Riverside City Chronicles | Book 1 | Riverside City [Capes & Cowls]

by VanDerHeyden, Paul C.

  It’s Brigid again. “Nice landing Jin, were you trying to take out that batch of sun chairs?”

  “Cameras up here?” Jin asks ashamedly as he hangs his head.

  “Oh yeah, at least a dozen from different angles. By the way, you were close on the landing, but you need to cut thrust by 25% more about three seconds before you land. You’re tough enough to take a bit of an impact, so take advantage of it. You’re not some flier who’s as fragile as a bird.”

  Jin nods his head, after doing the calculations for his landing, he had forgotten that his flight wasn’t as hard line as a normal jet, he had the ability to cut the power whenever he felt like it.

  “Thanks for that, I’ll try it in private before I do it here again though,” he says as he steps up to the pole. He slides down it until he makes it to the 31st floor and then stops himself and uses his commlink to open up the hatch. He looks at the time and cringes.

  Crap, it’s been almost an hour since Mr. Anton told me about Kat, I hope he’s not mad.

  As Theo walks up to Mr. Anton’s table, he apologizes, “Sorry, I forgot how big this building was. How is she?” He looks over and sees Kat curled up between Mr. Anton and Dante.

  Dante? Why is he here? What does he know? Why is Kat here?

  Dante slides out of the booth, his face calm. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. Honestly, I’m hurt. I’m your best friend and you kept this from me. How could you not tell me Kat is Nightmare!” He slugs Theo in the shoulder hard enough that, a week ago, he would have been nursing a bruise for a while. “You sonofabitch!”

  Theo sighs.

  At least it’s not about my secret I guess.

  “Sorry, man, it wasn’t my secret to tell. She made me swear on my favorite stuffed animal, Mr. Meow, as a kid about her powers and then extended it to her Cape identity when she got one.”

  Dante nods. “I can respect that, but you’re going to have to explain one more thing to me.”

  “What thing?” Theo asks apprehensively.

  “YOU DIDN’T TELL ME YOU WERE JINLONG!” Dante yells in Theo’s face, loud enough that some other Capes decide it’s time for a bit more training and step out of the lounge.

  “I was going to…” Theo starts before Dante steps up and pokes him in the chest.

  “Going to tell me, my ass! You were going to keep this secret as long as possible. It made you feel important! Deny it!” Dante accentuates each accusation with another poke to the chest.

  “I was going to tell you, but after Friday night, I had my doubts about when. That’s the truth,” Theo says with fire in his voice and crimson eyes. He grabs Dante by the shoulders, “You did something so bad I almost didn’t want to meet up with you anymore. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt because of our history. If not for that, I would have taken your ass in myself instead of calling your dad. That’s the truth.”

  At this point Dante’s shirt is smoking where Theo is grabbing his shoulders. Dante’s eyes shine with tears of pain, “I just want to be the best Cape I can, but sometimes I go overboard, I’m working on it. Don’t write me off man, I need you guys!”

  Kat’s sleepy voice cuts through the tension like a knife, “I read his mind just now, he means everything he’s saying. If he’s serious, I’m all for giving him a second chance, but he only gets two, most people only get one.” She looks at Dante from the bench, “I’m giving you a second chance because you’re family, okay? Don’t waste it.”

  With that she stretches and pulls herself out of the booth and goes to stand beside Theo. “So, how was everyone’s training today?”

  Chapter 35: Joan and Jared

  Theo, Kat, and Dante take the transport pad back to the school, chatting all the while about their respective experiences.

  Kat slaps Theo on the arm. “You got a live Cowl takedown as your first training exercise? I’m so jealous!” She wraps her arm around the arm she just slapped, “My first training session this year was just more interrogation, yawn. You actually got to fight and Titan at that! He’s at least a Level 3 right?”

  Shaking his head. “JEN says that Titan is just a Level 4. He’s tough and strong, but his speed leaves a lot to be desired. Even non-powered agents could take him down as long as they stay on the move. Plus he’s a juicer, so his powers don’t come naturally to him like ours do.”

