by TJ Klune
Jazz and Seth turned their heads slowly to look at Nick.
Nick took a step back, suddenly unsure. “He—he said he didn’t. I know he’s been a jerk, but that’s not him.”
Seth nodded. He looked around at all three of them. “We have to be careful. Anything seems off, we’ll deal with it together. As a team.”
“Hell yes,” Gibby said. “We’re not gonna let something like a million-dollar bounty stop us from doing the right thing.”
Nick wished he had their optimism. “What do we do now?”
“We need to meet with Miss Conduct and TK,” Seth said. “Strength in numbers. I’ll reach out, see if they’ll talk to us.”
“Are you sure about that?” Gibby asked. “We don’t know them.”
“I do,” Seth said firmly. “At least, as well as someone can know them. I’m asking you to trust me on this. I wouldn’t do anything if I thought it’d put any of you in danger. If we’re as alone in this as I think we are, we need all the help we can get. I don’t know if they’ll agree, but we’ve got to try.”
“Superhero team-up,” Nick breathed. “It’s like this is a sequel! Oh my god. Yes. Yes.”
“Uh,” Seth said. “Sure. Why not. Let’s go with that.”
Gibby wasn’t as thrilled. She frowned at Nick before looking back at Seth. “If you’re sure. Be careful, all right? Things are crazy enough as it is. We can’t take the chance that we’ll have someone stabbing us in the back just because we want more people on our side.”
Seth nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Trust but verify, yeah? Nick, get in touch with your dad, find out what he knows. Gibby, go to my house and talk with my aunt and uncle. Jazz, go with her. I need you in the lair to—”
“Secret lair,” Nick corrected automatically.
Seth snorted. “Yeah, the secret lair. Jazz, I need you on comms. You’re the best at it.”
“On it, boss,” Jazz said. “Ooh, that gave me bad chills. I’m not going to call you that anymore.”
“Please don’t,” Seth said. “All right, let’s go. Nick and I will—”
The sound of a door swinging open followed by a voice startled them. “Are you guys going to just stand there wearing my clothing without paying for them? Because that’s not how commerce works.”
They all jumped, looking back behind them. The clerk stood with his arms crossed, glaring at them.
“Right,” Nick said hastily. “We’ll pay for them and then be on our way. And don’t change a thing about my dead magician suit. If you even remove one sequin, I’ll know, and the Yelp review I’ll leave will be emotionally devastating but still have five stars because I shop and support local.”
The clerk rolled his eyes. “Get into tuxedo rentals, they said. You’ll love it, they said. Well, guess what? They lied.”
“That sounds like a you problem,” Nick said. “But since I’m not in the mood to destroy dreams right now, I’ll let it slide. You did a good job. Thank you for your help.”
The clerk blanched. “Oh—you’re welcome. And please, tell your friends about my shop for all their prom needs.”
“We don’t have any other friends,” Gibby said.
The clerk threw up his hands in disgust.
14
Later, as the sky began to darken, Nick and Seth hurried through the streets of Nova City, keeping their heads down. Nick had just gotten off the phone with Dad, who said he was as caught off guard as the rest of them, not having known about the press conference until it happened. He sounded upset, saying he’d been unable to get ahold of Cap.
“And before you ask,” Dad said, “I haven’t said a word about Seth to him or anyone. I’m not going to out him. I promise.”
Nick believed him. He was still pissed, but Dad seemed to be trying. Perhaps a test was in order. “A million dollars is a lot of money.”
Dad snorted. “Yeah, it is. But no amount of money will ever make me hurt Seth.”
Nick gnawed on the inside of his cheek, thinking hard. “Can I send you something?”
“What?”
“Hold on.” Nick pulled his phone away from his ear, opening the text thread he shared with his dad. He sent an attachment before saying, “Picture on its way to you.”
“Okay. It’s … I see it. Let me figure out how to … open … it…”
“Oh my god, Dad, you’re such a Luddite. You have to click on it and it’ll—”
“Yeah, yeah, I see that. It’s … whoa.”
