Mic Drop (Cape High Series Book 16)

by R. J. Ross

  "I wish," Dad's voice says over the speakers, "that was true, Maximum." I look up, seeing Dad floating in front of the sun in proper dramatic fashion. "You would make a wonderful Hall leader, if you would give up your evil ways. This is your chance, son. Come back to the light, Maximum." He holds out his hand, looking like an angel of mercy.

  "Sorry, Pop," I say, looking down as a hand comes out of the shadows, "I prefer the dark side." I grab Zoe's hand and then grab Rocco's, letting him pull us down.

  ***

  "So, officially, Max is now a graduate of Cape High," Nico says that night, "which is why we're throwing this party." We're in the gym. There are three tables just covered in food against the wall and the disco ball has already been dropped, even if the music isn't on. My parents are here (not together, of course), so are my siblings, every cape that lives in the apartment, and Pan's family. Pan has actually entered the school. I feel honored that he's breaking his unspoken rule for this.

  "Thank you, thank you," I say, bowing to the left and right with a grin.

  "There's only one problem," Nico goes on, although his tone of voice says it's no problem at all. "Because you had so much assistance in this job, I get to keep you for an extra month. You will be required to come to school as usual until January. Once that's over--"

  "I go on about my business, right?" I say.

  "Not a chance in hell," Nico says, stunning me to silence. "Do you REALLY think I would let you run half of the Hall with only a high school education?" he asks. "I'll be arranging special classes with the Hall Leaders. Every Monday you'll be traveling to a different Hall and following one of them around for the day. You will do what they assign you to do--in either a generic uniform or a black suit. The rotation will be decided by the leaders, since they're going out of their way for this. This includes following your father around. I'm going to encourage them to put you in charge of various dirty jobs; clean-up, cover-up, and so on."

  My mouth drops open, but he holds up a hand to stop me from speaking. "On Wednesdays, you'll come here to work. You'll be acting as a student-teacher, assisting with homework, fight training, and anything else that I think you'd be good at. These kids will be your team, soon, and you need to keep in contact with them," he says.

  "And the rest of the week?" I ask.

  "Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays will be left open for your real work," he says.

  "Might I make a suggestion?" Pan asks. I look over and nod. "We should have our villain meetings on Wednesdays after school. Amara has suggested we host it at our place, if you're interested."

  "We'll make dinner for everyone," his wife says with a beautiful smile.

  "We're in!" every villain in the room says.

  "Can I go villain, after all?" Sunny asks. "I like dinner."

  "Not if it's only for the food," I say. "It's bad enough we'll be fighting Jack for it."

  "That's not actually an education, Dad," Zoe protests. "He should have real classes and teachers and tests--"

  "He'll learn more this way than he would in any school," Nico says. "But I'll let you choose, Max. Would you rather go to a regular college, or do this?"

  "Well," I say, thinking about it for a moment, "it might be a bit of a pain following Marigold around, but other than that I think I can handle it. It'll also be easier to deal with my own Hall problems if something comes up. Sneaking out in the middle of a norm class seems like it'd be a pain."

  "I agree to this," Dad says. "I'm sure I'll find plenty of interesting jobs to send you out on."

  I make a face, already picturing the jobs he's got in mind. He gives me a hand and flashes a few images into my mind. "Thanks, Dad," I drawl. "I change my mind, Marigold might not be the biggest pain."

  He laughs.

  "So... can we eat, now?" Jack asks after a second of silence.

  "Let's eat," Nico says.

  The group heads for the tables, but I hang back, heading over to my mother and her family. "Thanks for coming," I say. "I don't get to throw a hat in the air, but hey, I don't look good in a dress, anyway."

  "It's called a gown," my mother says. "Congratulations on your graduation, Max."

  "Congratulations," Chet says, holding out a hand to me. I shake the hand, trying not to laugh. He steps forward, hugging me briefly. "Can I go get some food?" he asks his parents.

  "Go on," John says. "Layne, you can--"

  Layne throws her arms around me, holding on tight. "Are we never going to see you again?" she asks, looking close to tears.

