by R. J. Ross
The Hall Leaders look at each other, and then at the preteen. “And?” Century prompts.
“Yes, of course you all knew that,” Davis mutters. “But I want to go back to Cape High South. I might be going villain, but I don’t ever want to be associated with the man that donated to my genetic code. I would rather not claim any relation to him, at all, if I could. And I’ve been told that I can’t make that decision unless my mother agrees to it, or I’m a registered super.”
“We agree, son,” Century says, “that’s the next subject up for discussion, but first, please be seated and wait for us to get to you.” Davis closes his mouth and nods, taking his mother by the hand and pulling her to the chairs.
“You recorded that? Oh, of course you did. Even when you’re near death, you’re thinking of things like that,” she says irritably as she looks at the Hall leaders. “You know, it seems extremely similar to the norm courts, Davis,” Lydia remarks. “I thought supers solved everything with their fists.”
“Only on the surface, ma’am,” Century says. “Now, we have a series of videos and the confession of Ms. Mace, along with the readout of Walter Colleck. You’ve gotten a readout on him, haven’t you, son?” he asks, looking at Nico.
“I can get one,” Nico says.
“Do it. That should be enough to cover our a—bases,” Century says. “All agreed?”
“Of course we’re agreed,” Marigold says. “To think we had a super like that wandering around.” She actually looks a little pale at that thought. “Is he completely locked down?”
“He’s in the holding cell, here,” Nico says.
“Worst possible kind of cape,” Marigold mutters.
“Agreed,” Mastermental says.
“Now, we could argue that,” Isotonic says. “I, personally, think that Deathblow is worse.”
“Well, yes, but he is not the type to blackmail people with their children,” Mastermental points out.
“Blackmail?” Negatia asks.
“I believe that will explain some of Shadowman’s actions,” Nico says, a bland expression on his face. I stare at him, shocked that he would pull that card. That’s just dirty. Shadowman got in on this well before he found out about Evie! But then again, Nico was using Shadowman… I stare at him, and he gives me the tiniest of smiles. I want to say something. “Of course, it doesn’t explain all of them,” he goes on, making me relax. “Part of his reasoning was he wanted insurance against losing his powers. We all know that Herold stripped his powers, once.”
“Shadowman is getting up there,” Century admits. “It wasn’t fun for me, either.”
“He still needs to be punished,” Isotonic says, “but we can discuss that after we hear the testimony. Ms. Mace, if you would?”
She takes a deep breath, looking at them each, “Only if you promise to get rid of any way that he can track me in the future. He even has my DNA on record. Is there any way you can change that without taking my powers?”
“We’ll see what we can do,” Mastermental says.
“I’ll clear all information off of his computer,” Nico says, “ALL of his computers.”
She nods, and then starts to speak. The story makes me sick to my stomach, and I’m glad when she’s finished, not because I don’t have to hear more, but because while I don’t like her, what she’s been through is terrible, and I’m glad it’s over. I dare to glance over at Davis and Lydia. Davis doesn’t look surprised, but Lydia looks a bit stunned. Well, I can’t blame her. She was going to marry the man, wasn’t she?
“So… you promised you would make it so he couldn’t track me,” Ms. Mace finishes. “I want it in writing, and I want to be placed in protective security until I’m absolutely certain he can’t, do you understand? If you don’t do that, I’ll go to the norms and tell them you’re holding an innocent man hostage. It might not work, but you’re already dealing with bad press, now aren’t you?”
The looks on their faces say they don’t like that threat one bit. I don’t like it, either, but I can sort of see where she’s coming from. “We’ll put you someplace secure,” Nico says. “Don’t worry about that part.”
“Then we’ll leave that to you, Technico,” Isotonic says. “We will be speaking with Walter Colleck shortly, but first, bring in Judge Kelson, please.” He looks past me to Falconess, who nods and heads out the door. “Tell me, Burnout, was it? How are you doing?” he asks me, a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
I give him as good a smile as I can pull off, my mind going back to what happened. “I… it wasn’t fun,” I say, trying to play it off. They just watched me sob like a child in the film, so it’s expected. I probably should have asked Nico to cut that part before showing them, huh?
The door swings open, but instead of just Judge Veronica Kelson, several somewhat familiar looking adults step in. There’s a good looking man in paint splattered clothing who crosses his arms over his chest and looks stubborn. Another is a pair of rather fragile looking people, who remind me faintly of Jonas, when I look closer. The group keeps filing in, until finally Veronica walks in, with Cheval right next to her. Cheval glares at Ms. Mace for a second before relaxing and waving at Papa. He smiles, waving back with a tiny motion.
“I didn’t expect a crowd,” Negatia says. “Could you please tell us who these people are?”
“We are the parents of the children of Cape High South,” the paint splattered man says. “Marisol is my daughter.”
“We’re, um, Jonas’s parents,” the wife of the fragile couple says. “He’s not in trouble, is he?”
“No, ma’am, Jonas is a fine boy, and a very hard worker,” Century says. They look both pleased and a bit startled to hear this.
