Power On: Supervillain Rescue Project

by H. L. Burke

  Prism strode out about fifteen minutes later, just as Jake was considering getting out the phone he’d stolen to see if he could figure out how to unlock it.

  “Ruby is out like a light. I was thinking we could watch a movie while the others are gone. DOSA usually stocks these places with a few days’ worth of food, and I know they pay for some streaming services.” She picked up the remote and turned on the TV. “I bet they’ll have popcorn.”

  “I guess.” Jake wouldn’t mind watching a movie, if only to keep his mind off the need for money and his issues with the gang.

  “Great. I’ll be right back.”

  While Prism was in the kitchen, Jake messed with the phone, trying a few basic pass-code options before giving up. He didn’t want to risk locking himself out of it completely, especially since Laleh could probably work her techy mojo on it when she got back. Also, the lady who he had taken it from had to have realized it was missing by now. What if she tried tracking it? He powered the phone down and stuck it between the couch cushions for safekeeping. Better not to get caught with it on him.

  Prism returned with her bowl of popcorn and flipped on the TV. “There’s a lot of options. Why don’t you scroll through some of them while I get us drinks?” She tossed him the remote, set the bowl on the coffee table, and returned to the kitchen.

  He browsed the movies. Almost too many to count. While the gang pirated movies sometimes, he’d ended up mostly watching the same things over and over again. It would be nice to try something new.

  Prism returned and passed him a cold can of soda, condensation beading on the outside. In her other hand she held a glass of bubbling liquid with a cherry floating in it.

  “What’s that?” Jake pointed towards the drink.

  “Just sparkling water, but the cherry lets me pretend it’s a cocktail.” She patted her stomach. “Can’t wait for this little guy to get his eviction papers so I can have a nice margarita or an Old Fashioned or something.” She sipped her drink then sat cross legged on the other end of the couch. “You decided yet?” She glanced towards the screen.

  “Not really. Maybe you should pick.” He offered her the remote.

  “I mean, I’d like to find something we can agree on. What kind of movies do you like?”

  He swallowed. “I don’t watch a lot of TV.”

  “But when you do, what do you pick?” she prodded. “What’s your favorite?”

  “Uh, I guess Firefly.”

  “Scifi, then? Like Star Wars?”

  “I guess. I’ve never seen that.”

  She gaped at him. “Never?”

  “Nope.”

  “Okay, that settles that.” She navigated to search and started entering in the title. “New Hope first. That’s the only way to play it.”

  Soon they both sat, absorbed in the movie. After a bit Prism stood. “Well, we both need more popcorn, and I need another soda. You want anything?”

  “Nah.” Jake glanced at the screen where the bad guys were interrogating the cute girl in the buns. “You want me to pause it?” he asked, somewhat unwillingly.

  “I’ve seen this a thousand times. You’re fine.”

  Prism returned just as the planet burst in front of the Death Star.

  She passed Jake the popcorn. “Are you enjoying the movie?”

  “It isn’t bad. I mean, people talk about it all the time, but with it being so old, I thought it would be fake and cheesy like old Star Trek episodes or something.”

  “Original series Star Trek has a certain charm, but yeah, Star Wars holds up better than you’d think.” Prism sipped her drink and a smile curled across her face. “Here’s an interesting bit of trivia only uber fans know: when I was a kid, much younger than you even, maybe four or five, there was talk about re-releasing these movies with, like, replacing some of the special effects with CGI and stuff. They apparently made a version with all that, but then news of the alterations leaked and the fans rioted, so they canceled it. I mean, I’m mildly curious what the alternate version would look like, but why mess with perfection, you know?”

  “I guess.”

  She pulled out her phone. “We might have time to watch at least The Empire Strikes Back before Fade and the other two get here—that one’s my favorite.”

  “Cool.” Jake took another handful of popcorn. A thought struck him. “You know, it’s kind of funny, though, the Jedi are supposed to be all great and powerful and rare, but they’re essentially just sables. Like, I’ve heard of a lot of people being able to do way more than Vader and Ben seem to be able to do.”

