“Jessie?” When I had last seen Jessie Kellup he had been a gangly young man just starting into adulthood, falling over himself as he tried to figure out girls and computers and why they weren’t more alike. Now he was a tall strapping man in his twenties, ten years younger than me, with a flaming head of red hair that women would die to run their fingers through.
I didn’t know I had been holding my breath until he smiled, his hand still hanging in the air. “You okay?”
“Yes, yes I am.” I grinned, discovering that he, indeed, had a fine manly grip. “I’m sorry to drag you away from work.”
“Nah. Nothing going on there that I can’t do at home anyway.” He sat in the empty chair beside the tea set, placing his knapsack on the ground. After loosening his dark blue silk tie, he shuffled off his blazer. “Besides, a day out of the office is something I never pass up.”
“Thanks for coming.” I pulled the scrunchie from my hair, letting it fall loose. “Don’t mind me, have a bit of a killer headache.” I wrinkled my nose. “Not exactly ready for my photo shoot.”
“I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through.” Jessie nodded. “I’m just glad you’re still alive.”
“Yeah. So am I.” I glanced at David. “Can we use the upstairs? I’d rather you open the shop back up again and go about your day as normal. Don’t want to seem suspicious.”
“Sure.” David frowned. “Should I be preparing for trouble?”
“Maybe.” I got to my feet, finished off the tea and replaced the mug on the tray. “Let’s just say that the way things are right now I don’t want anyone to know I’m here. And you’re one of the only links to me, so…”
“Got it.” The elderly man tapped the side of his nose. “The stairs are where they always were and the room’s yours. Didn’t change a thing.”
“You figured I’d be back?” I shot over my shoulder as I walked towards the rickety old steps, Jessie a few paces behind.
“Be prepared,” David replied.
“You were never a Boy Scout.” The stairs were as noisy as I remembered them to be, a great security feature. Keep your fancy alarm systems. Give me a good set of creaking wood planks that’ll be impossible to stop from making noise.
“I always wanted to come up here.” Jessie chuckled as he followed me into the small apartment. “He never rented it out after you left, you know. Kept it until we saw you that first time on the television, then joked about making it into a museum. Charge admission to see where the famous Surf started out.”
I shook my head. “Wouldn’t have gotten much.”
The stairs led out onto a single large room that would have passed for a loft in better circumstances but had been divided up by bookshelves that there hadn’t been room for downstairs. True to his word, David hadn’t changed much, leaving a pair of wooden chairs, a desk and a ratty old couch in dark forest colors taking up much of the open area. The kitchenette, for lack of a name, consisted of a single small sink barely large enough to wash plates in and a few cupboards in the corner. Another room held the washroom and shower stall.
All in all, a classy pad if you wanted to live cheaply. And when I had been here I hadn’t any money, and David had offered to let me work in the bookstore and live here with a bit of spending money on the side. In retrospect it had probably been the best time of my life, pre-super.
“So, what’s going on?” Jamie settled himself at the desk and pulled out a laptop from his black backpack. “David wouldn’t say much other than that you needed my help.” His chest puffed out a fraction. “And who am I to say no to the great Surf?”
“Please don’t call me that. Jo is just fine.”
He opened his mouth as if to ask, then closed it. “Sure.” He tapped the screen with a long, slender finger. “So what can I do for you?”
“I need you to defuse a bomb.”
Chapter Four
Jessie jerked back in the chair. “What?”
“Here.” I tapped the back of my neck. “I need you to either deactivate the plug or figure out a way to cut it off from receiving transmissions.” I locked eyes with him. “Otherwise the Surf is going to be nothing more than a headless body on the floor here.”
Jessie drew a shaky breath, glancing at the laptop screen. A collage of pictures flashed across it, holiday pics of him skiing somewhere. Maybe up at Horseshoe Valley, maybe Aspen. I wasn’t into winter sports.
“Okay, let’s take this from the top.” Jessie cleared his throat. “What’s a plug?”
