by R. J. Ross
"She doesn't want to hurt him," another whispers back.
Zoe lets out a sigh and her finger lights up with sparks. "Sorry about this, Bob," she says before touching him with the finger. Bob jerks, vibrating with the shock, and she lets it die quickly. "Are you back?" she asks, worried.
He shakes his head, a confused expression on his face. "I feel like I just stuck my finger in a light socket," he says, his hair standing on end. "What just happened? The last thing I remember was a pretty lady asking me for a ride," he says, looking around.
"You've been brainwashed," Zoe tells him, letting go of his wrists. "You're better now, I hope." She drops down in the seat that he'd been in earlier and starts tapping on the keyboard. "Let's just turn this off... and done. Now I need to go save my boyfriend," she says, standing up.
"Miss Rosenthorn," one of the black suits says. "You don't need to treat us quite so delicately. We're tougher than you think."
"I know that," Zoe says, giving him a brilliant smile, "but you're also the most important people in the Hall." She races away before they can respond to that, leaving them looking at one another with mixed expressions.
"Should we tell her differently?" one asks, finally.
"I think," the supervisor says after a moment, "that we'll just leave it. There's no harm in letting a Superior consider you too important to knock out. From now on, if one of us needs knocked out, we do it ourselves, agreed?"
Nobody argues.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"Why isn't she here yet?" my mom demands under her breath. She's still holding me, which is shocking. "She should be here already--is she really the one that should be saving the day?"
"Hey!" I hear someone shout. "Let go of the boy!" I turn, looking around and realizing that there's one group that haven't had their powers taken. All of my classmates that haven't debuted surround Phoebe in their black and silver or white and gold uniforms. Phoebe looks at them, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Oh, please," she says. "Like you extras will be able to stop me when the real heroes couldn't. Go back to what you were born to do," she goes on, waving a hand, "crowd control."
The wave of fear that hits the crowd has me jerking with surprise. She's going to do what her father does--and she's more powerful than Massteria. I instinctively grab my mother's face, forcing her to meet my eyes.
"Focus on me," I tell her.
"What--what's going--"
"Look into my eyes, Wendy, focus completely on me," I say. "She's going to cause a lot of havoc right now, and I need to make sure you don't get dragged into it." I feel another little trickle of my power come back and I grab onto it, slipping into my mother's mind like I had Layne's. This is intrusive and wrong, and I feel guilty for it, but I don't have the strength to help anyone else right now. This is the least I can do.
*Wendy's Mind*
We're standing in the middle of her mind, which looks like a vaguely familiar house. She looks up at me, a hint of surprise on her face. "Where--what are you doing here?" she asks.
"I've got just enough power to help you out," I say, grabbing one of the chairs and placing it in front of the front door. "We need to barricade all the doors and windows in here," I tell her. "We don't want her getting in."
"I don't particularly want you in here, either," she says. I see one of the pictures hanging on the wall change, showing my father. I scowl, looking away and moving on to the next window.
"We can discuss what happened between you and dad after we're done," I tell her, locking the window and pulling down the shade. "Don't worry, I'm not looking for secrets."
"Why are you doing this?" she asks.
"Because you already have walls," I say, "we just need to do a few little things to make you impenetrable. Everyone has a mental wall. Most people leave it down, so it's easy for a psychic just to walk in and do whatever they want."
"You're saying I'm..."
"When I'm done, it'll be hard to read your mind," I tell her, finishing my work and stepping back. "Now... I should leave."
"You... you aren't going to look around?" she asks.
"No. If you want to tell me something, you'll have to tell me face to face," I say. "Do you really think I'd take advantage of you? It's one thing reading surface thoughts, it's another entirely to delve into a person's mind. You especially don't do it to family." I feel vulnerable and stupid, saying that. All those dreams from when I was a kid, I'm not sure they ever really died.