“I’ve invited the families here,” Cheval’s daughter says. “I spent quite a bit of time speaking with them to find out about what is happening in Cape High South. I wanted to make sure that the reason Davis was pulled out was not because of bullying, or other problems within the school. It was a bit surprising just how much this school is doing for our children.”
“That is wonderful to hear, of course, but I’m still uncertain why they need to be here for this hearing,” Negatia says.
“It was been brought to my attention that Davis is in a very unsafe situation, and would be better off back in Cape High South. There are two ways to accomplish this, either his mother agrees to send him back, or we register him, giving the Hall the authority to step in. I have been trying to get a hold of Davis and his mother all day, but unable to. After finding out that the explosion today took place where the boy was staying, I came to you, the council, to speak about this issue. We are all well aware that registering a child like Davis as an official super is a very large, and quite dangerous step,” Judge Kelson says. “He will draw attention from around the world, and considering the part he played in the Petleaves episode—which I had to dig to find out about, might I add! Well, if certain people were to find out, it could be extremely dangerous for everyone around the boy. That includes these kind people’s children.”
“And how will these ‘certain people’ find out?” Marigold asks.
“He’s a child with an IQ rapidly approaching 300. He has a history of private tutors that threw in the towel because he refused to listen after he was done learning what he wanted to know,” Judge Kelson says flatly, “even if they don’t find out about the Petleaves, I’m positive he’ll do something else reckless that will anger the wrong people, sooner or later. Intelligence and common sense are not the same thing. He needs to be held accountable for his actions by adults that can actually command his respect.”
“We would have Technico covering the security aspect, but I agree with your evaluation,” Mastermental says. “Would Ms. Monk and Davis please come to the front? We would like to hear your side of it.” The two get out of their seats and head to the front. “Now, Davis, I believe there’s something you would like to say?”
“Ah, yes, of course,” Davis says, hopping to his feet and co
ming to the front of the room. “I have permission to return to Cape High South.” He pulls out his phone and taps on it, playing a recording of a conversation with his mother.
“I want to go back to Cape High South.”
“I agree. We need to get you away from that place. I’ll pack your bags, myself.”
The leaders look at each other, and I can tell they’re amused. Mastermental nods, looking at Lydia. “Of course, your son is a genius, I’m certain he can fake the recording. What do you have to say to this, Ms. Monk?”
She gives the group a disgruntled look before sighing. “Your education system isn’t nearly advanced enough for my son! He’s a genius! He should be going to Harvard or Yale!”
“So you don’t deny the recording?” Century asks.
“I don’t deny the recording,” she agrees with a sigh. “But your school is obviously not mentally stimulating enough to keep him from doing reckless things, either!”
“Actually,” Davis says, “the classes might not all be, but playing that Technico game can be… well… somewhat mentally stimulating, especially when Zoe is leading the opposing team. The Petleaves thing didn’t happen because I was bored, Mom, it happened because they ripped off my technology.”
“We’ve cut off his access to the satellites he used for that particular caper,” Nico says. “I’ll be keeping a closer eye on him, myself. I would also be quite happy to bring him to Cape High Central, if you feel he’s not being watched closely enough in South. While I do check in, regularly, there, I’ll actually be here in person.”
“I would actually like to stay in South,” Davis says. “We’ve just now reached the top five of the Technico boards.”
“How about we give him something else to keep him occupied, as well?” Century asks. “I think Davis is ready to do a few small shows as a budding super. If we keep them local and in places that are Hall controlled, such as the amusement park, we won’t have to worry about registering him just yet.”
“Why wouldn’t you?” Judge Kelson asks. “That’s still acting as a super.”
“That’s acting as an entertainer,” Century says. “It’s the cape’s equivalent of a dance rehearsal. We stick our little ones in tights and place them on a stage.”
“Oh, how appealing that sounds,” Davis mutters under his breath. Nico chokes and looks away, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. “I mean it sounds fun,” Davis says, blatantly changing his tone. “Jimmi said something about pitting me against Fire Hazard, once.”
“Fire Hazard?” Lydia yelps. “I will NOT ALLOW IT! You’ll get burnt to a crisp!”
“No, whatever stand-in I send, pretending to be me, will be burnt to a crisp,” Davis says. “Do you really think I would get that close to working supers if there was another way around it?”
I go still, his words seeming to echo in my head. No… no, that’s not possible, right? The man that we spoke to, he was a super. I’m just being paranoid—
I look over at Ms. Mace, who is going pale, as well. It’s almost as if she’s reading my mind. She looks over at me, sensing that I’m watching her, and our eyes meet. “You don’t think…?” I say to her.
“If anyone could create a clone, it would be him,” she says.
“But he’s been here for over a week, don’t you think someone would notice? If it’s a robotic clone, Nico would have.”
“Not if it’s a biological one,” she says. “Even I’ve never met him face to face, before, at least, not until this week. Or he could easily have switched out somewhere along the line.”
“Ladies, is there something you need to say?” Century asks.
“Well… are we certain that the Walter Colleck we have here is… the real Walter Colleck?” I ask.
“Of course he is,” Lydia says. “I met him thirteen years ago, he’s the same man that’s here, now. You supers are always so paranoid,” she scoffs.