  "No," I say. "We're going to have to... change a few things, though," I admit. "We'll start rebuilding your house tomorrow, there will be a new security system installed--"

  Zoe comes up beside me with a cup in her hand. "Along with at least one gaming wall each," she says.

  "Seriously?" John asks, looking excited.

  "Seriously," she says. "I'll do it, myself, as an apology for... everything."

  "I'm the one that should apologize," I tell her. "I'm sorry all of this happened--"

  "I'm not," Layne says, to my shock. "If it hadn't, we would have never met you, right?"

  I look at her, reaching up and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Who knows," I say. "Regardless, you'll be back in your home within a week. Nico says you can keep the phones, too. I expect to hear from you at least once a week," I say to Layne. "Got it?"

  She sticks her tongue out at me before grinning. "I'm going to go get some food, then. I've seen the Liberty family eat. Three tables are NOT enough," she exaggerates before racing off.

  "Max..." John says, stepping forward and offering his hand. I take it, looking him in the eye as we shake. "I'd be honored to be called your stepdad," he says.

  "Well... thanks, John," I say, a bit stunned. "I... appreciate it."

  "Not a problem," he says. "Can I tell my co-workers?"

  "Probably not," I admit.

  "Oh, well, it's still extremely cool," he gives in easily, heading for the food, as well. It leaves me with my mother and Zoe.

  "Zoe," I say, silently, "you don't need to worry. We've dealt with it." She looks a bit surprised before nodding slightly.

  "Then I'll just leave you to talk," Zoe says. "Congratulations, Max," she adds, kissing me on the cheek.

  "Thanks," I say, grinning slightly. "I'll catch up in a bit, okay?"

  "Okay," she says, heading for the tables. I can't help but watch her for a moment.

  "She's... extremely tough, isn't she?" my mother asks, making me look over. She's watching Zoe, too. "I'm glad. She needs to be."

  "I won't say it was love at first sight," I admit. "It took me... oh, about a day or two."

  "Could you read her mind at the time?" she asks, but it sounds more curious than worried.

  "I didn't actually learn to read minds until recently," I say. "But the fact is, even when I try to read her mind, all I usually get are a million blueprints for machines, and binary code. Her dad's worse. Even Dad gets a headache when he tries to read him. She's going to grow stronger as she gets older, and it'll be the same with her."

  "You mean," she says, "you have no idea what she's thinking?"

  "I can pick up on emotions and whatever toy she's building, but every emotion she feels shows on her face, anyway. But if I really want to know what she's thinking, all I have to do is ask," I say. "And if she really wants to kick me out of her mind, she'll build something to do just that. She's never going to feel helpless, Wendy," I tell her as gently as I can. "Not with me, not with anyone. She's..." I grasp for the word, and come up wanting, "amazing."

  "Young love," she says, patting me on the arm. "Just wait until your first fight."

  "We've already had one," I say, "about how we're going to fight." That makes her laugh. "So..."

  "Go enjoy your party," she says. "I think Layne was right about three tables."

  I grin at her and head for the food.

  ***

  *Monday*

  "We have a problem," Dad says as Nico walks i
nto the room. I don't bother to greet him, I'm too angry right now. Outside, the heroes of the Hall have taken over the convention, but in here we're still wrapping up the problems--well, one of the problems. Massteria's hearing happened last night. He was stripped of his powers.

  "We don't have a problem," I protest. "It's a simple thing--we force her to show her abilities, she's put under our law, and we strip her of her powers!"

  Dad just looks at me. "It is taking too long to do that," he says, turning back to Nico. "We have had several calls from lawyers already. They insist on us returning their star talent, or else. Until she comes out as a super, this is norm territory."

  "Then we'll take care of it the easiest way," Nico says. He turns to the black suit standing by the door. "Prepare a power stripping needle, would you? We're going to need it."

  "We can't do that--" I start out, only to stop as he looks at me.

  "I realize how much you hate her, Max," he says, "but do you trust me?"

  "Of course I do. It's her I don't trust," I say, darkly.

