Storm Girl

by Ben Mason

  “Wow, you want to be a fifteen year old girl? That’s a new one,” the edge in her voice could have shaved his stubble.

  “I’m serious. I’ve been a part of Black Prism for six years. I’ve done a lot of things I’m…not proud of. I cleaned up messes for men like Kessler all over the globe, killed people whose only crime was carrying a weapon to protect their family.”

  “You’ve murdered people.” It wasn’t a question.

  “It’s complicated. All of them had weapons. Most of them were pointed at me while I shot back.”

  “So was it justifiable homicide or not?” Katie’s eyes had drawn away from the city and now they were riveted to Leon’s face.

  He took a deep breath. The air was filled with the scent of sage and dusty earth. The sound of cars hauling down the interstate echoed in the distance.

  “Katie, a thing can be justifiable and not be just. I have to live with what I did. You have a chance to be more than a weapon or a soldier. There’s a reason superheroes don’t kill in the comic books. It drags you down.”

  Leon watched as the romance broke apart in Katie’s eyes. The dream of the man she thought he was came into contact with the reality.

  A part of him was relieved she was moving on while another part of him hurt from losing his hero status.

  “I’ll be downstairs with the others when you’re ready. We’ll be waiting to hear what you want to do.”

  The hug caught him off-balance, nearly making him reinjure his leg.

  “Thank you for being my friend, Leon,” Katie said.

  Leon smiled and hugged her back, his heart mending a little. Friend. Friend was good and more than he deserved.

  They were breaking apart when the trapdoor flung open and Grady appeared. “You guys need to come down to the lab now. You’re on TV.”

  16

  The anchor—Dawn Vallejo—was dressed in a dark blue business suit with large gold earrings dangling from her ears. Her face was stern and, up on the large screens in the lab, it was obvious how much makeup she was wearing.

  “The suspects may be posing as brother and sister. It is believed the man, Agent Leon Stanfield, coerced young Katie Legault to go with him. They are believed to be traveling in an RV of some type, headed for Novatropolis.”

  Pictures of both Katie and Leon popped up. They were obviously using the photos from their base clearance badges because she looked all washed out and gross. They hadn’t even allowed her to smile, so it figures that was the one everyone on Earth was going to see.

  “Agent Stanfield is described as a white male, six feet, two inches and weighs around one hundred and eighty pounds. He considered armed and dangerous. If you see this individual do not approach him. Please contact your local law enforcement authorities. We repeat, do not approach and wait for the local authorities. Thank you.”

  Katie stared slack mouthed as more photos of her and Leon appeared on the screen (all of them hideous). Lee had stopped her work in the lab and stared up with a worried pout. Grady’s face was a canyon of worry lines.

  “I can’t believe this!” Katie fumed.

  “It’s a smart move,” Leon said.

  “They’re calling you a pedophile!” Katie yelled, rounding on him.

  “Exactly. I’m likely to get no sympathy. No one is going to question going after a sexual predator. And if you tell them what’s going on they’ll assume I’ve groomed you and you don’t know any better.”

  “Agreed,” Grady said, his voice strained. “Old story. Handsome older man chats up a young, pretty girl who feels lonely and isolated and convinces her he’s the best thing for her.”

  Katie’s face turned red. Up until a few minutes ago she had been crushing hard on Leon partly because the base was lonely and he was so nice to her.

  “It’s settled then,” Lee said. “You’re all staying here tonight.”

  “I’m leaving,” Grady said.

  “Dad!”

  “They mentioned an RV. How long until one of your nosy neighbors sees my dump in front of your house and puts two and two together?”

  Lee bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes.

  “You aren’t going anywhere,” Katie said. Grady started to protest again and she cut him off. “My dad’s dead and I’d give anything to have him back. I’ll beat you up if I have to, but you aren’t getting near that RV.”

  Lee wiped away the tears, gave Katie a smile, and mouthed ‘thank you’.

  “How far away are your neighbors?” Leon asked.