"I don't think I have the right to that title," she says, guilt showing in her eyes. "I'm just the woman that gave birth to you. Max, family is so much more than that. A birth mother might give birth to you, but family... family is always there for you, regardless of what happens. I was never... I was never family to you, Max. I tried, at first, but I failed. I regret that, now. I regret it so much that... that you probably don't believe me," she says quietly. "You don't even carry the name I gave you."
"Well, yeah," I say, trying to think of a polite way to put it, "but... seriously, I don't think I'm exactly... an Xavier guy."
"Xavier is an excellent name for a super!" she protests, only to laugh a bit. "You named yourself, didn't you? I should have just waited and let you decide."
"You weren't there," I say. I look around the house, not seeing much of me at all. "I just... I forgive you," I say, looking at her. "I'm not saying that I'll be playing catch with John in the front yard, or anything, I honestly don't think he'd survive the sort of things I throw. And I'm not trying to make it so we were always a family, or anything like that, but I won't hold 'Xavier' against you any longer."
It startles a laugh out of her. "It was really that bad?" she asks.
"I've heard worse," I admit, "but it definitely wasn't the best, either."
"Max... thank you," she says, looking at her hands and then looking up at him. "I should at least... at least show you this," she adds, heading to one of the doors I've been ignoring, dismissing it as a closet. She opens the door and I hesitantly step in, shocked to see videos of me in my uniform all around. Even my very first job is here, I think, pausing and watching. "I've been watching you, all these years," she says from the doorway. "I couldn't stop myself, even if I tried. I would sneak out of the house to watch you on my phone. Every time you got hit, I couldn't help but cringe, even though I was certain you deserved it. You just had to be the villain," she goes on, shaking her head. "You went up against so many stronger heroes--"
"They weren't stronger," I say.
"I realize that now," she says, "but at the time I truly believed it. I was... secretly dreading the moment you didn't make your escape."
"Yeah, well... I should probably tell you that when we leave here you really shouldn't look down," I say, still distracted by the images of me. "Also, do you have a room for Chet and Layne? I want to see them sometime."
"Of course I do, but bigger," she admits. "I got to see more of them than I did you. And what do you mean, don't look down?" she asks.
I move back into reality, bringing her with me, and she automatically looks down, letting out a scream. "Because I got my powers back," I say, "and Phoebe and her enraged crowd can't fly."
We're a good mile off of the ground. She grabs onto me for her life, terror in her eyes. "You are SO GROUNDED!" she says, making me laugh.
"It's really hard to ground a kid that can fly," I tease her, shamelessly, "Besides, don't you want to see what happens now that Zoe's finished taking out the laser in the sky?"
"She has, hasn't she? We're not going to go plummeting to our deaths, right?" she asks, looking up with a worried expression. "Wait, we don't have time for this! Go save your little brother!" she orders me. "And put me on something solid!" she adds quickly.
"Yes ma'am, I'm going to get you to safety," I say, wrapping my arms around her waist and taking off. "Is Nico conscious yet?" I ask, touching my earbud.
"I am," he says.
"The moment I get the authority, remind me to yell at you about whatever ju
st happened," I say.
"Your father already has," he says with a snort. "My question is why Zoe didn't just zap the crazy chick with it rather than shutting it down for good. That's what I created it for."
"I ah... could have done that, couldn't I have?" Zoe says, making everyone on the line either groan or laugh.
"Dad, where are you?" I ask.
"I'm calming the crowd," he says. "There's one problem," he goes on. "We've lost sight of Phoebe Woods in the chaos. It's very likely that she ran for it."
I growl for a moment before sighing. "Thank you," I say, landing in front of the apartment building. "Go inside and don't you dare come back out," I tell my mother before racing away. I've got a fine mess to clean up, all the while staying in character. Fun.
"Max, you and Rocco go find her, I'll distract the crowd," Zoe says.
"What? Really?" I ask. "I thought you didn't plan on debuting."
"I've already got my uniform on, I might as well make use of it. Besides, Dad was right--I screwed up. This is the least I can do."
"I'm on it," I say. "Rocco?"
"Coming to you," he says.