  “True, but you know, this was made before sables were really in the public eye,” Prism said. “I mean, sables existed in the seventies, but they were usually secret agents. It wasn’t until near the end of the Cold War that governments came clean about the truth behind their best agents—though there were some civilian labs experimenting with the genetic manipulation around then too.”

  “Huh.” Jake brushed his brown hair back from his forehead. “I guess I hadn’t thought about that much. It seems like sables have always been around.”

  “Not really, at least to the extent they are now. My father’s generation was kind of the first.” She pulled a couch cushion against her chest and sat cradling it. “I think if they made this movie today, they’d probably put in more bells and whistles as far as the powers go ... that said, I kind of like that the powers are within our reach. I mean, I can’t move things with my mind, but I’d like to think I could hold my own if dropped in a galaxy far far away.”

  “I think you’re way tougher than bun-chick.” Jake snorted.

  Prism raised her eyebrows. “Normally I don’t tolerate people who speak ill of Princess Leia, but it’s been a while since I’ve had a compliment that good, so I’ll let it slide. Though, for what it’s worth, you’re way more cool and less whiny than Luke.”

  “Pfft, yeah, I’m not a Luke. Maybe a Han. I like him.”

  “Yeah, he seems like your type.” They fell silent again as the movie progressed. Jake pushed his worry over everything going on to the back of his mind and instead concentrated on the lasers and action before him.

  As boisterous orchestral music played over Han and Luke receiving their medals, Prism reached for the remote again. “Are you interested in watching the next one or do you want to try something else?”

  “Next one, definitely.” Jake gave a firm nod.

  She beamed at him. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that.” She waited for the credits to start then navigated to the menu again. “Some things need to be passed to the next generation, you know? I remember when my dad introduced me and my brother to these movies. He made a huge production out of it ... like sleeping bags in the living room, all the treats we could eat, going through the tapes of all three in one awesome afternoon into the evening.” She sniffled. “Man, hormones.” She rested her hand on her stomach. “I was looking forward to sharing things like this with my kids. I hope you don’t mind me using you for practice.”

  His face warmed, but he just shrugged. “Nah, it’s fun. I like it.” He shifted in his seat. “Your dad, is he the reason you wanted to be a superhero?”

  “Sort of.” She bit her bottom lip. “I mean, with my powers and my personality, I think I would’ve been drawn to it even without his example, but it certainly didn’t hurt.” She glanced at him. “Honestly, though, the best thing my dad ever did for me and my brother was keep us out of DOSA for as long as possible. Back then the concept of teenage sables was pretty new. There weren’t a lot of us, and DOSA was eager to make sure that the ones there were got herded into their program. My dad wouldn’t have it. He basically forbade me and Aiden from interacting with anything DOSA related until we were done with school. He made sure we got a chance to be kids, to play, to have friends, to live safe and happy lives.” She focused on Jake. “That’s one thing I really want to do for you and the others. If I’m ever off track with it, I want you to be honest with me, call
me out on it, tell me you need a break, that you’re training too hard. Because, yeah, you three need to learn how to control your powers. That’s what the exercises are for, but those aren’t your life, and they shouldn’t be.”

  Jake’s gaze dropped to the floor. “I’m not really a kid, though.”

  “Oh, Jake, yes, you are.” The lines around her blue eyes deepened. “You’ve had a lot stolen from you, but you still have some years left to reclaim that, to just be safe and cared for, to not have to fight for your keep.”

  Jake’s muscles tightened. Shows what Prism knew. Here he was preparing to dive back into it to save Marco—though in fairness, he’d shot himself in the foot there. If he hadn’t poked a cougar’s cub, Marco wouldn’t have started a fire, and none of this would be happening.

  He needed to change the subject.

  “Can we start the movie now?”

  A sad smile flickered across her face. “Sure.” She held up the remote then winced. “Ouch! That was a good kick.”

  He furrowed his brow. “Huh?”

