Burn Out

by R. J. Ross

  ***

  “Nico,” Pan says over the phone, “the word has gotten out.”

  Nico stops, going still, much to Century’s surprise. They had been heading for Century’s office to inform the other Hall Leaders of what’s going on. Century looks at him, having heard the comment.

  “What word?” Century asks.

  “The word that Voltdrain’s daughter is capable of negating the power stripping effect,” Pan explains. “If she was older, they would be more cautious, but we all know how young she is. They realize as well as anyone that she is the most vulnerable right now.”

  “The only ones who we’ve stripped of their powers are in the Cape Cells,” Century says. “Why should it matter to the ones that we haven’t even threatened?”

  “Paranoia and villainy go hand in hand,” Nico says. “They’re always looking for an escape clause. It’s practically in the job description. Vinny,” he says, looking around.

  “If you’re speaking of Fire Hazard, sir, he’s already left,” one of the black suits offers. “I think he was following Burnout.”

  “Well, that’s one good thing,” Nico says.

  “If the villains are interested in her, will two teenagers be enough to handle them?” Century asks quietly.

  “It depends on a few things,” Nico admits, “who those villains are, and whether they’re willing to work together.”

  “I am going,” Voltdrain says, his eyes glowing.

  “Agreed,” Century says.

  “Wait,” Nico says, stopping them both. “You want her to be your next Hall Leader, right?”

  “She’s in line for it,” Century admits, looking at Voltdrain. “She’s been doing good work since she started using her head, especially with the school. She has a lot of promise.”

  “Then show her that you have confidence in her,” Nico says. “Don’t let her know that you’re watching, ready to swoop in and save the day.”

  “That isn’t showing her confidence, son,” Century says.

  “Sure it is,” Nico says. “Whether she beats this on her own, or fails on her own, she’ll learn something from it. But if she goes into this thinking we’re right there, just waiting to catch her when she falls, she won’t learn anything except what she’s always known.”

  “Then why did you come?” Century asks him.

  “I’m different,” Nico tells them, “I’m just there to give advice and a grade at the end of the day.”

  “So… what sort of pet is it that you plan to give Phoebe Woods?” Century asks as Voltdrain hesitates and looks in the direction of the exit.

  “I will not be caught,” Voltdrain says before taking off at a run.

  “I was thinking a monkey,” Nico says, now proceeding. “I’ll have Zoe start on the design. Now, let’s get this all wrapped up so I can get to work.”

  “I have to ask…” Century says after a moment, “what DOES giving them a pet do?”

  “It provides twenty-four seven surveillance, Century. I thought you’d figured that out by now.”

  ***

  There, I think, hovering high in the air, there is where they’re keeping Davis. No, not “keeping.” Saying it that way is like calling him a prisoner… but I can’t say for sure that he is one. I pull out my phone, checking my texts and seeing one from Marisol. A tiny sigh escapes me, because I know for a fact that the poor girl has a crush. Davis hasn’t noticed, I don’t think, but sooner or later he will. Marisol isn’t very good at hiding things. I type back a quick reply, telling her that I know where he is and that I’m checking in on him, now. As soon as I hit send, I realize that it’s getting warmer. I turn, seeing Vinny heading for me.

  “What do you think you’re doing? You’re going to draw attention!” I complain.

  “If I had a more discreet way of flying, I would use it,” he says, moving higher. The clouds that I’ve been hiding in are starting to react to the heat, so I go higher, as well. The last thing I want is for the clouds to be dispersed. “Why are you here?”

  “Because Davis is in that… mausoleum looking place,” I say, motioning down. “He’s all alone down there, dealing with who-knows-what? Who knows if they’re experimenting on him? Who knows if he’s being… being used for some devious practice?”

  My phone dings, and I pull it out of my hidden pocket, checking.

  “Who is it?” Vinny asks.

  “Davis,” I say.

  “And what does he say?”

  I stare at the message before slowly reading it out loud, “Learning to operate multiple businesses at the same time, and being lectured by so-called-scientists on how much better Voltdrain is than America’s Son.”

