Power On: Supervillain Rescue Project

by H. L. Burke

  Jake’s pulse quickened. If they were removing anklets, he might be able to slip away. Maybe trick Marco into setting something on fire as a distraction then make a run for it while Fade and Prism dealt with the mess. Not wanting to seem too eager, though, he kept quiet and waited.

  “Are you going to take my anklet off too?” Laleh piped up. “If I have my powers, the wires would be much easier to deal with.”

  “Not for you and Jake,” Prism replied. “For one thing, you need to learn to function without them. While disruptors are DOSA tech, it’s not unusual for villains to get a hold of them. Both Fade and I have been foiled by disruptors or similar factors and had to figure out how to manage without our powers while on various missions. Also, using your powers is a privilege, one that you and Jake haven’t earned yet.”

  “But Marco has?” Jake asked.

  “Marco’s better served learning to control his powers quickly. Also, they aren’t an obvious advantage in this scenario,” Prism said. “To succeed you’re going to need to use teamwork and creative problem solving. The three of you have fifteen minutes to figure this out once I start the timer.”

  Marco shuffled his feet. “That’s not very long.”

  “I can move a lot faster with the use of my powers,” Jake said.

  “Yeah, we know.” Fade smiled knowingly. “That’s another reason we’re not taking your anklet off.”

  Yeah, Fade was a pain.

  “We’ll be watching you from beneath the canopy,” Prism continued. “Good luck, you three.”

  Fade and Prism strode away.

  Marco stared, mouth agape, up at the dummy. “That’s a long way up.”

  “I think I can climb it.” Jake cracked his knuckles and took a step forward.

  “Wait!” Laleh grabbed Jake’s arm. “We’re supposed to be working together, remember?”

  He shook her off. “That’s dumb. It’s not like you can help me climb. I’ll be faster on my own.”

  “That’s not the point of the exercise, though!” she protested.

  Jake gave her a practiced, “Are you stupid or just irritating?” stare. One his uncle had taught him well over the years. “What’s that matter if we get the job done? Prism said we needed to use creative problem solving, right?”

  Laleh rolled her eyes. “Point A, you just climbing up there isn’t creative problem solving. Point B, she also said we’d need to use teamwork.”

  “Point C, we’ve already wasted two minutes, and we only have fifteen.” Jake put his hands on his hips. “Fine, you obviously know how everything should be done. You take the lead.”

  Laleh let out an irritated sigh. “All right. Even with the disruptor cuff, my powers still let me sense if a wire is live or not. I’ll go up first and mark out the dangerous ones.”

  “I don’t think you’re the best one to go up there.” Jake motioned upwards. “That dummy’s probably twice your size. There’s no way you can lift it.”

  “Maybe we can make some sort of harness for it,” Laleh suggested.

  “With what? Teamwork and creative problem solving or just the power of wishful thinking?” Jake scoffed.

  “I think I see some rope over there!” Marco took off running towards the base of the structure where sure enough some loose coils of rope lay looped around the lower support beams.

  As he reached towards them, Laleh gasped, “Careful, I see—”

  “Ouchie!” Marco jerked back, holding his hand against his chest.

  “Wires,” Laleh groaned.

  The two older teens jogged up to Marco.

  “You okay?” Laleh took his hand and examined it.

  “It’s numb,” he whimpered. “I’ll be fine, though.”

  “Prism said the shock was too mild to really hurt us. I guess you just confirmed that.” Jake snickered.

  Laleh shot him a death glare, but Marco beamed. “Yeah, I did, didn’t I?”

  Laleh slipped past Marco. “Let me get it.” She glanced around as if afraid someone was watching before moving her hand between the live wire and the wooden plank, reaching for the rope. As she did, a quick spark passed between her and the wire. Jake zeroed in on this. Was she somehow using her powers? Even with the disruptor?

  She pulled out the rope and looped it a few times around her shoulder. “All right, so I think two of us need to go up there and secure the ropes around DOSA Dean. We can lower him down while one of us stays here to catch him.”

  “I volunteer.” Jake raised his hand. Seeing Laleh scrambling around above him would be hilarious.