  "Bring her in," Nico says to another black suit. A few moments later he's holding a glowing needle in his hands and Phoebe Woods is standing in front of us. She's got a collar around her neck and a scowl on her face.

  "I told you that you couldn't keep me," she says to me. "You have no right."

  "Actually, I do," Nico says. "You see, I've got cameras EVERYWHERE. I'm sure I can dig up enough footage of you brainwashing people to prove that you're one of us. I'll toss in a blood test, proving that you're Massteria's precious daughter," he goes on, tapping the needle. "It'll take time, and money, of course, but even if you're famous, do you really want to pay for months and months of legal battles?"

  She glares at him. "You have some better suggestion?" she asks.

  "Sure I do. You're young, right? Twenties, thirties?" he asks. She doesn't respond, but he ignores that. "You're still young enough that losing your powers won't take your good looks. You've lived as a norm all these years, and become famous. You don't need your powers to do what you do," he says. "So we're going to offer you a very quiet, easy way out."

  "You--"

  "You get two choices," Nico says. "One, we strip your powers, let you go, and write your interruption of Max's job off as a guest performance. You go back to your life and none of us bring this up ever again. Or two, I expose you to the world as a hidden super. Once you're exposed, you're under our jurisdiction, and we get you a nice, cozy little cell right next to your 'daddy.' You'll be there for a very, very long time."

  She goes pale, her eyes glued to the needle. "Is that how you'll do it?" she asks.

  "It is."

  "So... it's just a shot?"

  "One shot, a bit of pain, and it's all over," he agrees. "You've got work to do, don't you?"

  She swallows, looking sick to her stomach. "That's my choice? How do I know you're not bluffing?"

  Nico waves a hand at the wall and scene after scene of her using her powers, or kidnapping my brother, or trying to break her father out, all show on the wall. "Any questions?" he asks.

  "How much pain?" she asks.

  "Don't worry, it's over... relatively quickly," he says, not answering the question.

  "So... basically, you're blackmailing me, is that it?" she says.

  "I like to think of it as negotiating," Nico says. "We're only going to take something you never really needed before your old man came around. You won't even miss it."

  "I use it in my work!" she snaps.

  "Trust your special effects guys more," he says, callously, "that's what they're paid for."

  "Fine," she says, "do what you have to do, I'll sue you for--"

  "Taking something you've never admitted to having?" I offer. She gives me a hateful look before sticking her arm out to Nico.

  "Do it and let me out of here. If I never have to see any of you again, it'll be too soon," she mutters.

  "You might want to be sitting down for this," Nico says, motioning for a chair to be brought over. She sits and sticks her arm out again, staring at both me and Dad as the needle is inserted.

  She doesn't even blink as her powers are taken, she just stares at us, defiantly.

  ***

  So here I am, the coup is over, I'm now a graduate--sort of, and I'm... well, honestly, I'm cleaning the Central Hall floor. All that partying created a HUGE mess. I make a face as I work, lifting the trash into the air with my powers. "I'm supposed to be a Hall Leader now, right?" I complain.

  "Not quite," my father says as he walks into the room. He's got a clipboard and a pen in his hands. I don't even want to know what he's writing. "You are a second-in-command in training. When you're done here, we need to clean the street. I expect it to be clean enough to eat off of."

  "It's NEVER been clean enough to eat off of!" I protest as I send the trash into the line of open trashcans. "And aren't Rocco and Ace doing that?"

  "They're on construction duty with Bombastic, you are on sweeping," he says. "We have brooms, if you'd prefer," he adds in a helpful tone. I give him a dirty look and he laughs. "Truly, I do like this cleaning system that Nico's put in. It teaches you all responsibility."

  "He did it so he wouldn't have to do it himself," I say.

  "Of course he did," he agrees. He walks over to me, and I stop, looking at him curiously. "You have surpassed my expectations," he says quietly. "You are an exemplary young man, and I want you to know that while I would like to take credit for that, most of it has been you. You have chosen to become a man that I admire and respect. You know that I love you, but I also want you to know just how much I appreciate you--not as my son, but as a man. When the time comes for you to take my place, I will hand it over, happily."