***
Zoe's eyes go to the scene on the ground, even though she's well above the crowd. Jack is on the ground, screaming in pain. There are four different healers surrounding him. She still feels sick to her stomach. For all her comments about never liking the guy, she knows he's changed. It was just easier holding an old grudge than it was trying to make up with him. All sorts of awkward questions come up with the idea of forgiving him--at least they did before now.
She watches as Aubrey glows, her hands on Jack's chest, her hair floating around her. The glow reflects off of Jack's metal skin. They look... beautiful together, she thinks, a smile pulling at her lips. Even in their most dangerous moments, she can almost FEEL the love there, especially when he stops screaming and opens his eyes. A tired smile crosses his face and he kisses Aubrey in public, completely uncaring that people are watching.
"Are you back, Jack?" Zoe demands over the earbud.
"Yeah," he says, "all better."
"Then get your butt on your board and back in the air," she orders. "I'm taking over for Max for a bit, we need to make it look good."
"What will you give me in exchange?" he asks, shooting her a wicked grin. "I'm pretty happy just to stay right where I am, you know."
"When you've got permission, I'll help you convince Sandra," she says. "I'll help you get your little sister."
"We'll take that deal," Trent says. "Get off your butt, Jack, we've got a show to finish."
Jack kisses Aubrey one more time before jumping on the board that races to him. "You better keep your promise, Zoe."
"I will," she says. "I'd like to see Sandra as a Liberty." She waves a hand, not bothering with a mic to take over the speakers. "I AM LADY TECH!" she declares, "AND I'M ABOUT TO FINISH WHAT MAXIMUM STARTED!" she declares. The crowd starts to slow, staring in wonder as she holds out her hands and the floats start rattling dangerously. "Boys, time to herd some heroes," she says to the villains.
The villains start to grin.
***
"I knew you'd come here," I say, stepping out of the shadows. Phoebe jerks, looking at me in shock. "You create such a big problem that all of the black suits are honor bound to go out and do crowd control. Once we're all distracted and enough of us are powerless, you come in and do the 'good daughter routine.'"
"What's he ever done for you?" Rocco asks. "I mean, seriously, having a deadbeat dad isn't something that should encourage loyalty. Trust me, I know."
"You know nothing," she says. "Aren't you two supposed to be villains? Why are you trying to stop me, now?"
"Because HE attacked MY SISTER and YOU used my BROTHER as a shield!" I snarl. "Where is he? What did you do with my brother?" I demand.
"Oh, I let go of him before I snuck in here," she says, waving it off. "Now, turn around and forget you saw me," she orders. Rocco starts to turn but I grab him.
"No, you don't," I say. "You're staying right here."
"Don't say I didn't warn you," Phoebe says, sounding smug. I let out a curse as Rocco's eyes widen for a moment before narrowing. Before he can do anything, though, I grab him, hauling him close and activating my external power blocker.
"You're NOT going to mess with--" I start out, only to stop as I see her unlock her father's cell with a security badge and the laser wall go down. She gives me a smug look and we both turn, looking at Massteria as he starts forward. "Oh for crying out loud," I say, waving a hand and slamming her into her father. They both get shoved into the cell and I turn on the laser wall again. "That sort of crap only works when the villain is scary," I tell her, rolling my eyes.
"That was... seriously anti-climatic," Rocco says after a second.
"It was, wasn't it," I admit. "I mean, you had to see it coming. She's not a fighter type."
"You're going to regret this," Phoebe says touching the wall only to jerk away again as she's shocked. "You can't keep me here! I'm famous! The entire world will be against you!"
"Yeaaah, no, not really," I say. "You're a pain, and we're going to have to figure out how to reveal you've got powers, but... over all, I feel pretty good about this. Come on, Rocco, let's go finish our job." I start heading past the other cells, tapping my earbud. "We're going to need another power blocking collar on the cell floor. She'd probably fry to death if she tried to escape, but there's no point in risking it. I suggest you let Mastermental put it on when we're finished with the gig. And someone find my half-brother. If there's even a hair out of place on him, I'm going to be back," I call to Phoebe over my shoulder. I head for the stairs. I have a failed coup to finish.