“Whoa,” Nick agreed. He’d sent a picture he’d taken of Jazz and Gibby in their dress clothes, standing next to each other, hands clasped between them, Jazz’s head resting on Gibby’s shoulder. They had bigger things to focus on, but Seth said they needed to remember the little things, too, pushing Gibby and Jazz together and telling Nick to take their picture.
“That’s real good, Nicky,” Dad said quietly. “They look wonderful. Reminds me of … your mom. Ah, she had this … dress she liked to wear. Made her feel beautiful. She only wore it for special occasions, and she was just—”
Nick’s heart broke a little more at the wistfulness in Dad’s voice, but he knew what his father meant. “She was just.”
Dad hesitated, and Nick listened to him breathing. Then, “I need you to know that—shit. The Rook’s here. Kid, I gotta go. We’re going to hunt down Cap and demand he tell us what the hell the mayor is thinking.”
“And make sure you tell him that I’m not a fan of the people he’s hanging out with,” Nick said.
“Will do. Where are you? I won’t be home until late.”
Nick glanced at Seth, who didn’t seem to be listening as he pulled him through the streets, making sure he didn’t bump into anyone. Seth knew Nick and multitasking were not on the best terms. “Hanging out with friends. Probably not going to do much. Get something to eat, make plans for prom.”
“Text me if you’re going to be late. I’ll call you when I know anything. I can’t—I’m coming, Rook, stop honking the damn horn! Nick, love you, talk soon, don’t do anything stupid.”
The phone beeped as the call disconnected. Nick sighed as he shoved it into his pocket. Seth looked back at him. “All right?”
Nick nodded. “He says he didn’t know this was going to happen. You get ahold of Miss Conduct and TK?”
“Miss Conduct, yeah. She’ll be there. Nothing from TK, but that’s not surprising. He shows up when he wants to.”
“You think he’ll come?”
Seth glanced back at him, narrowly avoiding a group of tourists following a guide as he extolled the virtues of Nova City’s illustrious history. “I don’t know. If he does, he does. Why?”
“He’s the only one we know like me,” Nick said. “Maybe he’ll take pity on me and want to help me out a bit. I can’t keep jumping off buildings to try and get my powers to work. What happens if we get into a fight? I’ll tell the bad guys to hold on a minute so I can climb ten floors and jump down?”
“I don’t know,” Seth said slowly. “He doesn’t seem like the type to want to take on a protégé, even though you’d be the best protégé anyone has ever had.”
Yeah, it was love, all right. Seth could have said sidekick, but he didn’t. If that wasn’t enough to convince Nick, he didn’t know what else he was waiting for. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, someone screamed in front of them.
Seth stopped suddenly, Nick bumping into his back. He recovered, peering over Seth’s shoulder to see what was wrong.
A woman stood in the middle of the sidewalk, holding a leash attached to a tiny dog that yipped over and over, tail whipping back and forth. With her other hand, the woman pointed at Seth and Nick, finger trembling. “It’s him,” she cried. “That’s the kid they keep showing with Pyro Storm! He knows who Pyro Storm is!”
People around them began to whisper as Seth took a step back, crowding protectively against Nick. “Lady, you’ve got the wrong idea,” Seth said, the warning clear in his voice.
She sho
ok her head furiously. “No, I don’t. He knows who Pyro Storm is.” She raised her voice again. “He was on the bridge with him! They were kissing!”
The whispers became mutters as more and more people stopped to look at them.
“A million dollars,” Nick heard someone say. “That kid has info worth a million dollars.” Hands began to touch Nick’s shoulders, his back. Someone grabbed his arm, fingers digging in, jerking him away from Seth, spinning him around until he collided with a sweaty man who smelled like week-old sushi.
“Tell me who he is,” the man growled, face inches from Nick’s.
“Let me go!” Nick snapped, struggling to pull free. “You’ve got the wrong dude, dude!”
“I saw him first!” the woman shrieked. “He’s mine.” She took a step toward them, dragging her dog behind her.
“Get your hands off of him,” Seth snarled, pushing his way between Nick and the sweaty man. “You try and touch him again, you’ll have to go through me.”