  Vinny looks away, but I can tell that he’s laughing. “It isn’t funny, Pelican,” I tell him. “He’s probably lying to make me not worry!”

  “I didn’t say anything, so there’s no reason to bring up that name,” he says, calmly. Don’t be fooled, though, he’s extremely good at hiding his amusement. He’s good at hiding everything, after all.

  “What are you doing here, anyway?” I ask, looking downward, again, trying to see through the layer of clouds below us. I’m worried, but that text actually reassures me. He wouldn’t have time to text a line like that if he was in the middle of being dissected, right?

  “I…” The hesitant tone of his voice makes me look over. He’s staring at me, but it’s hard to read his expression when he’s in fire form. “I should have looked around after I checked in on her. Maybe I would have found the necklace before she did.”

  “I was sent in to act as a professional, and I failed, so why should I hold it against you?” I say. I type up a text to Davis, pressing send and letting out a sigh. “If he’s going to be like that, I can’t rush in and save him, can I?”

  “He’s the kid that let the Petleaves loose, right?” Vinny asks.

  “He’s also the kid that created the stuff we used to clean them up with no problems!” I say defensively. “Yes, he is rash, and he screws up in dangerous ways, but he’s one of mine! I’m the one that has the right to criticize him, not you!”

  “I had to take out one of those Petleaves,” he says, shutting my defense down that easily. “I burnt a square mile of ground taking that monster down. The only reason it didn’t go further was because it had already eaten the grass around it. There was nothing to burn.”

  “They didn’t bring the weed freezer in time?” I ask, quietly.

  “It was one of the first ones,” he says. “There were norms, there… and a little boy that kept screaming as I lit the thing on fire. His dad had to hold him to keep him from running into the flames. I went to see what Sunny and his mom did, afterward. It looked like it had never happened, but…”

  “He made a mistake. I made a mistake. You made a mistake,” I list, feeling frustrated. “Whose mistake is the biggest? Does it really matter?”

  “His was,” Vinny says.

  “That wasn’t what I was trying to say, Pelican,” I growl.

  “No, it was literally the biggest. We can get an estimate of how much ground was destroyed from Sunny, if you want proof.”

  “Oh, shut it, already,” I say, glaring at him and trying not to laugh. “You’ve said your piece, we’re done. You can leave, now.”

  “I think we need to talk,” he says. “I don’t… not like you… I just thought that—”

  “Is this really the place for this conversation?” I ask. “I’ve got to check in with the school and then I was going to arrange a date for Papa for tomorrow, and I need to find out what Nico has planned for Phoebe,” I list, my mind whirling.

  “They’re putting too many responsibilities on you,” he says. “While I’m here, the least I can do is help… wait, what date?”

  “Papa is going to go on a date with Cheval,” I say. “I need to make a reservation! I should look up all the fancy restaurants in the area—”

  “Let me handle that,” he says, to my surprise. “They’re going to want to talk about w
hat they do, right?”

  “Well, probably?” I say.

  “Then we’ll just set up someplace where they can. Is tomorrow soon enough?” he asks, already starting off. “I need to do a bit of prep work today, if I’m going to pull it off properly,” he adds over his shoulder. I look down, one more time, wishing I was a stealth type super for once in my life. I would sneak down there and peek in, if I were. Unfortunately, glowing body parts don’t make for very stealthy movements. I sigh, giving up for the moment and chasing after him.

  ***

  On the ground below, a man is staring up at the sky with a slight frown. He turns, slightly, as Davis walks out of the “school” building. “What’s taking so long?” the pre-teen demands. “You said you were going to show me the toy that my uncle was creating.”

  “Ah, Davis,” Walter says, “I’m surprised. You haven’t gotten into my security system, yet?”

  “Am I really supposed to admit to something like that?” Davis asks him. Walter laughs.

  “It seems you lied about not having any friends,” Walter says. “That little Hispanic girl seems quite intent on you. Is she your girlfriend? She’s a bit old for you, but of course…”

  “Who are you to comment on age differences?” Davis finishes, in a rather light tone.