  She glared at him. “I was thinking Marco could stay down here. Like you said, it’ll take some strength, and you’re bigger than him.”

  “I’m fine going up!” Marco scampered to the bottom of the tower. “Heights don’t really bother me.”

  “Are you sure?” Laleh asked.

  Marco, however, was already a couple feet up the tower, picking his way around swinging wires like a quick footed monkey.

  “Be careful!” Laleh took a step towards him before looking back over her shoulder to glare at Jake. “Well, if you’re going to be our man on the ground, then get in place. You’ve got the easiest job, so you’d better not screw up.”

  “Whatever.” Jake strolled to position himself at the bottom of the tower.

  Laleh started on the opposite side of the narrow tower from Marco, pulling herself up onto the first support beam, wobbling for a second, then reaching up to grab the next. Electricity crackled.

  “Ouch!” Marco drew one hand back.

  “I said be careful!” Laleh chided. “Do you have anything non-conductive you can use to push the wires out of your way?”

  “Um ...” Marco scanned the area around him.

  Jake rolled his eyes. “Wait a second.” He walked to where a mostly dead bush stuck out from between two rocks. He grabbed a branch and wrenched it back and forth before it broke. He then returned to stand under Marco. “Catch!” He hefted it up.

  Marco swiped at it and missed. It clattered to the ground a foot or so from Jake. “Sorry!” Marco called down.

  “Trying again.” Jake threw it a little softer this time.

  Marco snatched it out of the air. “Thanks!”

  Jake dropped his gaze. Why had he done that? Well, even if he didn’t care if this exercise succeeded, he didn’t like seeing Marco zapped over and over again. He wasn’t a psychopath after all.

  Laleh climbed faster than Marco, probably because she didn’t seem to have any trouble with the wires. Sure, she made a show out of avoiding them, but several times Jake was certain he saw her brush up against them and not so much as flinch.

  Yeah, she’s gotten around her disruptor somehow. Little cheat.

  Finally Laleh was even with the dummy. The tower had four sides, each a few feet across. Laleh was on the side to the right of the dummy, Marco to the left. Jake’s whole body went taut as she hung onto the tower with one arm, awkwardly unspooling the rope from around her shoulder with the other.

  “Careful,” Jake called up to her. Maybe he should’ve gone up there. What if she fell?

  Somehow the girl managed to keep her balance, tying her rope around the shoulder of the dummy closer to her. It rocked as she maneuvered around it, swinging like a creepy, humanoid pendulum.

  Marco reached the other side of the dummy.

  “I’m going to toss you one end of the rope. Try to wrap it around the arm closest to you, up near the shoulder, not near the wrist,” Laleh ordered.

  “Okey dokey!” Marco said, way too enthusiastically.

  Laleh gently lofted the rope across the area between them. Marco snagged it on the first try and eased closer to the dummy.

  Jake’s pulse rocketed. “Wires, Marco!” he shouted.

  The boy paused, examined the area he had been about to climb across, and flushed. “Oh, whoops. Forgot.” He pulled the stick out from his belt loop where he’d stuck it and poked at several wires until they dislodged and fell to swing below
the dummy.

  Jake exhaled.

  Marco tied off the dummy as Laleh had suggested. “Okay, now what?”

  “Now we lower him down,” Laleh said.

  “Uh, what about his feet?” Jake pointed towards the top side—well the feet side, but it was hanging upside down—of the dummy, still tangled in the cords.

  Even at a distance, Jake could see Laleh’s face fall. “Oh.”

  “Do you have anything to cut him free?” Jake couldn’t resist a superior smirk. Stupid kid thought she had it all figured out. Couldn’t even get the basics right.

  Laleh looked around helplessly. “Marco?”

  “No, sorry,” he said.

  She cast a desperate gaze down at Jake. “Can you find something for us? Maybe a sharp rock?”

  “I don’t know. I feel like you should’ve thought of that before you climbed up there,” he teased.

  Her expression darkened. “Come on! You haven’t done anything yet! Just help us out.”