***
"Really? That was your plan?" Massteria demands of his daughter. "You wound up tossed into the cell with me!" He pauses, seeing a strange expression on her face. "Why are you smiling?" he demands. "What's so funny about this situation?"
"EVERYTHING!" she yells, snapping. "Everything is funny about this! I can't believe I followed you around like a stupid little puppy! I have WORK to do, and I'm stuck in this stupid cell--and you're stuck in a room with a hospital bed, like an old geezer! Don't think I didn't notice that," she snaps, pointing at the bed in question. "And what's with the stupid necklace?" she asks.
"It's a--" he stops, suddenly realizing just how bad it would be to tell her. It's too late. Her eyes widen as she peeks into his head.
"A power blocker?" she answers for him. "You mean you're like a normal person right now?" She starts laughing when she sees his face, and walks over, taking his face in both hands and looking into his eyes. "Let's have a look, shall we?" she asks, evilly.
"You probably don't want to," a woman says from the cell next to them. "Who knows if you'll ever recover?"
Phoebe stops, letting go of Massteria and looking over curiously. "Hello? Who's there?" she asks.
"Star Born, stay out of this," Massteria says.
"Oh please, you weasel, like I really care about your strange relationship with the girl," Star Born says. "I just didn't want both of you waking me up screaming in the middle of the night."
"Who is Star Born?" Phoebe asks her dad. "I've never heard of her."
"I'm a scientist," Star Born says. "I'm the one that created... Cold Steel, was it?" she says. "Stupid name but brilliant success."
"You're a mad scientist?" Phoebe asks, intrigued.
"Oh, I'm far beyond the level of mad scientist," Star Born says. "I'm also a much better super than your father, I'd like to mention. But then again, so was everyone else in the Cape Cells, including the guards. Really, it's amazing that he stayed out there for as long as he did."
"If you don't shut up, Star Born, you will regret it," Massteria snarls.
"So you're more powerful than Massteria?" Phoebe asks, completely ignoring him.
"I think mold is more powerful than Massteria," Star Born says, thoughtfully. "I could tell you if I got the chance to do a few experim
ents."
***
"And we're back," I say as I slip out the back of Central Hall and fly to the roof as Rocco sinks into the nearest shadow. "Zoe, how's it going--"
I stop at the sight of my girlfriend floating over the crowd with a mic in her hand. The crowd is chanting, "LADY TECH! LADY TECH! LADY TECH!" and she's going, "You do realize I'm here to take over the Hall, don't you?"
"Dare I ask what just happened?" I ask, coming up behind her.
"All I did was turn your floats into something useful," she says, rolling her eyes and muting the mic. I look down, blinking at the sight of the Hall heroes trapped in a sparking cage. The villains are surrounding it, looking extremely smug. "And they tried to send Dad after me, but he's pretending that he hasn't gotten his powers back--I think he's fixing his stupid power blocker in the sky," she complains, pouting. "THIS is why I don't do photo-ops!"
"Did you at least leave some of the heroes out of the cage?" I ask silently.
"Of course I did. Our classmates and Mastermental are waiting for your return," she says. "Which is why there should be--ah, there," she says as one of the parts of the makeshift cage sparks and dies. With a cheer the heroes smash through the opening, taking to the air again.
"How did you get all of them in there?" I have to ask.
"The villains grabbed them," she says. "It was a lot of fun--you should have seen poor Taurus being dragged around by Pan."
"You can tell me the rest later," I say as we're suddenly surrounded. "Did someone find my brother?" I ask the group silently. Ken barely nods, glancing down at the mob to a group of black suits surrounding Chet, John, and Layne. "Thanks."
"Your girlfriend might be a technopath," Trent says over his own mic, "but don't think that means you've won, Maximum."
"You can't change the fact that I'm the son of the Hall leader," I say. "I'm the ultimate choice for the next leader," I declare, looking around a bit worriedly. All of the villains have at least two capes flanking them, now.