  “Yes, exactly,” Walter agrees. “But really, she’s butting in where she’s not wanted. If I were you, I would… inform her of that.”

  “Oh, sure, I’ll be happy to do that.”

  “That tone seems to border on facetious, Davis.”

  “I have never been flippant in my life, Father,” Davis says. “Why don’t I go find Uncle Richard? He can show me his little toy, himself.”

  “That sounds acceptable,” Walter says, watching his son walk back into the building. The little jerk is just smart enough to get on his nerves, he admits, silently. He had always wanted a child to carry on his genius, but it turns out that genius children can be the worst type of upstarts, if the kid is an indicator. No, he tells himself, he just needs to develop a relationship with the boy, and gain his trust. The fastest way to do that would be by bribing him with the things his mother refused to give him. A game system would be a good start, considering their conversation in the car.

  He pulls out his phone and stops as he sees a notice. He taps on it, bringing up the forum that he had created a very long time ago. He reads it, one eyebrow twitching upwards in surprise. When he’s finished, he looks up again, thoughtfully staring at where the girl had been not but a few minutes earlier. After a moment, though, he taps on the screen again, bringing up Amazon. He can decide how to deal with the new information, later. Perhaps he can even get the kid to help him.

  ***

  *South Branch Hall*

  “What are we doing at the Hall?” I demand the next day, looking around the room that Vinny’s arranged for. “This is supposed to be a date, not a lunch at work!” Vinny ignores me, studying the tablet-like hologram floating over his wrist. “Okay, the tables are set as I asked; the dining ware is acceptable, as well. You said that Nico redid this room, right?”

  “Yes, sir, he was here while he redid the security,” a black suit says.

  “Then computer, play program one-fifty-five,” Vinny says. The walls light up and an image of a small cafe appears on one wall, light traffic walking past plays on another. In the background there’s a beautiful image of the Eiffel Tower. Sounds fill the air, but Vinny taps on the screen, lowering the level. “I know they could go there, if they wanted, but why bother when you have something like this?” he says to me. “Now show me the kitchen. Did you get all of the things I asked for?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  He leaves me standing there, looking around a bit blankly. I was going to stick them in a little cafe, sure, but it would be one where people stared at them, or even asked for autographs if they saw Papa’s eyes. This… I hadn’t even thought of this.

  My phone rings, and I answer, still looking at the walls. “Hello?”

  “We were supposed to kidnap Vinny and make him cook for us, remember?” Skye says. “So we need bait!”

  “Oh… um… does it have to be today?” I ask.

  “Yes, it has to be today! We ran out of frozen dinners and it isn’t shopping day until the day after tomorrow!” she says. “I don’t go shopping when it isn’t shopping day! It’s against my ethics!”

  “Yeah, right,” I hear Doris say in the background. “You’re just too lazy to cook, even if we do go shopping.”

  “It’s your day, Skye! No backing out!” Ariel says.

  “I’m not backing out! It’s not backing out if you use villainous methods to get a replacement!” Skye says, in a very self-righteous tone. “So dress sexy, Jimmi, and lure him into our evil clutches!”

  “I’m supposed to be one of the heroes, remember, Skye?” I point out. “Heroes don’t act as bait for villains.”

  “All is fair in love and food!” she says. “And if you do that, you get to eat, too!”

  “Well, it can’t be today,” I say. “Today Vinny’s going to be making lunch for Papa and Cheval’s da—” I stop myself, but it’s too late. There’s a look of patent surprise on her face. I think she must practice that one, because nobody would make that face by accident.

  “DATE?” she repeats in a squeal. “I WANT TO COME!”

  “You don’t go with other people on dates, Skye, that would ruin the whole point of the thing,” Doris says. “Come on, we’ll go rob the Hall. It’s not Tuesday, but I think they’re serving meatloaf, or something.”

  “I don’t like meatloaf,” Ariel pouts. “Why don’t we just spy on the date like we did with Taurus and Liz? We could invite Reaper! He’s good for getting tables.”