  “About a tenth of a mile. I like my space.”

  “Anyone come in or out of town at night around this time?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. A lot of people use this road at all hours.”

  “All right. Let’s assume we’ve already been discovered. We’re going to need to find a way to explain this to the police when they arrive.”

  “I can show my powers,” Katie volunteered.

  “Good idea,” Leon said. “How easily can you get them under control.”

  Katie flushed red and stared at her shoes.

  “I have something that can help,” Lee said. “It’s a prototype I was making for myself. I was trying to figure out how to make it work without weighing it down with large battery packs.”

  Katie’s heart sank as she figured it out. “Oh, no.”

  Grady belted out a hearty laugh as he pumped his fists in the air. “Yes!”

  17

  As Mary strode through the halls of the base, she rolled her eyes at the news announcement, stuffing her phone back into her duffel bag.

  Leon was many things. A pedophile wasn’t one of them. She had heard personal stories from at least six different women who had been with him. The man didn’t want young girls. Mary may not have trusted his motives when he left, but if the news was lying about him, then she believed he was helping her daughter.

  Keeping her face a mask, Mary tried to look worried (not that it was difficult). It had the desired effect with all of the base personnel ignoring her. The trick was going to be when she went past the lab. There was no way to avoid it since it was on the way to the parking garage entrance.

  If Kessler’s in, he’ll see me, she thought, tightening her grip on the bag’s strap, her other hand drifting toward her gun. Call it a mother’s intuition, but she had a feeling Kessler was a part of her daughter’s disappearance. She was going to confront him about it…later. On base he had too much power.

  As the large windows of the lab came into view, Mary straightened her spine, walking a little too fast. She tried to slow herself down and found she couldn’t. Thoughts of Katie filled her head.

  She was so focused on the metal double doors she didn’t hear her name being called until the second time.

  “Mary!”

  She tried to be nonchalant as she checked who was calling her.

  A thin, athletic man with caramel complexion and a shaved head stepped out from the lab, shutting the door behind him. On his lab coat was an I.D. that said Hiram Brickhouse. It took her a second to place the name.

  “Hiram,” Mary said, putting on a professional tone. “Is this about funding for personal projects? I’m afraid the budget is stretched as is.”

  Hiram moved forward, giving a conspiratorial glance over his shoulder. When he was sure none of his co-workers were paying attention he started to talk.

  “Where are you going, Mary?” The sentence was a question. The way he said it wasn’t. Threats and lies weren’t going to work here.

  “I’m going to find my daughter,” Mary said.

  “Kessler will kill you if he finds out. I’m pretty sure he’ll kill me, too, if I don’t try to stop you” Hiram said, fidgeting with his glasses. “Mary, from what I’ve been told she isn’t in any danger.”

  “Would you trust Kessler with your kids?”

  “I don’t have any.”

  “Imagine,” Mary said. Her hands were starting to sweat. She didn’t want to start a shootout inside the base. She w
as no good to her daughter dead or locked up.

  “No,” Hiram said, clipping his words. “No, I wouldn’t.”

  “Then don’t try and pull that line on me.”

  She saw him struggling. Now was the time to push.

  “Do you believe in a higher power, Hiram?”

  The question caught him off guard, his eyes growing bigger. “It’s tough to—I mean—no. No, I don’t, but I’m not sure. Mom was a cultural Jew and dad still went to his charismatic church after they married. Me, I think I failed at the whole faith thing.”

  “I sympathize. I’m not much good at it either. My husband was great at it. He used to tell me, ‘There’s right and wrong and it has to come from somewhere other than man because we have a way of complicating the simplest things.’ One of those things is ‘don’t hurt the kids’.” She paused and when Hiram didn’t say anything she went on.

  “I’m not asking you to believe in God Hiram. I’m not asking you to help me. All I’m asking you to do is believe in right and wrong and let me pass.”

  Mary’s hands had stopped shaking as she talked, her fingers dipping in the bag. The sweat had mostly dried and if it came down to killing or dying, so be it.