“This.” Taking his left hand, I pressed it to the back of my neck, letting him feel the scarred skin. His fingers trembled under my touch. “It’s a device that’s implanted within minutes of a super arriving at the Agency. It’s got a GPS inside it along with a nice little explosive.” I watched his eyes widen. “Don’t worry, not enough to kill you or anyone else in the area. Just enough to take my head off if my Guardian decides that I’m being too ornery or disobeying the Agency’s directives.”
He pulled his hand back and slumped in the chair as if I’d smashed a fist into his chest. “Wow.”
“Yeah. Wow.” I pointed at the laptop. “What I need you to do is shut off that GPS and/or block anything coming in.”
“Like an activation code.” Jessie exhaled.
“Like an activation code.” My head began to throb again. “Look, I know it’s a lot to take in, but I don’t have anyone else right now to help out with this…”
Jessie pulled the chair up to the desk and sat down, cracking his knuckles. He shot a sly grin my way as his fingers began dancing on the keyboard. “We can do that.” He repeated it like a mantra. “If I can’t, I know who can.” A series of windows opened up on the screen. “Thank God for wireless connections. The coffee shop doesn’t know they’ve got theirs set up for way too large an area. Probably got half the block riding their WiFi for free.” He bit down on his lower lip, making himself even cuter than before—if I were a cougar. “The GPS shouldn’t be much of a problem to start with. I can easily rig up a jammer for that.” He glanced at me. “Unless we can remove it…”
I shrugged. “Don’t know. Never tried. Never told that it couldn’t be done, but I don’t think I want anyone poking around with a scalpel, you know?”
He blanched. “Yeah, you’re right.” Turning his attention back to the screen, he grinned as a series of numbers and letters appeared on the open windows, scrolling along at a great speed. “Looks like blocking the signal won’t be too hard to do.”
“Legally?” I couldn’t help smiling.
“Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.” Jessie beamed with a smile that had probably wooed a hundred women into bed. “But the removal or killing the signal permanently, well…” he let out a low whistle, “…that’s a whole other problem.”
“Which is why I wanted David to contact you.” I rocked back on the chair, jeopardizing the fragile legs. “I don’t think I need to tell you that this is sort of a secret.”
“Sort of.” He chuckled. “So what’s going on? I didn’t think they had to wire you guys to get you to take on the baddies.”
I rubbed my temples. The migraine was threatening to return and bring the rest of the family. I just couldn’t find the words to put the truth about my life out there in any other way. “In a nutshell, it’s all fixed, okay? All of it.”
The snap in my voice brought him around as if I’d slapped him in the face. “Wow.” His eyes widened. “Wow.”
“Look, can we just focus on this right now?” I lifted my right hand, seeing the sparks begin to gather on one finger. “I promise to give you the whole story once we get this little thing settled.”
“Sure.” He put one hand on my shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “Why don’t you go lie down over there and rest? No offense, but you look like crap.” He wrinkled his nose. “Or maybe take a shower. You’re sort of ripe, if you don’t mind me saying so.”
I couldn’t dispute his statement. Brawling in NYC and then dragging my
feet through Lake Ontario had left me smelling a bit funky, to say the least.
“And you’re not going to be able to help me, anyway. It could take a few minutes or a few hours for me to connect with the right people and get this going, depending on where they are and what they’re up to.” Jessie grinned. “Not much of a spectator sport.”
I felt like crying again. “Yeah. That’s a good idea.” Getting up from the chair, I headed for the small washroom. “Just call me if you need me.”
The shower stall held a small bar of wrapped hotel soap, obviously purloined from one of the finer establishments. The towels were clean and smelt faintly of lavender. Being the main washroom for the bookstore, David kept it looking respectable, even if it was only for a few special customers and him.