The man laughed. “You? Who the hell are you? I only want to talk to the kid. What’s his name?”
“Nelly!” someone cried. “His name is Nelly Babbish!”
“No it’s not,” another person scoffed. “Who the hell names their kid Nelly Babbish, you moron. His name is Nicodemus Bracewell!”
“Oh, because that’s a better name.”
“It is. Nicodemus! Hey, Nicodemus!”
“What is wrong with you?” Nick demanded as the crowd began to close in around them.
“Yes, hello,” the first woman said, phone pressed against her ear, trying to push her way through the people in front of her. “Did I dial the right number for the hotline? Yes? Good. I’d like to report that I’ve found Nigel Buckendorf. Nigel Buckendorf. The one who is always making out with Pyro Storm. I’d like my million dollars to be dispersed in rolls of quarters, and no, you don’t get to ask why.”
“Run!” Seth cried, grabbing Nick by the hand and shoving his way through the crowd. People tried to stop them, Nick ducking when hands reached for them. Someone grabbed the back of his hoodie and Nick thought it was going to tear, but the hand slipped as Nick stumbled. He looked back over his shoulder to see a few people chasing after them, the sweaty man and the woman with the dog leading the charge.
Seth ducked down an alley, grip tight on Nick’s hand. They jumped over a trash can on its side and burst out the other side of the alley as Nick pulled his hood up over his head. They pushed into the crowd, blending in as best they could. Nick could hear the woman screaming behind them when Seth shoved him into a darkened storefront, pressing the length of his body against Nick’s front. They were both panting as Nick held onto the straps of Seth’s backpack, holding him close. Footsteps slapped against the pavement, coming closer, closer, and Nick held his breath. Seth reached up and cupped the back of his neck, squeezing gently. Their pursuers rushed by them by without so much as a glance in their direction.
“You all right?” Seth asked.
“People are so stupid,” Nick mumbled.
Seth kissed him quickly, lips warm. “Yeah. They are. School is going to be a nightmare on Monday.”
Nick groaned. “I didn’t even think about that. I’m gonna get in trouble, and it’s not even my fault for once.”
“We’ll figure it out.” Seth leaned back out of the storefront, looking down the street. “I think they’re gone. Come on. We’re almost there.”
* * *
Ten minutes later, they stood in yet another alley in a neighborhood Nick wasn’t familiar with. Seth was stripping, and if they hadn’t just run for their lives, Nick would be enjoying it a hell of a lot more. He watched as Seth pulled his Pyro Storm suit out of his backpack, grimacing as he toed off his loafers, glasses askew on his face. “Keep an eye out, would you?”
Nick nodded, looking toward either end of the alley, making sure no one was watching. Just as Seth fitted his helmet over his head, lenses flashing as they came online, the air thickened around them, making it hard to breathe. It smelled of ozone, and Nick looked around wildly. Before he could warn Seth, a power line out on the street lit up with familiar, bright-blue electricity. It shot toward the alley, arcing like lightning. Nick jumped back at the sharp crack as Miss Conduct appeared in front of them, electricity crawling along her costume, her blue curls bouncing as she pulled herself up to her full height.
“Honeybunch,” she said in a stern voice. “If you weren’t an adorable little queer, I’d strangle the shit out of you. But family’s family, and we gotta watch out for each other.”
Nick nodded knowingly. “Gay rights.”
Miss Conduct scoffed. “And you—you’re a brave little thing, aren’t you? Figure things out yet?”
Nick sighed. “I jumped off a building and floated and then got scared and fell the rest of the way to the ground earlier today, but that’s about it. I’m a work in progress.”
“Aren’t we all,” Miss Conduct said. “Now. You tell Miss Conduct who she needs to kill, and I’ll do it.”
“Whoa,” Nick breathed. “That was intense.”
“I’m a drag queen who can turn into lightning. Everything I do is intense.”
Nick had no argument there, so he wisely kept his mouth shut. Miss Conduct turned to face Seth, who appeared to be arguing with his helmet. “No, we’re not. It wasn’t our fault! What do you mean it’s already on the news? It just happened! Who even—Rebecca Firestone?” He groaned. “Of course it was.” He looked up at Nick and Miss Conduct. “Jazz says Firestone is already interviewing the woman with the dog.”
