by R. J. Ross
“Zera?” he says, pulling out of her hold. “Can you tell me what we’re doing here?”
“I’m willing to testify,” she yells at the building, grabbing his hand to make sure he doesn’t run. “Please, I brought Walter Colleck! I need a super! Come out and get him! He’s a monster!”
“Oh, Zera,” he says, shaking his head. “I was really hoping you wouldn’t do something stupid like this. You seemed so much more intelligent than your mother was.”
The black suits come pouring out of the building, and she looks him in the eye, knowing that if she doesn’t suffer for what she just did, one of her family will, someday in the future. But she has no children, and has no plan on having any, so… maybe he won’t get out before she dies of old age?
“You’re a lousy boss, Mr. Colleck,” she says as one of the black suits hit them both with a power blocking gun. She stumbles, but only slightly. She’s too busy watching them place a collar around Colleck’s neck to care.
He watches her, not replying to her accusation, but holding up his hands in a silent offer to let them cuff him. “If my son dies because of you,” he says quietly, “You will not live to regret it.”
“Then you shouldn’t have used that venom on him in the first place,” she replies.
“That tiny amount was perfectly safe on its own,” he says, but he’s pulled away before she can continue the argument. She takes a deep breath, unclenching her hands and falling to her knees as tears start to stream down her face.
***
*Reaper’s Place*
The sound of a storm brewing is barely heard through the heavy duty ceiling of his underground lair. The only reason that Reaper can hear it at all is because of his super abilities. Rocco looks over at him. “Are you going to get that?” the teen asks. “Did you actually give them the heads up?”
“Of course I did, but with that level of storm, it seems all three are out there, doesn’t it?” Reaper says. “I expected a good reaction, but I never thought I was this popular.” He stands, walking to the back of his lair and pulling back a curtain. A mirror stands there.
“What—what are you doing?” Ashlynn asks as he holds out one hand. Black smoke swirls around his hand before taking the form of a scythe.
“I’m going out to meet my visitors, of course,” he says. “They came all this way to see me, it would be rude to not say hello.”
“Eh, it wasn’t that far,” Rocco says. “They’re Central, too. Tell me, though, is this really just about getting a show for Sandra’s birthday?”
“That’s just a side benefit,” Reaper says. “What’s really important is revenge. Your father kidnapped my only child. Well, right now I’ve got both of his. How do you think he feels right now, knowing that?”
Rocco stares at him for a moment before saying, “You don’t know our old man very well, do you? I really doubt he cares. Well… maybe he doesn’t,” he goes on a bit more quietly. “He did save my life, once, but I’m still wondering if that was an accident.”
“How do you feel about me kidnapping your little sister?” Reaper asks him.
Rocco thinks about it for a moment. “You taught my aunt how to swing dance,” he says finally. “I think it would be stupid to worry, even with your powers. You don’t strike me as the type to kill baby girls, not when you’re so good with the Darlin’s. I don’t care how you treat my old man, as long as Skye likes you, I’m happy, you know?”
“I’m not a baby!” Evie says, quite offended by that statement.
“Of course you aren’t,” Rocco says, “but Mr. Reaper has lived a very, very long time, so to him you’re really young.”
“But I’m not a baby!”
Reaper merely laughs, slicing a door in the mirror with his scythe.
“One question,” Rocco says. “Did my dad know that you could use the Shadowlands?”
“Possibly not,” Reaper says. “That place stinks too much to bother with.”
“Yeah, I guess when you can use Mirrorlands, you would definitely take them, instead, huh?”
“Added bonus? All the Mirrorland users are beautiful women,” Reaper agrees, stepping through the mirror.
“I thought he’d never leave,” Shadowman says, stepping out of the shadows as soon as Reaper is gone. “Honey, I’m—” Rocco’s fist to his face stops him from completing the line, slamming him right back into the Shadowlands.
“Don’t leave this place,” Rocco says to the two females in the room. “I’ve got to have a little chat with our ‘dad.’” He steps through the shadows, intent on beating some sense into his father. From the tattered clothing, it shouldn’t take too long. It looks like he’s already been chewed on.