  He glanced in the direction of the canopy where Fade and Prism were watching in silence. Would he get in trouble if he didn’t help at least a little? He was already arrested, but Fade was right that there were other privileges that could still be revoked.

  He searched the area around them. Plenty of rocks but none of the loose ones appeared to be particularly sharp. He poked around the lower sections of the structure, close to where Marco had found the rocks. Something red caught his eye and he crouched down and brushed some debris away to find a painted metal tool box, new enough that Prism had to have planted it for the exercise. Careful to be sure it wasn’t touching any wires, he opened it. Inside was a hammer, some screwdrivers, and a pair of garden clippers.

  He hurried back and held them up. “Found these. Think you can catch them?”

  “Are you crazy? Those are sharp.” Laleh motioned for him to come closer. “Climb up and give them to me.”

  He grunted in protest but started to climb, following Marco’s path because the younger boy had pushed aside most of the wires with his stick, making it the clearer of the two routes.

  Jake did his best not to look down. With his powers, heights held no fear for him. After all, in his particle form, he could basically fly. Now, though, the rocky ground beneath him would make for one hard landing.

  “Only five minutes left!” Prism called out.

  “Jake, hurry!” Laleh ordered.

  He gave a frustrated moan but climbed a little faster. How had he let himself get talked into this? He managed to get right below Marco. Gripping the tower with one hand, he extended his other hand upwards, holding the clippers by the blade.

  Marco leaned down, hanging from his knees and one hand.

  “Careful!” Laleh said. “Jake, can’t you get it a little closer to him?”

  Jake climbed higher. His hand gripped the beam Marco’s legs were hooked over. Marco reached towards him, his fingers just brushing the clippers.

  “A little further,” he said.

  Jake pulled himself up, bracing against the beam. The weathered wood cracked under his weight.

  Jake’s heart jumped into his throat, and Laleh screamed as Marco fell through the now broken beam. He lurched to a stop, suspended by one hand, his legs kicking in Jake’s face. Marco cried out in terror and as if in answer, flames shot from his fingers. The heat singed Jake’s face. He moved backwards. The section of the tower right above Marco ignited. Flames raced down the rope attached to the dummy as if it had been a fuse.

  “Get down from there!” Prism shouted from beneath them. “Fade, hurry!”

  Jake wrapped one arm around Marco’s legs to steady him. The boy grabbed hold of the blazing beams.

  “Marco, you’ll burn!” Laleh protested.

  “It doesn’t hurt me!” he shouted. “I’m gonna save Dean.”

  “What?” Jake and Laleh shouted in near unison.

  Before either of them could protest, Marco scrambled up the tower to where the dummy’s feet were held. Jake tried to follow, but flames licked his fingers. He cried out in pain and retreated out of their reach.

  “Don’t be an idiot!” he growled.

  Ignoring him, Marco reached the dummy’s feet and held out his hand. Another burst of fire rose from his fingertips, this one aimed at the ropes holding DOSA Dean in place. They blackened then snapped.

  “Got him!” Marco cried out triumphantly, holding onto the dummy by its ankles..

  “I’m getting out of here. You’re crazy!” Jake started to shimmy down the tower.

  The whole tower shook. Marco lost hold of DOSA Dean who plummeted towards Jake.

  Jake dodged and glanced up. “Marco, get down from there, or I swear, if we don’t burn to death, I’ll kill you!”

  Marco shuddered but descended. Laleh likewise retreated. They reached the bottom right as Prism and Fade rushed up with fire extinguishers. The two adults sprayed the white foam repellent upward into the blazing structure.

  “Get clear!” Fade ordered. Marco grabbed onto DOSA Dean, who lay in a heap at the bottom of the tower, and dragged him away. Jake and Laleh backed up a few steps, gaping at the now charred and smoldering remnants of the tower.

  Prism and Fade set down the fire extinguishers and turned to look at the teens. Jake shifted from foot to foot. Why did it feel like Fade was looking at him specifically?

  Prism let out a long breath. “All right, what did we learn from that?”

  “Apparently that Marco is fireproof,” Jake muttered. “The rest of us, not so much.”