  “The baby. He just jabbed me in the rib cage.” She groaned, rubbing the spot. “Oh, there he goes again.” She angled towards Jake. “Do you want to feel? I mean, no pressure if you aren’t comfortable, but it’s kind of cool.”

  “Uh, I guess.” Hesitantly, he held out his hand and let her guide it to a section of her swollen stomach.

  “Hopefully he doesn’t decide to stop. Little guy’s got some of his father’s contrariness to him. He’ll wait until I’ve told Fade that he’s kicking and then lie low so I can’t prove it.” She made a face. “Little turkey.”

  “Maybe you should name him Greg to get back at him.” Jake laughed. “Oh, wow.” A faint sensation between a poke and a pop vibrated through his hand. “That was him, huh?” He lowered his voice. “Hey, Greg.”

  Prism gave a barking laugh. “Man, I should suggest Greg the next time we’re talking names, just to see Fade’s face.”

  “He’s a bit like Obi Wan, you know?” Jake laughed. “You know, with the name change?”

  Prism put on a grave face and a bad British accent. “Greg Curran. Greg. Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. A long time ... Oh!” Her accent dropped, and her eyes widened. “Dang! That’s perfect. Of course, it’s so obvious!” She snatched her phone off the coffee table and started texting. “Jake, you mad genius, I think you just helped me finally name my son.”

  He made a face. “You’re not going to call him Obi Wan, are you?”

  “Nope.” She laughed. “His name is Curran.”

  “Huh. That’s not bad, actually.” Jake settled back onto the couch as she continued texting, probably to Fade. The phone beneath the seat cushions seemed to taunt him. Prism would be so disappointed in him if she knew he’d stolen it, or about his plans to use it to contact his gang.

  I have to, though. I need to get through this. Not just for me, but for Marco and even Laleh. They’re depending on me.

  A faint hope that Laleh might get the money and that would solve all their problems flitted through his brain as Prism started the next movie.

  Things were never that easy, though. The only way out of this was through it. Once he had the money, though, then what? Well, at least for now, there was Star Wars.

  For the next two hours, Jake lived in a world of starships, asteroid belts, and space wizards. It was exactly what he needed.

  Before the scene where Vader made his big paternity announcement, Jake caught Prism watching him intently. He forced himself to remain expressionless, even though he’d seen enough Star Wars memes to know what was coming, and tried not to laugh when she was obviously disappointed that Jake didn’t react to the “reveal.”

  However, when the movie ended with his favorite character in a block of silver metal, he burst from his chair. “That’s it? That’s a stupid place to end it!”

  Prism laughed. “I guess that’s all the more reason to watch the next one.”

  “Yeah!” Jake scrambled for the remote, but before he could navigate off the credits, a door slammed at the front of the house.

  “Honey, I’m home!” Fade shouted.

  “Baby’s sleeping!” Prism somehow managed to whisper and shout at the same time. She cast Jake an irritated look. “Ugh, he should know better!”

  “I think he did it on purpose,” Jake said.

  “Yeah, he probably did, and I’m going to go tell him off.” She stomped away.

  A moment later Laleh and Marco entered the room. Marco had somehow acquired a sweatshirt and ball cap with DOSA emblazoned across both of them.

  “Man, you’re really going all in on the branding,” Jake teased. “Did they tattoo it on your butt too?”

  Marco flinched. “They were gifts. Porter thought it was cool that I was excited about it and said I could keep a few things.”

  “Give him a break.” Laleh scowled at Jake.

  “I’m just kidding. Dang, so sensitive.” Jake stood. “I’m glad you had a good time.” Jake tried not to look at where his phone was hidden. For some reason, he didn’t want to talk about his plans in front of Marco. “I put all our stuff in the room down the hall. You might want to go check on it. Baggage handlers shifted my stuff around a lot. I don’t know if you had anything valuable in there, but if you did, you should make sure it’s still intact.”

  Marco walked away. Laleh turned as if to follow, but Jake grabbed her arm. “We need to talk about the plan.”

  She eyed him skeptically. “Here?”