  Hiram gave one more nervous glance over at the lab and fished a set of keys out of his pocket. “They’re going to be tracking your car. Try leaving with it and they’ll catch you in a second. Use mine.”

  She stared at the keys, trying to process what was happening.

  “It’s a Dodge Charger. Blow almost anything off the road,” he said with the smile of an eternal seventeen year-old.

  “Thank you.”

  Hiram pulled back the keys as she reached for them. “Can’t let you drive her, of course. No one drives Midnight except me. So,” Hiram said, moving past her towards the doors. “You’ll have to tell me where we’re going.”

  18

  It was cramped in the back of the truck. The entire time the two agents had kept silent, studying Kessler, making sure he didn’t make any sudden movements. One drove the car while the other one sat beside Kessler, one hand in his breast pocket.

  A wise assessment. Like all the other people he worked with, having to cede any power over to them, especially when it involved his creations, was a temporary solution. No doubt they had been briefed on this.

  The desert passed by silently, the hum of the engine the only sound. They had listened to the news long enough to make sure the planted story had been released. It had left a sour feeling in Kessler’s mouth. He wanted to put a bullet in Stansfield’s head personally, but likening him to the monster who took Emil away was a step too far. The men beside him showed none of his dictates. Brutes settling for brutish methods.

  They passed a sign telling them they were ten miles away from Novatropolis when he decided to make his move.

  “We didn’t need the manhunt. Wolfsbane is more than capable of tracking the girl down.”

  “We’re aware,” the driver said. “That thing is unstable, way too dangerous to use as a bloodhound. Not to mention our orders are to get the girl back unharmed.”

  And untested, Kessler thought.

  “You have those instruments. Wolfsbane was under control when you worked together.”

  The agent next to him shook his head. He spoked in an annoyed tone, like he was talking to a child. “It stops Wolfsbane from attacking us and frees it up to kill whatever is in the vicinity. There’s no way to actually give that thing directions.”

  “Really?” Kessler asked, his eyebrows crawling up. “You had my work for years. I’m sure your scientists experimented with him, took samples. You’re telling me the men and women you put in charge of him made no head way?”

  “None,” the driver said, ending the conversation.

  Kessler patted his legs in a rhythm, glanced out the window, even fastened his seat belt before turning to the agent next to him, giving the man a friendly smile. “May I see one of those wonderful instruments. I’m afraid I’m light on reading material and it’s dreadfully boring in here.”

  “Tough,” the man growled. “And we’ve been warned to give you no information or let you see anything. Apparently you’ve got photographic memory.”

  Kessler shrugged. The genuine smile was difficult to keep up. He had little experience using those muscles. “Can’t blame a man for trying.”

  Clearing his throat, Kessler spoke in a loud, booming voice. “Wolfsbane. Initiate Protocol Allfather. Protect and kill.”

  Both agents made a move for their guns. The one sitting beside him pressed his muzzle right into Kessler’s temple.

  “Big mistake.”

  “Agreed,” Kessler said pointing at the gun.

  A large gray fist exploded into view, wrapping itself around the agent’s head and giving it a sudden twist. The agent’s body jerked and collapsed.

  Taking the man’s gun Kessler shot through the seat killing the other man who was struggling to aim properly. The driver slumped in his seat and three seconds later they crashed off of the road, the car flipping on its side.

  Kessler grunted as the seatbelt snapped tight, holding him in place. He checked the canister in his coat pocket found it unbroken, then checked for cuts and scrapes.

  If there had been such a thing as good luck (and he didn’t believe there was) it was showing him its favor.

  Undoing his seatbelt and sliding out of the car he found Wolfsbane standing at the side of the road awaiting further orders. He marveled at the U.S. government’s inability to find his hidden library of trigger commands even after a decade. It was pathetic enough to warrant pity.

  Kessler made Wolfsbane move back into the shadows as the next few vehicles passed, all of them eighteen wheel trucks. Then the black muscle car came into view. It was a bit small for their needs, but allowances had to be made.