  Marco hung his head, then his face brightened. “At least we saved Dean!” He awkwardly lifted the charred dummy off the ground. Its head wobbled, tipped, then popped off and rolled across the ground to rest at Prism’s feet. Marco’s jaw dropped. Laleh moaned.

  Jake laughed.

  Fade shot him a glare, and the young man clamped his mouth shut. Laleh’s face took on its judgiest expression, and Marco ... oh no. Tears welled up in his eyes. Jake’s shoulders slouched.

  “Jake, a word.” Fade indicated with his thumb for Jake to follow then strode off over the basalt fields.

  Jake swallowed but hurried to catch up with Fade. As soon as they were out of earshot, Fade spun to face him.

  “You think you’re making some sort of point by being a jackass?” Fade asked, his voice cold and sharp.

  Jake squared his shoulders. “How is it my fault? All three of us messed up. Was I supposed to carry those two dweebs as dead weight?”

  “Kind of ironic, you calling the other two dead weight when from what I could see you didn’t do anything but drag your feet and sulk that whole exercise.” Fade jabbed his finger at Jake’s chest. “Maybe the other two failed, but they did something you didn’t do: they tried.”

  “Because they care. I don’t,” Jake snapped. “This whole thing is stupid. Lame training exercises and teamwork aren’t going to somehow make me into a DOSA hero. I’m not going to be that. Ever—and seriously, do you think either of them has what it takes either? Marco’s a wimp and Laleh’s got a stick up her butt and doesn’t know how the real world works. If you put them against my uncle’s gang, they’d be dead in five minutes. They’re just too stupid to have given up yet.”

  “Maybe they don’t have the luxury to give up,” Fade said. “All three of you are here for a reason. Maybe Laleh and Marco weren’t facing jail time like you were, but their prospects are pretty dim without this program. If you want to throw in the towel and resign yourself to a life in holding cells and disruptor cuffs, be my guest, but you’re not the only one involved right now. This program lives or dies based on how you three perform. If DOSA thinks it’s a failure, they’ll pull the plug, and you won’t be the only one who loses. Laleh’s family might be able to bail her out, but Marco? He has nowhere else to go. If Camp Sable folds, the world out there will chew him up before he’s had a chance to get a handle on his powers or get his life on track.”

  Jake’s stomach twisted. He did not like being respons
ible for other people, especially not someone as naive and trusting as Marco. The idea of failing the kid terrified him—but at the same time he couldn’t take this on himself. No, this wasn’t fair. Marco was Fade and Prism’s charge, DOSA’s charge even. Fade wasn’t going to chain the kid to Jake’s ankles like yet another disruptor cuff.

  “I’m not his dad. You can’t put that on me,” he said.

  “I’m not putting anything on you,” Fade replied. “I’m just telling you how it is. If you want to give up on yourself, fine. I can’t make you care about your own future, but whether you like it or not your actions have consequences for the people around you. Keep that in mind next time you decide what we’re doing here is all one big joke.”

  “Whatever.” Jake avoided Fade’s eyes.

  Fade nodded his head back in the direction of the rest of their group. “Come on. We’ve got a mess to clean up before we head home.”

  Jake limped behind Fade. This disaster was the last straw. He needed to escape, and he needed to do it now.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jake lay in bed, fully clothed beneath his blankets. The moon moved slowly across the sky outside the window, and he could hear Marco’s breath whistling in the bunk above him. It had to have been hours since everyone turned in. His ears twitched at every sound, still not hearing the one he was listening for.

  Finally it came, the squeak of door hinges followed by the light padding of footsteps on the hallway floor. He slid out of bed, waited until he heard Laleh descend the stairs, then crept out of his room after her.

  When he reached the bottom, faint light already seeped through the dining room from the kitchen. He tiptoed closer. Laleh stood by the open fridge, her weird ferret—visible for once—perched on the kitchen island chewing at some leftover hamburger from their dinner that night.

  As Jake strode into the light, Laleh shrank back. “What are you doing here?”

  He approached her and pulled up his pant leg to reveal the faint blue light of the active disruptor cuff. “I need you to take care of this for me.”

  She drew back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”