  Theo clenches his fists, fighting down a surge of flame that appeared in his hands momentarily. He laughs. “Okay, at least ours usually come naturally. Right?”

  Kat and Dante stare at Theo with disgust.

  “You’re telling me that just comes naturally to you? I thought you had been training in secret now that you don’t have to sleep.” Dante scowls. “I’ve been training three hours a night since I was nine to learn how to channel my inner flames, I stepped it up to four since last year. Also, when did the flame thing come up? I thought you just had earth based powers?”

  Kat nods. “Yeah, I’ve been working on my powers since I was three, I only got control of telekinesis in the last three years or so, though the mind reading was mostly instinct. Emotion reading took years before I could tone it down to hang out with strangers, that’s why I spent so much time hiding in my room as a kid. Also, I second Dante’s question. The fire is new, what gives?”

  She stares deeply into Theo’s hazel eyes accusingly.

  I love her eyes, they’re the color of open sky on a beautiful spring day.

  Theo sighs. “I can’t deny those eyes, they’re mesmerizing.”

  Dante gags jokingly, “Yeah, yeah, lover boy, spill.”

  He reaches out and opens the wall leading toward the “Independent Study” wing, each of their bodies being scanned before they are allowed to leave.

  “So, I may have been blasted into a volcano, it’s no big deal. I’m fine.” Theo takes his free hand and ruffles his hair nervously.

  Huh, what’s up with my hair? I’ll have to check that later.

  “Volcano!” Both Kat and Dante stare at him, their eyes wide and their mouths agape.

  Kat stares more deeply into Theo’s eyes, her blue eyes going violet. Her voice has a hypnotic quality to it. “Talk, or I’ll get the information directly.”

  Theo laughs. “I’ll bet you have a tougher time with that now than you did for your last birthday, you wrecked your own surprise party the day before your birthday! All because you couldn’t wait! Patience Nancy Drew. All will be revealed in good time.”

  “You know I hate it when you call me Nancy Drew,” Kat grumbles as she hides her head in the crook of Theo’s shoulder.

  Theo and Dante exchange a glance, it’s obvious to both of them that Kat's just worried and overreacted. Theo hugs Kat tighter and throws an arm around Dante’s shoulder, which is a bit awkward because of how much taller Dante is, but it’s the thought that counts.

  “So, I was battling Krakatoa, Level 3, no big deal, though on that island he would probably be a Level 2. He got a cheap shot in on me, after I put the smackdown on Titan, with his chest crystal energy beam and it knocked me into the volcano. I fell into the magma chamber, but the lava didn’t hurt me. I flew out and found Jolly had handled him and was fighting Ebony.” He pauses to take a big drink from his water bottle.

  “A Level 3, Level 4, and EBONY?!?! What are you, the world’s largest shit magnet?” Dante exclaims before Theo can finish.

  “I mean, I have only had my powers since Friday and I’ve already battled what? High-rise, Spitfire, Slapshot, Titan, and Krakatoa? Maybe I am a shit magnet, but boy is it helping me get used to having powers, I don’t even have to think to fly now. It just kind of happens,” Theo gives his friends a nervous smile.

  “YOU CAN FLY NOW?!?! What are you? An anime main character? You got more powers than most Supers ever dream of, all in less than a week.You’re the worst,” Kat stalks off, positively fuming.

  ‘Will you fly me around later?’ Kat sends, her tone is playful.

  ‘Of course. You are like a cat, you know that right?
Snippy one moment and sweet the next,’ Theo replies.

  ‘It’s part of my charm, also it’s one of the reasons I don’t get mad when people call me Kat. Plus, I was never mad, I was just doing that for Dante’s sake. He would have blown up if I hadn’t said something about it,’ Kat sends an image of her with her tongue sticking out alongside that last line.

  Theo pops a small pebble from the dirt on his fingertip and shoots it at the elevator button from 20 feet away, Dante smirks and Kat grins.

  “Oh, I forgot, I also caught Titan before he took out Jolly from behind, super speed is awesome, by the way.” Theo slaps his hand over his mouth.