“Why are you taking HIS side?” Shadowman demands, sounding extremely offended. “He’s the kidnapper this time, not me!”
“Because it’s your fault that he thought he had to kidnap my little sister in the first place!” Rocco says. “And any excuse to punch you is a good one. You told me that no one else could get into the Shadowlands! Not to mention having and dumping another kid on the world!”
“In my defense, I’m not the one that had her,” Shadowman says.
“Oh, shut up, already,” Rocco snaps.
“You could have told him I was there, you know.”
“As much as I dislike you, I don’t want you dead,” Rocco admits. “Bruised, on the other hand, I’m perfectly happy with.”
“But you don’t get it, kid,” Shadowman says, “I can’t get any more of the energy, right now. In fact, I’d rather not get any more. Can’t you feel it?”
“Feel what?”
“The freak that The Professor created,” Shadowman says. “I didn’t give him that much energy, so he must have gotten it some other way. He doesn’t need me. If anything, that little storm up on the surface is a witch hunt. I wouldn’t put it past The Professor.”
“What do you mean?” Rocco asks.
“He’s trying to get some ‘pals’ of mine to finish me off for him,” Shadowman says. “And as tough as Reaper is, he probably hasn’t noticed one tiny detail. There are actually four of them.”
Rocco jerks, counting the number of supers in the area, and dismissing Reaper and his dad. “One… two… three…”
“Four,” Shadowman finishes. He runs through the portal into Reaper’s place. Rocco chases after him, coming out just in time to hear Ashlynn scream and see Evie picked up by a man in norm clothing.
“There you are, Shadowman,” the man says.
“West,” Shadowman says, “put the kid down.”
“This isn’t personal,” West says, holding the terrified looking Evie close. “We need those energy sticks. My cute little nieces and nephew are on the line. You should understand how it is.”
“So he did it to you guys, too, huh?” Shadowman says, looking irritable. “I was the lucky one, it seems. At least Reaper didn’t rip my place up just to grab my kid.”
“No, they’re ripping Reaper’s place up to grab your kid, instead,” Rocco points out. “Let my little sister go. We’ll take your nieces and nephew to a place where they’re safe, right, Shadowman?”
“Do you really think we’re going to believe either of you?” West asks. “I’m not even in the game and I’ve heard about Shadowman. If you’re his son, you’re going to be just as shifty as he is. Blood always tells.”
“I am not as shifty as he is! NO ONE is as shifty as he is! Well, maybe this professor guy might be… is there something you’re not telling me, old man?”
“What? If you’re trying to insinuate that he’s family, you’re wrong. If I had a kid old enough to have started all the stuff he has, I’d absolutely know about it!”
“Well, that’s better than nothing,” Rocco mutters. “Look, Mister, we don’t want to hurt you, so put the girl down.”
“I don’t see why you think you could,” West says.
“Lights,” Rocco says. The place goes dark and he looks at his father, nodding slightly before
stepping into the darkness.
“Lights!” West snaps, catching on quickly. The lights come back up, but the two shadow walkers are gone. He turns, looking around a bit wildly. He’s not made for this sort of thing. Well, he sort of is, actually, he’s a stage magician, but even he knows you don’t need secret passageways when you’re a shadow walker.
A hand grabs him from behind.
***
“So this will hold him?” I ask Nico as we fly over the Missouri border. Skye is looking around with a slight frown, so I don’t even think she noticed my question, until she nods.
“If Nico says it’ll hold him, it’ll hold him!” she says. “I couldn’t get out of it!”
“I’m still wondering why you went in,” I say.
“Well, he ASKED me to, didn’t he?” she says. “It was kind of weird, but then a show started playing and it was just like going to the movies!”
“You put a television in the trap,” I say to Nico.
“We’re going to have to see how much he understands, right?” Nico says, “So yeah, I put a monitor in the trap.”
“It was Loony Tunes!” Skye says. “I love Loony Tunes! They’re the funniest cartoons ever! Oh, but I love My Little Pony, too, so you could use that one, as well, if you want!”
