by R. J. Ross
“This is totally killing my rep,” he complains over the com.
“Sorry about that,” I say. “I think we’re all going to have a bit of a problem after this, honestly. But I need to go.”
“Thanks, Rocco,” he says. “I’ll call if I need you again.”
“Got it,” I say before heading through another shadow. This isn’t over, yet.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“It is all hands on the deck time,” Marie hears Tatiana say from the mountain. “We should be out there, Clifford! Even if we are to be dead, there are more important things!”
“Nico has it all in hand,” Superior says. “The television was only down for ten minutes.”
“But there is more than just the televisions involved!” Tatia says.
Marie ignores the argument, forcing it out of her mind as she heads closer and closer to the barrier. There are supposed to be flags along the barrier, but the ever present wind, snow, and everything else has buried them already. She can’t tell just how close she is. With every step, she’s risking her life—but there are more important things happening right now. She wraps her arms around herself, tugging her coat closer as she searches through the swirling snow.
She can only hope that he comes to see her. He’s messed up so much, she thinks darkly, but she’s always known that there was something dark under the surface. Her son is not a happy man. She’d tried to give him focus, to give him a goal, hoping that it might help, but it seems it’s backfired. Really, she thinks, why would he even come here?
“Mom,” she hears him say. He’s standing at a distance, and she has to stare to see through the snow.
“Oh Marvin,” she says softly. “What have you done?”
“I only did what you’d planned all along, Mom,” he says. “Now you have the gall to act like I’ve disappointed you?”
“I didn’t expect you to get people killed!”
“Oh, and do you REALLY think the supers of this world would have rolled over for me to take over the planet?” he demands. “Even you can’t be that naive. People were going to die one way or another. It was to be taken for granted as soon as you decided I would become the next president.”
“Oh, please, these heroes are only out to put on a show!” she says, but her confidence falls a bit flat as she sees a small flag peek out of the snow. “Mostly,” she adds.
“I know that, but they don’t seem to,” Herold says. “Century even came to my office. He took me out to lunch, all to tell me that he’s got my number. The entire group of Hall leaders told me that since I wasn’t playing by their rules, they don’t have to follow them, either. Tell me, Mom, what do you expect me to do, next? How can I live up to your grand expectations?”
A part of her desperately wants to tell him to take her with him. She reaches up, not quite touching the collar strapped around her neck. “I expect you to leave,” she says after a moment. “I want you to. I want you to leave and never look back, Marvin. And know… I will always love you, son,” she says softly as he disappears from sight. He’s going to die, she realizes with a sickened feeling building in her gut. They will hunt him down and kill him, all because she had some grand idea of giving him this planet before she left.
“For your sake, we will give him a two minute head start,” Tatia says from behind her. Marie turns, staring at the two in shock, a dawning horror hitting her as she realizes just how dangerous this visit really is.
“Please,” Marie says. “For my sake—let the others hunt him down, instead.” She shudders at the idea of living a life with the people that took out her only son. “I didn’t cross your barrier, I haven’t broken any of your rules—at least give me this,” she begs.
The two look at each other. “Fine,” Superior says after a meaningful pause. “But I get to call one Hall leader and tell him he was just here.”
She looks at him for a long moment, knowing that every second she can buy might save her son’s life. “Fine,” she says. “One Hall leader.”
He taps his ear. “Mastermental,” he says. “Herold was just here.”
“And you let him go?”
“We let him go,” Superior says grimly. “We have to live with his mother, after all. But if he shows up again, we won’t be so kind.”
“I’ll send someone after him.”
“Thanks.” He lets his hand fall and looks at Marie. “I already regret this. I’m going to call Nico,” he says, unconsciously using the nickname his son insists on. “He’s not a Hall leader, so I’m not breaking my promise,” he adds as Marie starts to protest. “Nico.”
“Mastermental already told me,” Nico replies. “I’m sending someone after him.”
“I would prefer you do it yourself,” Superior says.
“Zoe and I are a bit busy at the moment, but as soon as I can, I will.” He hangs up before Superior can say anything.
“Clifford—” Tatia says, looking from Marie to him.
“I know,” Superior says. “I’ll go change.” He disappears into the mountain, leaving the two women standing there in the snow.
“You were planning on taking him out, weren’t you?” Marie asks finally, looking Tatiana in the eye.
“Of course,” she says. “I am very disappointed.”
“Disappointed?” Marie asks, shocked.
“I was looking forward to it,” Tatiana says. “I would like to see what he is capable of—yes, he has caused much damage to the computers, but it is not what is interesting. I want to see how he is as fighter! Perhaps we will get to see fight on television,” she decides, grabbing Marie’s hand and tugging her. “I am looking forward to it!”
“You—you want to see the fight?”
“It is next best thing to being in fight,” Tatia says as Superior flies over their heads in a stark white uniform.
“He isn’t—” Marie starts out.
“He is going to help the humans,” Tatia explains. “One of us must, it is in blood!”
***
“Rocco,” Nico says over the school com-link. I jerk from where I’m handing off another healer. “I need you to do something for me. Herold went to visit the parents—”
“They caught him?” Max asks, showing he’s listening.