  “Ohhh, I’d like to go out with Reaper, again!” Skye says. “Where’s the date, Jimmi? We want to spy!”

  “No, no, no, that’s not going to work, ladies,” I say, waving a hand at the screen to try and stop them. “We’re at the Hall, that means there won’t be anyone to hide behind while you’re spying.”

  “They’re at the Hall!” Skye tells the other two. “OFF! TO THE HALL!” she declares with a dramatic pose.

  “They’re going to a date at the cafeteria?” Doris says, sounding incredulous. “Oh, that’s really romantic.”

  “Ladies, don’t—” I say, only to watch the screen go blank. I let out a heavy sigh, which turns into a groan as Century pokes his head into the room.

  “What’s this about Vinny cooking?” he asks, stepping in. “I don’t want to miss that!”

  “He’s cooking for a date!” I say, heading over and trying to push him back out of the room. He lets out a laugh, not budging an inch.

  “Ooooh? So you two are at that stage, already?” he teases. Before I can explain, Nico steps in behind Century.

  “Vinny’s cooking?” he says. “Where should I sit?”

  “It’s not a date between me and him, it’s a date between Papa and—” I stop as I hear someone let out a laugh from the hall. I know that laugh.

  “Don’t worry, sweetie, I don’t think either Alonso or I will mind the extra company,” Cheval says. I move out of the way and Century and Nico move aside as Papa and Cheval walk in. Papa looks quite stiff in his dress shirt, vest, and slacks, especially compared to how natural Cheval looks in her dress and heels. She’s taller than he is in those heels, but the way she’s holding his arm says she couldn’t care less. “Oh, oh my,” she says as she looks around. “How on earth did you get the room to look like this? It’s charming!”

  “Ah, Vinny hacked into my mood settings, didn’t he?” Nico says, glancing at it. “I did a handful of these for Summer.”

  “It looks so realistic!” Cheval says with a smile. “Do you have this set up for the school?”

  “They can, if they want,” Nico says. “Voltdrain, good to see you getting out,” he says with just a hint of wickedness. Papa tugs at his collar, looking a bit bashful. I glare at Nico for teasing him, but
he just grins at me and turns to Century, “So, where’s your date, Century?”

  Century laughs and walks over to me, bowing and holding out a hand. “If you’d do me the honor, darlin?”

  “I would be happy to, Uncle Charles, but I need to make sure that Skye and the girls don’t find out—”

  “YOO HOOO!” I hear Skye shout, “We’re here for the Vinny meal! Show the way and nobody gets hurt!”

  I groan. “That,” I say, sighing. A second later the three dance through the door carrying their trademark pink water guns. “Fine!” I say, “But you have to promise to behave yourselves,” I warn them, only to groan again as they all three turn to Cheval.

  “We’re your BIGGEST FANS!” Ariel squeals, throwing herself at Cheval. Cheval starts laughing again, accepting the hug with an answering one.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she says, accepting Skye’s hug, next. She looks at Jersey, who’s just standing there. “Well?” she says, holding out her arms. “Come over here, darling, I’m quite the fan, myself.”

  Awkwardly, Jersey walks over and holds out a hand to shake. “Nice to meet you,” she says, only to get hugged.

  “Oh, Alonso, you do know how to show a girl a good time!” Cheval tells Papa, happily.

  “Ah, sí, gracias,” Papa says softly. He looks around the group, and then at me. “¿Dónde está Vinny?”

  “He’s going to cook,” I say.

  “Did he expect this big a crowd?” he asks, looking in the direction of the kitchen. “I would be happy to help him. Cooking with Vinny is not something I get to do often…” He hesitates, though, looking at Cheval.

  “I would LOVE to!” she says. “Cooking is one of my favorite pastimes.”

  “But—” I start out, only to stop myself. “I don’t think he would mind! Here, why don’t I go with you?” Either place they go to, there will be other people. If it’s Vinny, though, he won’t care if they’re talking as long as they get the work done. Besides, I’ve sort of given up on the whole “romantic” thing.