“We will look into that,” Mastermental says, even as I let out a sigh of relief. “We should not underestimate the capabilities of a super as old and as intelligent as Walter Colleck.”
“Either way, Davis is right, Ms. Monk,” Negatia says. “As an intellectual super, we don’t expect him to fight with his fists, or, as he has pointed out, even in person. Davis will be perfectly safe, even if Fire Hazard does act less than professionally.”
“He would be perfectly safe, no matter what!” I say. “Vinny isn’t the type to hurt people, he’s more intent on making sure they get fed.”
“You are quite certain of this, Burnout?” Isotonic asks.
“That’s because she’s dating him,” Nico says, “but she’s right. Vinny isn’t the type to pick on kids. Davis will be fine going up against him.” I notice Davis jerk slightly when he hears this, but I don’t look over. He was going to find out sooner or later.
“Then, it seems everything is settled, here,” Marigold says.
“I just need a few papers signed to wrap everything up, if I could,” Veronica says, bringing up a folder and heading for Lydia. “This shouldn’t take too long.”
“You are Burnout?” Marisol’s father asks, heading over to me as the atmosphere in the room relaxes. “My daughter is always calling and telling me about you,” he says, holding out a hand. “Thank you for being such a positive role model.”
“Your daughter is adorable,” I tell him. “Thank you for sending her to our school!” Before I know it, I’m surrounded by the parents of my fellow students, who are telling me just how happy they are that their kids are doing so well. I get so wrapped up in the talk that I forget all about my suspicions about Walter Colleck from earlier. I turn, looking for Nico, since he should be in this conversation, as well.
He’s nowhere to be found.
***
It had been bad enough that he sent the boy into such a dangerous situation, Nico thinks as he races to the cell area of the Hall. He had never thought that Colleck would go so far as to poison his own kid. It had been naive of him, and he admits it, now. He’s gone soft since he’s seen so many super parents that might not be the greatest, but won’t let their kids get killed. Even Shadowman, the most shifty guy he can think of, would never think of doing something that could get his son killed! At least, not really. But now, now they might have made the mistake of catching a fake. That’s sloppy work, and he knows it. Of course it isn’t a robotic clone, he would have noticed that right away, but…
He goes right past Star Born’s cell, and stops in front of where they’re keeping Walter Colleck. There’s no one there. He lets out a curse and goes straight through the laser wall that’s supposed to keep prisoners inside. There, on the ground, is a nasty looking puddle of gunk and clothing.
“Tell me, what IS in there?” Star Born says. “Whatever it was, it sounded disgusting.”
“So you knew?”
“Knew what?” she asks. “All I know was they brought a man down here, and then a few seconds ago, there was a strange noise and a terrible smell. I thought he was throwing up, or something.”
Nico stares at the mess in the cell with a grim expression. “I really am starting to hate mad scientists as much as Skye does,” he decides. “Get me some scientists in here, make sure they’re wearing biohazard suits, and alert the Hall leaders that Colleck isn’t here. Their suspicions were right, we had a biological clone.” He pauses, picking up on something faint, and walks over to the mess. With a wave of his hand, a tiny plastic motherboard comes out of the mess, floating in front of him. “Make that a biological puppet,” he says.
“Sir, yes sir.”
***
*Cape High South*
“I’m going to have to go back, soon,” Vinny says. He and I are hanging out on the couch in the rec room, playing the Technico game. “But they said I need to do the debut before I leave, so I guess I’ll be sticking around for a few more days, at least.”
“I wish you could stay,” I admit, even as my character uppercuts his on the screen. Why yes, I am pouting
a little. It doesn’t work that well when I’m totally trouncing him, though.
“You enjoyed that hit a bit too much,” he says dryly, glancing over at the grin that keeps trying to cross my face.
“Maybe just a little,” I agree. “I’ve got another meeting with Rochester and Phoebe soon. She’s asking for permission to help out at the orphanage whenever she has the free time. I think she hopes to make up for all that happened, there. Mastermental agreed to it, which is a good sign, right?”
“That’s good. You know, unless it traumatizes them, seeing her again.”
“Nah, none of them actually saw her when it happened,” I say. “I think it’ll be good for her, but Rochester and I will have to go with her, just to keep an eye on it all.”
“Do you really have time for that?” he asks.
“What? Why wouldn’t I?” I ask.
“You keep taking on more and more duties, you’re going to match your name if you don’t pace yourself,” he says.
I go silent, not really sure how to respond to that. Century is more than happy to toss work on me, I know that. But I also know that I wind up volunteering because I’m still trying to make up for the past. There are worse things I could do than help people, though, right? But if I try to explain, he’ll just give me that look of his.
“Did you… did any of the scientists survive?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Yeah,” he says. “We found out that most of them hadn’t even been there at the time. Turns out they usually worked weird hours.”
“And… were the ones there… changed?” I ask. “You know, because of my energy?”
“They were still a bit boosted when we found them, which actually helped them survive the explosion,” he says, as if it’s no big deal. “So… in a way, you saved their lives.”