“I really doubt Penski would appreciate either,” Nico tells her.
“Some people have NO taste,” she says. “But I’m glad he doesn’t, because that would make him more acceptable, and I don’t want to accept him! I hate him!”
We fall silent, following her as she searches. She pauses, once in a while, looking around blankly before pointing in a different direction and racing off. The further we go, the more dangerous Nico looks.
“Do you know where we’re headed?” I ask him as we race through the air.
“I’ve got a good idea,” he says as a large building looms up ahead of us. “I knew I should have put a laser wall around this place,” he mutters, cursing.
“Isn’t that the Cape Cells?” Skye asks, stopping so abruptly that I run into her. “Oh, no, not going there. I absolutely, positively REFUSE to go there!”
Nico ignores her, rushing right past with the trap floating behind him. I look at Skye, who looks torn. “He won’t try to put you in there,” I say. “He didn’t keep you in the trap, right?”
She looks at me, as if trying to come up with a response, but I don’t bother to wait for it. I race to the Cape Cells. The super guards come out in a rush, blocking Nico from going inside.
“We weren’t informed that there was going to be a visit today,” one says. “How can we be certain that you’re Technico?”
“There’s an accidental super running around right now, we tracked him to here,” Nico says. “If you don’t let us in, he’s going to do something.”
“Why would he come here?” the guard asks.
“I… honestly, I doubt he would come here by choice,” Nico says, frowning. “But he was messing with that doll, and the doll is connected to Clay. Clay hates the guy, so if he’s listening to him, it’s not completely a surprise.” He looks at me. “Where is Skye?”
“She doesn’t want to come,” I admit. “She’s afraid they’ll try and keep her.”
“She just let me trap her in a box barely big enough to fit her, and she’s worried that I’ll toss her into this place? I’m really going to have to lecture her on what to be paranoid about,” he complains. “We have a super tracker that led us here. She doesn’t trust you, so you’re just going to have to take my word for—”
An alarm starts going off. The trap drops to the ground and Nico rushes past the guards, leaving me to tap on my commlink and show them my ID. “He’s the real Technico,” I tell them before chasing after him.
“It’s in Herold’s cells,” Nico says as I get close enough. “This way.”
We race through the maze of corridors, joined by several of the guards. Nico merely touches the panel next to a door and it swings open. We rush in, only to stop as we see what’s there.
An old man is sitting in a chair, patting a sleeping cat and drinking a cup of tea. “Well, this is unexpected,” Herold says, taking another sip. “Oh, and you brought me a cute little visitor this time, too. You’re… ah, yes, now I remember. You’re Voltdrain’s precious little girl, right? The Princesa.”
“Burnout,” I correct him, looking closely. I almost swear that I feel my energy in here, but his eyes aren’t glowing, so… “Where is he?”
“Where is who?” Herold asks.
“Where is the accidental super?” I demand, only to feel the energy a second later, from outside.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Herold says blandly. Nico’s eyes are on the cat.
“He’s outside,” I say to Nico. “We left Skye out there, alone.”
Nico lets out a curse and heads out, only to bark, “Take the cat away and put a collar on Herold!” at the guards as we go past.
“The cat?” they ask, but we’re long gone by that time.
***
*Five Minutes Earlier*
“He’s coming,” the Clay doll says, making Herold look up from his book. “If you use the power now, they’ll notice. Take the doll I gave you and throw it at him when he gets here.”
Herold is about to respond when a translucent hand comes through the wall. A creature straight from nightmares steps through the wall, his eyes glowing, his hands reaching out for Herold. Herold picks the doll up and tosses it at the man, since, while he doesn’t quite trust Clay, it’s pretty much the only thing he has on hand that he’s willing to throw. It seems like a rather pathetic attempt at self defense, though. This glowing monster is enough to unnerve him, now that he’s a norm. To his surprise, the doll starts floating in front of the man, and glowing orange energy starts pouring into it. The man seems confused, and tries to pull back, as if realizing he’s being attacked. After a second the accidental super begins to fall, his body threatening to crumple, like he’s about to faint.