  "Thanks, Dad," I say, a bit stunned.

  "But I also want you to know," he goes on, "that you do not just get handed a position like mine. Yes, I want you to be the next Hall leader, but if someone comes along that is more capable than you, I will not hesitate to hand her the title."

  "Her?" I repeat, my eyes widening before I realize-- "You'd give the Hall to Zoe, wouldn't you? You're saying she's more capable than I am?"

  "I'm saying she is at least equally as capable, and is not whining about her part of the cleanup work at the moment," he says. "She's been taking apart the floats ever since the party ended."

  "I just worked my butt off and almost died--" I say, irritably, "and now you're threatening me with my own girlfriend? Well, it won't work! Zoe's got her hands full with the schools--"

  "Oh, I'm sure you could run those for her," he says. "The audience was quite enthralled with her. I know she didn't plan on debuting, but those fifteen minutes in the limelight have made her famous. And we both have to admit that having my daughter-in-law take over the Hall would be a great addition to my legacy."

  I stare at him. "What happened to 'hand it over, happily'?" I ask.

  "I just want you to know that I DO have alternatives," he says, a little smile on his face.

  "The Hall is mine!" I say as he walks away. "She gets the schools, I take the Hall. That's how we've planned it--besides, running the schools will be more work," I admit shamelessly.

  "Work hard, my son, so you never have to find out," he says with a laugh as he walks away.

  I go back to work.

  *Bonus Chapters*

  Group Dates

  "So, we were thinking of getting a small group together to go to the movies," I say to Morgan, grinning shamelessly. "See, Rocco's got a thing for Carla, but he needs prodding--"

  "I thought he already turned her down?" Morgan says, frowning slightly. "Carla said that that's already over--"

  "From how I hear it, Rocco was still figuring out what was going on when she said she was over him, already," I say. "Your little sister's a bit hard to keep up with, even for another cape."

  "Well... yeah, I could see that," she says. "But what does this have to do with me?" she asks.

  "Well, if it's a group thing she won't re
alize we're trying to help a brother out," I explain. "So, want to come?"

  "I guess," she says. "I haven't gone to see a movie in a while. It'll be nice to get out of the dorms."

  "Then this weekend," I say. "Zoe will get you and the others permission to go off campus."

  "Okay," she says, smiling, "this weekend."

  I grin, barely refraining from whistling as I walk away.

  Saturday comes in a blink of an eye and I wake up early, going straight to Ace's house. I land on the front step, knocking on the door. Ace's mom comes to the door, looking at me with a hint of resigned amusement. "Ms. Nyler? Can Ace come out to play?" I ask, in my most innocent tone.

  "Ace!" she calls over her shoulder, "You've got company!" She looks at me. "He doesn't usually get up until noon on the weekends."

  "I know, but we need to get him ready for his date," I say as she moves out of the way.

  "He has a date? He didn't tell me that!" she says, looking more enthusiastic. "Who's the lucky girl?"

  "We're going on a group date," I explain, "and he probably didn't tell you because he didn't know." She lets out a surprised laugh as I head up the stairs and walk into his room without knocking. He's painted a mural that covers all of his walls and his ceiling. It looks like there's a dragon crouched over his bed, with wings that stretch over the walls. I know that dragon, I think as I look up at the head on his ceiling. It's Ace's main dragon.

  There's a tank to the side of his room that catches my attention. I walk over, peeking inside at his little herd of turtles. "Max," he says from the bed, sounding half asleep. "Go away, it's too freakin' early."

  "Can't," I say, "we need to get you cleaned up and dressed."

  "I don't have a gig today," he says, rolling over and trying to go back to sleep.

  "No, you have a date with Morgan," I say, heading for his closet and opening it. The massive pile of clothes stares back at me. "Have you ever heard of hangers?" I ask, glancing over at him. He's sitting up, staring at me blankly. "What? Did I stutter?" I ask.

  "I don't have a date with Morgan," he says, slowly.