  As if in answer a faint cry rose from down the hall.

  “I told you!” Prism rushed through the living room heading towards her daughter.

  Fade hurried after her. “There’s no way I was loud enough to wake her up. It’s just a coincidence.”

  Laleh watched them leave then motioned towards the door to the kitchen. “In there? I want to get something to drink anyway.”

  “Sure.”

  Jake snaked his hand between the couch cushions and claimed the phone. Pushing it up into his sleeve, he stood and followed Laleh into the kitchen. At his approach, she turned away from the fridge and glanced anxiously towards the living room.

  “Do you think they can hear us?” she whispered.

  “No. Fade and Prism are going to be busy with Ruby for a while.” He leaned against the kitchen cabinets. “I don’t suppose you got any help from your mom?”

  “Nope. When I asked her if I could get some money all I got was an interrogation. I backtracked and said I needed it for a charity project, and she asked for the website so she could make a donation on my behalf. I’m not going to be able to get cash from her. She’s too suspicious.”

  Not unexpected, but still disappointing.

  Steeling himself, Jake slipped the phone from his sleeve and held it out to her. “Can you unlock this for me?”

  “Where’d you get that?” she asked.

  “Does it matter?” He arched an eyebrow.

  She took the device for him. For a moment she hovered her hand over the screen, then she paused, worry creasing her face. “Jake, are you sure this is how we should be doing this? Maybe we should go to Prism about it. She’ll give us the benefit of the doubt.”

  “We don’t know that for sure, and we’d have to explain how we were even using our powers when we were supposed to be wearing disruptor cuffs which means we’d have to admit that we’ve all been lying to her for the last several months,” Jake pointed out. “Also, I don’t know if you guessed, but I didn’t exactly pick up this phone at Walmart. That’s another crime I’ve committed in the last week. Prism might like us, but she’s still DOSA, and she won’t turn a blind eye to that sort of thing.”

  Laleh sighed then flexed her fingers. A faint light illuminated the phone’s screen then it unlocked revealing a background of a little rat dog wearing a pink sweater and a hair bow. “The pass-code is 1956, if it locks again.” She passed it back to him.

  “Thanks.” Jake navigated to the text opt
ion. He couldn’t risk having the phone on for very long. Praying he remembered the contact correctly, he typed in the number then started a new conversation.

  JL here. In area. Need financial assistance. 4K. Can we arrange a meeting?

  Holding his breath, he waited. After a moment, dots pulsed then a response popped up.

  Pass code?

  Jake exhaled then tapped out, TUCSON 2.

  Another long pause. Sweat formed on the back of his neck. What if he’d gotten the code wrong? What if the gang wasn’t interested in supplying him with cash?

  A link to a map pin appeared on the phone. Jake clicked on it and memorized the location. Not far from there. Maybe a half hour’s walk.

  Another message popped up, When?

  After a moment’s thought, Jake replied, 0100. That should be late enough to slip out while everyone was asleep but early enough that he could make it back before they realized he was gone.

  Understood, the unnamed gang member on the other side replied.

  Jake powered down the phone and stuck it into his back pocket. He wouldn’t need it again until it was time for him to leave. “Okay. I’m going to need you to disable my anklet.” He pulled up his pant leg.

  Laleh hesitated. “Jake ... I ... are you sure this is what you want to do?”

  “We just decided that it was the only thing we could do, or were you not listening at all?” He frowned.

  Laleh walked to the entryway, looked out, then walked back to him. “It’s just ... you’ve come so far, and your gang—I’m worried that when you see them again, they’re going to sink their claws into you and you won’t come back.”

  “I told you. I’m a Lucas they won’t hurt—”

  “That’s not what I’m worried about!” Her voice went up a pitch. “I’m worried they’ll suck you in and you won’t want to come back.”

  He swallowed. There’d been a time getting back to the gang had been all he’d thought about, and now he had a chance. She was right. He didn’t have to come back once he left. He could use this opportunity to escape altogether—but then Marco would be left to suffer the consequences for the fire.