“They let him go,” Nico says.
The entire school says, “WHAT?”
“They have to live with his mom—and guards or not, you can’t exactly have a civil dinner with that in the background. Besides, they’re retired—just asking them to guard Mother is above and beyond what’s required of them. That’s why I want Rocco to locate him. Do not engage—I repeat, DO NOT engage. Just send the location to the Hall leaders as discreetly as possible. I suggest keeping to the Shadowlands and not using your tech except from in there. That’s why I’m sending you instead of Skye, she doesn’t have the Shadowlands to hide in. It’s still dangerous,” he admits. “This won’t be like the mission to get my watch—there’s no S-class tank distracting him. I’m not sure where he’ll be holed up, but I want to keep him there until after we’ve finished our work here. Got it?”
“I want to go with him,” I hear Carla say. “I promised I’d have his back for the kidnapping—this qualifies, right?”
“Carla, you’re doing a seriously important job right now, kid,” Nico says.
“So is Rocco!” she protests. “We need those healers!”
“Most of them have already been put to work,” I say, taking a deep breath and forcing myself to focus. “We’ve gone through and found all of the healers I can sense. If there are more, well, Shadowman and Skye are more likely to find them than I am. Besides,” I say, thinking about the job, “I’m built for this sort of work, right? I might as well be called the Dusk Dog,” I joke.
“That’s got to be the stupidest name since Cold Steel,” Max says.
“Hey! It was a million times better than Metallic Menace,” Jack says.
"I refuse!" Aunt Skye says, making me blink. "Dusk Dog is stupid--you can be Night
step! And then when we team up, we can be Skystep and Nightstep!"
What can I say to that?
"I like Nightstep!" Carla says, before I get anything out.
"Sounds better than Maximum," Jack says. "Maximum sounds like a magazine title."
“I have done just fine going as Maximum—and it does have to do with my powers!” Max says. “Maximum weight,” he says far too smugly. The entire school starts to laugh at him.
“What, like an elevator?” Ace asks, cracking up. “Is THAT where you got your name from?”
“Oh shut up, I was thirteen at the time,” Max says. “It’s still a classy cape name.”
“Speaking of elevators, I’m helping anyone that got stuck in small spaces,” Emily says. “Does anyone need some assistance?”
“Okay, I’m going to find him now,” I say since the conversation has changed. Nightstep works, after all. I'd rather be associated with Skystep than Shadowman. I head through the nearest shadow, stepping out on an empty parking lot. It’s easier to find someone on the surface than in the Shadowlands. I turn, closing my eyes and searching for the strong energy of a technopath. Two above, I write them off and keep searching. Further… further… There.
My eyes widen as I realize where he is. “Got him,” I say. “He’s near the White House—Washington D.C.” I groan, running a hand over my face. “Can you keep Marigold off my back?” I ask as I enter the Shadowlands.
“She’ll be informed,” Nico says. “But don’t worry—she wants his blood more than yours, I’m sure. Zoe, you stay here and keep working, I’ll go.” The comment is quiet, but we all hear it. It’s time to take down Herold.
***
The dispatcher call-center is busy, but not nearly as busy as they’d assumed it would be. “Mr. Dispatcher” as Skye has nicknamed him, is staring at the screens in shock, his mind reeling with all of the things he’s learned in the past twenty minutes. Someone had even apparently left the line he’s on open while having a conversation on a different one. He feels a little sick to his stomach at the knowledge that he’d actually thought about voting for Senator Herold. The dislike of supers isn’t new—especially to those that are involved with the usual authorities. Capes are seen as show-boaters and fools in those circles.
This crisis has been a massive eye-opener, and not just for him. Even the cops have been making off-hand comments about how enthusiastic the capes helping have been to see them. That scene with Maximum lifting the cars so the ambulance could come is already going viral wherever the internet has been restored. That’s the most shocking part, he thinks. The super villains—Maximum, Dragon, Cold Steel, they’re all out there in the middle of it all, lifting cars, putting out fires, doing the things that most heroes expect to be recorded doing. It’s actually a bit of a sore spot for the villains, if he’s hearing them right.
“Do you KNOW how much I’ll have to do to resurrect my career after this?” Maximum complains. The dispatcher wants to mention that they’re on the wrong line, but telling a well-known super villain that seems more risky than helpful.
“You can always switch sides for a bit. We would welcome you to our side,” Mastermental says with a hint of amusement. “But please keep all communications to a minimum on this line, it’s for communicating with the authorities.”
“Which line—” Maximum lets out a curse and suddenly the line goes silent.
“Are you recording that?” his boss asks from behind him. The dispatcher jerks, looking up and nodding slightly. “I’ll want to hear it when you’re finished,” his boss says.
“Yes, sir,” the dispatcher says quietly.
“Mr. Dispatcher,” he hears the young girl he’s been following most closely. “This is Carla! We’ve got a gas fire of some sort. Can you send someone to my coordinates?” she asks, rattling them off when he asks. The kids, especially, always know where they are. He responds, sending the coordinates on. “I’ll do what I can to cut it off until they get here—I’m good with fire,” she adds before he hears a whoosh of sound.