  “Wolfsbane,” Kessler said, pointing at the vehicle. “Protocol Chariot. Kill and retrieve.”

  19

  Katie tried to move around and found it was difficult. Even having traded the jeans and blouse for sweats (to try and hide Lee’s “surprise”), it was tricky to move. She had relocated to Lee’s library after Grady wouldn’t stop pestering her. The room was filled with so many books there was a sliding ladder to help people get to the top shelves. The whole room smelled like first editions.

  In the quiet, Katie tried to think about laying down on one of the lounge sofas and sleeping, or how she was going to be okay. She even tried to settle for thinking about the giant mess her life had become. Instead she thought about her mom.

  Doubts were starting to eat at her. Had mom signed her over to Kessler? At first, she had been ready to believe it. She had meant to ask Leon, but everything was moving so fast. And it wasn’t like they had been close since dad died.

  She hadn’t even cried at his funeral, hadn’t spent more than a few days at home doing chores and getting all the legal work done. When Katie had gone to hug her she had gotten a few mandatory pats on the back before being told to go play in her room. Apparently, a four star general was calling with some budget discrepancy complaints.

  It doesn’t matter. Even if she didn’t let Kessler do what he wanted, she was so oblivious he was able to get away with it.

  She heart squeezed with fury as she clenched her face, trying not to cry. Trembling with rage she stared as the books and the rest of the room started to glow with a faint purple light. Staring down she saw the pulse of energy coming from underneath her clothing.

  “So I can zap stuff by hating people, too,” she said. Grady was wrong. She wasn’t a superhero. She wasn’t Miss Mercury. She was a monster. A freak. And the in comics monsters became super villains. In her case it was easy; she was already a criminal.

  Katie carefully opened the large window, sliding it open and sticking her hand out. She kept thinking about her mother. She thought about all the missed birthdays, the long distance trips after dad had died, the empty apartment when she went to bed and woke up.

  She s
queezed her eyes shut and imagined all the thing her mother had said (and more what she hadn’t said) until she screamed in frustration.

  Opening her eyes she saw the purple glow still flickering, illuminating all the veins in her hand. She sighed and leaned her head against the pane. The lights died out.

  She wasn’t even able to be a freak without screwing up.

  Her eyes started to close as she huddled up near the window, the coolness of the night offset by her warm clothes and the exhaustion of the last few days. Listening to the sounds of the desert she heard the long, high howl of a coyote, wailing into the night. It kept getting closer, and closer, and…

  Her eyes snapped open.

  Sticking her head out the window her heart sank. The wail was getting louder. But it wasn’t the a coyote. As red and blue flashing lights started pouring down from far down both sides of the road, Katie realized they were in trouble.

  20

  Leon had been “exploring” Lee’s house with the help of said hostess when he heard Katie scream. Stumbling out of the closet he zipped his jacket up and unholstered his gun. Weariness drained out of him as he felt his old friend adrenaline spike.

  He hated to admit it, but he had been aching for people to come after them. He didn’t like sitting around and being passive.

  Behind him Lee pulled out a small remote and pressed a button. Shutters started closing over the windows. Leon cocked an eyebrow?

  “What? Mad scientist over here.”

  He gave her a once-over, stopping and appreciating certain parts longer than others. “With that outfit?”

  “Okay, I’m a mad scientist with style. We can’t accessorize?” She said, challenging him to deny it.

  “No, you look great. They look great. I–I’ve lost to much blood to try thinking about this.”

  She shot him a grin as she reached out to squeeze his free hand.

  “It’s the police!” Grady rushed up to meet them. In his hands was a Remington pump action shotgun he had pulled from his RV. He had gotten so excited, talking about using his 2nd amendment rights to stop government overreach that Leon hadn’t had the heart to tell him how useless it was going to be if Kessler and the rest of Black Prism got there. Then again, judging from where Grady’s eyes were, or from his white knuckle grip, he may have gotten it to to use on Leon.