetic energy absorber. Basically, he’s a tank class--the type that actually gets a little larger and a LOT stronger with each hit he receives. He’s already huge--well over six foot, naturally, and in the middle of a growth spurt. I swear he’s grown half a foot naturally since we left school. A bit ironically, he’s got a super sweet personality--other than his passionate hatred for shirts.
“I don’t want to tear it,” he says, giving me huge brown puppy eyes, since it works better on me than getting rebellious.
“It won’t tear,” I tell him, crossing my arms over my chest and just staring at him. “Kim made it specifically for your growth spurts, and we need to make a good impression,” I lecture him. He looks down and I sigh, walking over and placing a hand on his massive shoulder. “You can leave it unzipped,” I tell him, reluctantly.
“Okay,” he says, tugging it on.
“Running around shirtless all the time,” Vinny says, shaking his head, “I tried to teach him manners, I really did.”
“It suits his class,” Flame says, stepping out of the RV. I head to the window, watching as he shakes hands with Century and Voltdrain. Absently I reach up and try to fix my hair, hiding the white undercoat. It doesn’t stay hidden.
“Let it show,” Vinny says, still lounging at the table with his booted feet up on the chair next to him. “They’ll figure out who you are soon enough.”
“I’m trying to make a good impression,” I tell him. “One day I’ll have to deal with him concerning Cape High.”
He gives me a crooked smile. “Century is probably the most straightforward of the Hall Leaders. Trust me, you’ll be fine.”
“More straight forward than Mastermental?” I ask.
“You REALLY think Mastermental’s straightforward?” Vinny asks, his eyes widening slightly. “The man who sent your dad to the Cape Cells, only to pull him out sixteen years later and make him train every single super kid they can get a hold of?”
“Well... when you put it that way,” I admit.
“Is Century a good guy?” Kaden asks Vinny.
“From what I saw of him, yeah,” Vinny says, getting to his feet. “But I’ll always like Voltdrain best.”
“I heard that!” Flame yells back at the RV.
“I meant you to!” Vinny calls back.
“Señor Vinny! We will get to see a Luchador fight this week!” Voltdrain calls. “I have tickets!”
“Time to step out,” Vinny says, heading for the door with a massive grin on his face. “Sup, guys,” he says as he hops out of the RV and heads for them. “Can you get two more tickets for my pals?” he asks Voltdrain with what comes the closest to a look of excitement I’ve ever seen--at least on him.
“Sí! I would be happy to,” Voltdrain says, turning to us with a smile.
“Um, I’m Zoe Rosenthorn-Masters,” I say, looking from them to Century. I hold out a hand, which he takes, engulfing it in a hand that’s as big, if not slightly bigger than Grandpa’s. “This is Kaden,” I add, looking over at the final member of our team. “We’d like to thank you for letting us do this mission--”
“Your father didn’t tell you everything, did he?” Century asks.
“What?” I ask blankly.
“He offered your services in return for letting you three do whatever you wanted,” he tells me. “You see, we’ve got the basics of our own special high school started, but we need the technology to run it--and according to Nico, he won’t let us call it Cape High South unless it’s up to his standards.”
“A sister school?” I ask. “You’re building a sister school?”