“Mr. Dispatcher, we truly appreciate your assistance,” Mastermental says over the line. “We also appreciate your discretion. Carla is one of our future stars—”
“She’s one of MY future stars, you mean,” Century says.
“Really, Century, with her speed and… personality, Carla could easily be in a few different Halls and still get bored,” Mastermental says. “But regardless, until she has a call name, we would appreciate you bleeping out her name for official records.”
“Oh good, the firemen are here, they can finish this—it was more stubborn than I thought it would be. Hello, Mr. Firemen! Thank you so much for coming!” Carla says. “I need to sit for a minute—” they go silent, listening to her breathe. “Okay, I’m good again,” she declares a second later. “And did Double M just call me ADHD?” she demands.
What sounds like the entire super community starts laughing. The dispatcher has to pull the headphone away from his ear, although a little smile is pulling at his lips.
“Of course not, my dear,” Mastermental says. “You are merely a very powerful speedster. While there are some... similarities, we cannot, and will not classify you as having an attention deficit. You are extremely good at staying on point, especially for a super of your type."
“I noticed that you're avoiding the 'hyperactive' part,” she says, making him laugh. “Well, whatever, has anyone heard from Rocco?”
“Mr. Dispatcher—” Mastermental says.
“We’ll delete that from the records as well, sir,” the dispatcher says, anticipating the suggestion. “Although I was led to believe he was a villain?”
“Well,” Mastermental says. “He is, but he is also a Cape High student. What we don’t promote—and would appreciate you keeping to yourself, is that the Cape High villains are… cooperative to a degree. That’s why Cold Steel, Dragon, and Maximum are helping today.”
“So their grades are dependent on this?” the dispatcher asks.
“YES,” at least three males say over the line.
“I see,” the dispatcher says.
“Mr. Dispatcher! I’ve got another one for you!” Carla says. The dispatcher goes back to work, silently wondering if there’s any way the cops could get her instead of the Hall.
***
There’s a protest going on outside the White House. It’s the first thing I see—but of course it is, I mean, it’s filling the entire area. People are literally packed in like sardines, shouting about the riots and the banks going down. Even if they know it’s Herold that caused this, they still blame the government. I bet there are rioters outside the Hall buildings, as well. But the question is—why is Herold here, of all places?
I look up, seeing him come down from above. Several of the soldiers guarding turn their guns on him, but he ignores them. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I understand why you’re so angry—”
“YOU DID THIS!” they scream, jumping and futilely trying to get to him. “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”
“It is,” Herold says. “And I’m also the one that can fix it.”
“WE DON’T WANT YOUR FIXES!” someone screams.
“Wait, wait, let’s listen to the man,” someone else says. “If he broke the banks, he can obviously fix them, right? What do you expect in return?” Several others chime in, agreeing with him, and those that were protesting seem to hesitate.
I fight the urge to speak up, to tell them that it’s stupid trying to make a deal with a guy like that. I can’t, though, because it would alert him to the fact we know where he—
I almost jump out of my skin as a hand lands on my shoulder. “We need to wait,” Shadowman says silently, right next to my ear. “Once he has his back to a shadow, we’ll take him out.”
“Wh—what?” I ask, shocked.
“I thought you were smart enough to catch on, boy,” Shadowman says, pulling me back into the Shadowlands. “We aren’t the strongest, or the fastest, or even the smartest, but we are one thi
ng that the others have a hard time being. We’re sneaky and deadly.”
“I’m not deadly,” I declare. “I’m never going to be deadly—you might have murderous tendencies, or whatever, but I’m going to be a hero!”
“You just debuted as a villain,” he says dryly.
“Well I’m going to be a heroic villain,” I declare. “And right now, I’m going to call Nico and tell him what Herold’s doing. I can’t believe they were stupid enough to think they can negotiate with him,” I mutter as I tap on my com bracelet. “Nico, and anyone else interested, I’ve found Herold—he’s talking to the rioters at the White House. They think they can negotiate with him to get him to fix things like the bank systems.”
“I see,” Nico says. “Makes sense. He can’t win the presidency, but he can use this to his advantage.”
“HOW can they let him get away with it?” I demand. “Are they stupid? Because I really think they have to be!”
“Not everyone’s going to let him get away with it, son,” Century says. “I, for one, don’t plan on it.”
“Rocco—” Nico starts out.
“Nico, Shadowman is here—he—” I stop, looking around as I realize Shadowman isn’t standing near me, anymore. “He’s gone. Crap! He’s going to kill him!”
There’s a lingering moment of silence from the other end of the com. I glare at it when I realize what’s implied. “I’m going to stop him,” I tell them.
“Of course, right,” Century says, clearing his throat. “We can’t allow that to happen.”
“Sure, that’s what you were thinking,” I drawl, starting to run through the Shadowlands in search for my father. I see him watching through a shadow and head for him, wondering if he’s already done it. I hope not. It’s one thing taking the guy’s powers away, it’s another completely to kill him, right? I race forward, tackling Shadowman to the ground. “You can’t kill him,” I say, pinning him to the ground.