The alarm starts to go off. “They’ve noticed something, they’re coming.”
The doll drops to the ground. The accidental super jerks erratically, like he’s just woken up. After a second of staring at Herold, he turns and runs for his life in fear. Before Herold can get up, his cat jumps on the doll grabbing it and carrying it to him. He takes it, sticking it in the chair next to him, and the cat leaps onto his lap. Oh, sure, in theory the cat should be loyal to Nico, but Nico hasn’t been around, much, and as an A.I. it’s been learning just who takes care of it.
The door slams open and Nico steps in, along with a semi-familiar looking girl. Well,” Herold says, “this is unexpected.”
*Now*
Herold ignores his new collar and watches his cat be carried away, much to his irritation. He LIKES his cat. He sighs, and then digs the small clay doll out of the cushions, smiling slightly. Well, at least he still has this, he thinks as he wraps his hand around it.
He feels power start trickling into his body, regardless of the collar he’s now wearing. It’s the best he’s felt in months.
***
“I felt my energy back there,” I tell Nico as we head out. “I’m almost positive that Penski was there.”
“I know,” Nico says.
“Shouldn’t we send someone in to see what happened? You have everything record—” I stop as I see Skye and Penski floating in the air about ten feet away from each other.
“Sk… ye…” Penski says, shimmering in and out of solid shape. “My… girl…”
“SHUT UP!” Skye bellows. “QUIT CALLING ME THAT!” She rushes forward, slapping him, only to send him scattering in flecks of energy. She skips on the air a few times before catching her balance and twisting with a lashed out leg that hits nothing.
“Sk… ye…” he says again, only to stop and turn, as if he just now noticed me. He rushes forward, just as he had the first time, his mouth open, his hands reaching for mine. It’s the very image of an attacking g
host. I don’t even think, I flip, coating my leg in energy and kicking him in the chin. I actually connect. That thought stuns me, even as I watch him be flung backwards through the sky.
“YES! SHE HIT HIM!” Skye bellows enthusiastically. “Take him DOWN, BURNOUT! Because, you know, I shouldn’t have even slapped him, right?”
I nod, keeping my eyes on Penski. I need to get him into the trap, which means I need to drain his powers and… find out if Nico grabbed the trap from where he dropped it. I dare to glance over at him, only to stop and stare in shock at the sight of him with several cameras floating in the air. “What are you DOING?” I demand.
“Well, kid,” he says. “I figure we should show the world how you can take him down in a one-on-one. It’ll also be good training, so you can fight against Skye, and win, in the future.”
“She won’t WIN-win,” Skye says. “She’ll just win. There’s a difference.”
“We get it, sis,” Nico says.
I’m about to reply, but Penski rushes me again, grabbing my wrists. I jerk my knee up, slamming it into his solar plexus. My body is coated in energy, and I know he’s trying to pull at it, but it’s the only way I can actually make contact. I don’t let him go flying this time. I twist my wrists, grabbing his hands and pulling him towards me, tugging at the energy that makes up most of his body. He struggles, lashing out at me, and I drag him into my hold, more tightly, wrapping my legs around him. He has to faint soon, right? I just need for him to faint so we can place him in the trap and turn him over to the Hall!
“GO BURNOUT! GO BURNOUT!” Skye cheers.
“Why won’t you faint already?!” I demand, pulling at the energy. It feels wrong, but I don’t care. I need to weaken him enough that we can catch him.
When did we get this close to the ground? I only notice it a second before he tugs me straight down. For a second I start to panic, not able to breathe. I let go of him, flying straight up and back into the air. I’m covered in dirt, my hair is a mess, and I’m being recorded, yay.
“You okay?” Nico asks.
I spit out a mouthful of dirt, wishing I could brush my teeth. “He did that on purpose,” I say, wiping the dirt off of my face. I look down, seeing the ground start to turn into liquid. “What is he doing?” I ask, mere seconds before he shoots out of the liquid, wrapping around me from behind. I feel him pull my energy again, as he starts downward. I struggle, eventually getting a hold on him and flipping him over my shoulder, sending him flying.