My leather jacket was still in pretty good condition, a few singe marks from the fight here and there, but that was all. The black T-shirt hid any stains from my sloppy eating, if there were any. My socks were still a bit damp, along with my shoes, but they’d dry out soon enough. I made a neat pile in the corner, setting my jeans on top. They weren’t that smelly, but a shower would help take the worst of the stink out, mainly from me.
I was too tired to wash my hair, settling for a quick once-over with the thin soap wafer before it dissolved completely. The towels were soft and fluffy, making it hard to put my old clothes back on. I hadn’t been able to come back to the store to retrieve any of my old clothing and wasn’t prepared to start asking David where he had put them. Besides, pulling out musty old shirts to see if they still fit didn’t appeal to me. I’d suffer for a bit longer in my work gear.
Stifling a yawn, I walked over to the small bed behind one of the half-empty bookshelves.
David really had kept it just the way I had left it, right down to the stuffed teddy bear in the corner on the pillow. I tapped the surface a few times to dislodge the dust, seeing it rise from the ancient dark red comforter like a smoke cloud. Pulling up the quilt, I gave it a quick shake then I curled up atop the soft material, clutching the old eyeless bear in my arms. Pressing the threadbare fur to my face, I closed my eyes and tried not to think.
About the bomb waiting to go off.
“I promise, I won’t trigger it unless necessary.” Mike rolled away from me, taking most of the sheets. “We’ve gone over this before.”
“Yeah, and every time you manage to piss me off right after getting me off.” I propped myself up against the headboard. “All I’m asking is that you just let me know if and when you’re going to set it off so I can prepare myself. You know, like pray or something.”
He tossed the sheets off, covering me in a tangled mess as he got up from the bed. “You know I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” I scrambled to grab a clean T-shirt and panties from the floor. “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be sleeping with me, either.”
He shrugged, his skin glistening with sweat. “That’s not the point.”
“No, that is the point.” I motioned at the wristband on his left wrist. “You’ve got the ability to kill me at any time, and forgive me if I’d like a bit of notice first.”
A large hand sliced through the air. “We’re done with this conversation.” He strode from the bedroom, pausing in the doorway. “You know the day I have to do that a bit of me will die with you, right?”
All I could do was nod, a sudden lump in my throat.
“Just don’t fuck up, girl,” Mike said softly. “And don’t even try to pull the plug.”
I woke up gasping, my cheeks wet with tears. David appeared over me, a concerned look on his face as he came into focus.
“Just relax, you’re safe.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, he took both my hands in his. “You’re safe here.” He made a clucking noise at the back of his throat. “You’re safe, Jo.”
All I could do was nod, choking back the tears.
“I made us up some sandwiches and got some juice. Can’t have Jessie fainting from lack of food.” He nodded towards his nephew still working at the desk.
“What time is it?” I looked around. I didn’t even have a watch.
“About three in the afternoon. You were in a deep sleep; I didn’t want to wake you,” David said. “I didn’t think it was wise.”
Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I moved to sit on the side of the bed. “Good idea. I’m still processing all this, I think.”
“Yeah, well…” Jessie growled, the low voice rolling through the bookcases. “Hard to live a lie I guess.”
I looked at David while pulling my hair back into a ponytail, snapping the scrunchie tight again. He shrugged. “He’s still pretty pissed. He used to idolize you, don’t you know. His special hero, he used to say to the boys.”
Jessie’s angry grunt reached my ears. “I don’t understand. What the fuck were they thinking?”
Getting to my feet, I walked around the bookcase barrier, grabbed one of the sandwiches and bit down into the peanut butter and grape jelly. “Believe me, it wasn’t my decision. Or choice.”
“Maybe you better take it from the top.” David joined me, motioning me towards the couch. “Slowly, for an old man.” He smiled with that grandfatherly look that had won my heart years ago.
“Okay.” I finished the mouthful of food and washed it down with the apple juice carton as I settled on the cushions. “First, I want you both to know that I really appreciate your help. I don’t have anyone else to turn to and I can’t think of anyone else who I would trust with this.”