“I hate her so damn much,” Nick muttered and looked up at Miss Conduct. “You said you’d kill people for me because I’m an adorable queer and we’re family, right? Can you start with her?”
“On it,” Miss Conduct said, electricity beginning to arc from her fingertips.
“No,” Seth said, stepping forward. “We don’t kill. Ever.”
“I never agreed to that,” Miss Conduct said. “Just because you have a righteous moral compass doesn’t mean the rest of us want one.”
“He’s right,” Nick said as he deflated. “We can’t kill her. Maybe we could only maim her or something instead.”
Seth shook his head. “No maiming.”
Miss Conduct rolled her eyes. “I’m not seriously going to murder anyone. Learn to have a little fun, yeah?” She shook her head. “Not that I don’t appreciate you reaching out, but what’s going on?”
“You saw the interview with Burke?” Seth asked.
Miss Conduct made a face. “That man. Nasty. Too bad he’s an asshole. Otherwise, I’d ride him like a bronco.”
Nick gaped at her.
She laughed at him. “What? It’s not like I’m actually going to. Trust me when I say been there, done that. I have too much respect for myself to ever go through a headache like that again.”
“I want to be you when I grow up,” Nick breathed. “Even if your taste in men is suspect.”
She patted his arm. “Not all of us like twinks. Two sticks banging together, that’s what you are. Give me a roughrider any day.”
Nick began to pull out his phone. “Oh man, you should see this video I found. It’s got an oil worker who—right,” he said quickly as Seth glared at him. “Not the time.”
Seth waited a beat, as if to make sure Nick wasn’t about to share porn with a drag queen before saying, “We need help. I don’t know if we can do this on our own.”
“Ah,” Miss Conduct said. “I see. You want us to work together.”
“Superhero team-up,” Nick whispered to no one in particular, which was good, seeing as how he was ignored.
“I want us to survive this,” Seth said. “Burke is much more dangerous than people think, and we have to do what we can to stop him.”
Miss Conduct snorted. “I sure as shit won’t end up on any list, you can bet on that.”
Nick looked back and forth between them before settling his gaze on Miss Conduct. “You won’t help
us?”
“I didn’t say that, twinkie,” Miss Conduct said sharply. “While I don’t like the idea of going up against someone like Burke, I refuse to live in fear forever. Life’s too short to worry about the simpleminded people who hate us for who we are. I went through that the first time I put on makeup. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let people make me feel bad because of who I am. Never again. And if they want to come for me—well, I think they’re in for the shock of their life.” She raised her hand, a little ball of electricity snapping and snarling before it disappeared as she closed her fist.
“Oh my god,” Nick whispered. “That was a catchphrase. Why didn’t you tell me you have multiple catchphrases?”
“Because I just met you the once,” Miss Conduct said.
Nick nodded, puffing out his chest. “I’m going to tell you mine, Miss Conduct. Ready? It’s gonna blow your mind.” He cleared his throat, hands on his hips. “It’s time to—”
“—take out the trash,” Miss Conduct said. “Yeah, I heard it the first time.”
“Oh,” Nick said. “Right. Well, I can see you’re impressed, so you’re welcome for—”
Another figure landed in the alley.
Nick stumbled back, raising his hands to ward off whoever was attacking them now. He waited a beat, but nothing struck him. He lowered his hands.
There, standing in the alley in front of them, was another Extraordinary.
They pulled themselves up to their full height, which was still shorter than Nick, though they looked much, much stronger, the muscles in their legs and arms shifting as they prowled back and forth. Their costume was completely black and bulky, made up of what appeared to be thick armor that covered their torso and legs. The front of their helmet was an opaque sheet of what looked like thick plastic, not unlike a futuristic motorcycle helmet. They turned their head side to side, looking at the three of them in the alley. Nick felt a chill run down his spine as their gaze settled on Nick. They took a step toward him, and though Nick couldn’t see their eyes, he knew they were looking directly at him.
“Nick,” Seth said. “This is TK.”