Jessie walked over, took the other half of the PB&J from the tray and nibbled on it as he watched me. David nodded, gesturing me to continue.
My chest ached, but at least my head was clear. “Okay.” I drew a deep breath. “I was mugged not too far from here one night. Punk slammed a brick into the side of my head ’cause I wasn’t fast enough with my purse.”
“I saw you in the hospital, looked in through the window of your room. They wouldn’t let me in, said I wasn’t family.” He gave an angry snort. “As if they know what family is,” David added. “You looked a bit shook up, but I didn’t think you were badly hurt.”
“I wasn’t. Technically.” Lifting one hand, I gathered the waves from around the bodies, the table and couch, even the sandwiches, and forced them onto my index finger. The static built up as I kept talking.
“When they released me, I walked out the front door and ended up being grabbed by a group that I’d learn was called the Agency.” The blue spark on my finger began to grow.
“It’s a long story but to cut to the quick—I had developed some sort of powers with that smash to the head. And the Agency has one mandate, to get everyone and anyone like that under their control.”
Jessie snorted. “That’s illegal. You can’t just grab people off the street and make them into supers.”
I raised my finger, the neon aura now rolling around my nail like an angry sparkler. “They didn’t make me into this. There have been dozens, hundreds of accidents like this all over the world. Some trauma to the body that releases some sort of latent ability. I can’t tell you how it happens because they didn’t tell me.”
David stroked his chin. “But they taught you how to use it, yes?”
“Yes.” Reaching out with my other hand, I let the spark jump between the two palms, a small lightning bolt. “My trick is that I can see electromagnetic waves and use them.”
The elderly man frowned. “Doesn’t that mean you have to be near a magnet?”
“Not really.” I made a circle in the air with my hands. “Everything has a field. From the chair, to you, to the sandwiches. What I do is tap into it and store it up like a capacitor.” The blank look on Jessie’s face made me groan. “A capacitor. Stores energy. Old school.”
“Ah.” The light went on behind his eyes.
“So then you shoot this out from your hands.” David mimicked me, targeting his palms outward.
“Well, if I use these gloves.” Pulling out the pair from my ba
ck pocket, I showed them to the two men. “There’s hundreds of small metal fibers woven in to help me channel and focus the blast. It’s like tasering someone. It’s an electric shock delivered at whatever level I need to win the fight.”
“Except you’re not wearing them now.” David nodded towards the black fabric. “And you’re still doing that…thing?”
“I don’t have to use them. But it’s a lot harder if I don’t. Takes more concentration to get charged up and focus, which I usually don’t have when I’m in a fight.”
“Which were fixed,” Jessie said in a low voice.
“Which were fixed.” I couldn’t help dropping my gaze to the ground. “I’m sorry.”
“You should be.” Jessie’s harsh tone grated on my ears. “We thought it was real, we thought you were out there fighting the bad guys.” He paused. “Who are…who were the villains?”
“When we arrived at the training facility we were given a choice—to be heroes or villains.” My smile appeared, despite the mood. “Couldn’t pass up the chance to be a star.”
“Who would decide to be a villain?” David pressed his lips together tightly as he helped himself to one of the sandwich triangles.
I shrugged. “People with issues. People who didn’t want to play nice. It was a whole psychological thing, I didn’t ask.” My hand went to the back of my neck, to the scar tissue. “Long story made short, the Agency controlled us with this. Gave the power to our Guardians to blow our heads off if we started getting ornery or if we tried to run away.”
“Your Guardian?” both Jessie and David asked at the same time.
“Mike.” A dull ache started in my chest as I spoke. “He was my Guardian. Had a special wristband that could set this thing off.”
“But he’s…” David paused, probably out of concern for my feelings.
“He’s dead.” The words sounded flat to my ears. “I know. But the Agency can still activate it long-distance, which is why I need you to turn this damned thing off. The bastards thought of everything—well, except for this, obviously.”
Blaze of Glory Page 4