  I should have just left it alone…

  “Super speed too. I hate you, you know that? I have two powers, and I’m not even allowed to use one until I turn 18. Yeah, that one I can use gives me flight and a few attacks, but you’re like a Swiss Army knife. No, like a Swiss Army greatsword—Need a cannon? Yeah, I’ve got one right next to my sniper rifle and bola launcher. Disgusting.” Dante slugs Theo in the arm this time and it looks like he remembers that Theo’s super durable now, because he hits him hard enough to break most arms. Not Theo’s though, it just smarts a bit.

  “Anyway, what do you guys want to get for dinner? I’m thinking Mediterranian, I want some good fish.” Theo pulls Kat and Dante back into his embrace.

  “That’s fine,” Kat replies, her tone ambivalent.

  “Whatever, I want whatever you’re eating, maybe it’s what’s amping up your powers so fast,” Dante grumbles.

  “Oh no, that was the full injection of Amp into my chest I got from Titan. Either I was going to have my second Awakening, or I was going to die. I almost did both,” Theo says with a joking tone. “Don’t spread that around please, if it weren’t you two, I would have just said it didn’t work on me for some reason. I can’t recommend it though, the pain was excruciating.”

  At this point the elevator doors open and they step into the elevator with two seniors, a couple known for their magical powers, the rumor is that they only have access to their magic when they're near each other, though they never separate long enough for anyone to check the theory. Theo, Kat, and Dante know better though.

  “How are you Joan? Jared?” Theo nods to each in turn.

  “Not bad,” the girl, Joan, replies, “class load isn’t too bad this year. I’m looking forward to graduation so I can go join the Mystic Force in New Orleans with this stud here.” She indicates her boyfriend to her left as the aforementioned “stud”.

  Joan is short, white, with lots of freckles. Her red hair, which she keeps in a back length braid, plays nicely off of her emerald green eyes. Her school uniform has the badge of someone on the “Save the Citizen” team for the school. She lived at RAINBOW until she was 12 when a nice couple adopted her. She still comes over for some holidays, so she's still close with Theo and Kat.

  “Similar, though my class load sucks because I slacked off in Freshman year. How many PE classes can one man take? I can only use independent study for one of the three they have me in. I’m dying by the end of the day,” Jared’s voice is deep, borderline uncomfortably so.

  Jared stands at least 3 heads taller than Joan, his tan skin displaying his Egyptian heritage. His black hair compliments his large black handlebar mustache. He holds Joan close, his “Save the Citizen” pin bumping against her head as Theo, Kat, and Dante get into the elevator.

  The rest of the night is spent eating dinner and playing board games with Joan and Jared, who summon the board games from some extra dimensional space with a few gestures. Dominion, Pandemic, and Settlers of Catan along with some game called seven Wonders take up all night. They eventually call it around 9:45, curfew being at 10.

  The friends wave as they get off the elevator on the sixth floor while Joan and Jared head up to the seventh.

  “I forgot how much I missed having her around RAINBOW,” Theo says with a small smile.

  Kat gives him a hug, “I know, she was great to bounce ideas off of. Her adoptive parents helped her with her powers though, she even met Jared as a fellow student of theirs. All’s well that ends well. At least she still hangs out with us sometimes.”

  “They’re vicious in games though, almost as bad as you two with the cheating. I’m not mad, I put it together when I learned about your other identity. It explains why I never used to hear you bitch him out, you were giving him shit where I wouldn’t hear it,” Dante says in an accusatory tone.

  Theo and Kat have been cheating at games as long as they can remember, though at school they usually refrain, to avoid getting caught.

  “I can honestly tell you that I’ve not cheated at a game tonight. At least not with my powers, I did palm a card or two, but Theo made me put them back.” Kat casts a glare at Dante. “I’m not going to risk getting in trouble here for unauthorized use of powers, I cleaned the tunnel once, never again. Some Freshman barfed after training too hard, I'll never be able to forget that smell. ”

  “Fair enough. All right, you two, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Dante walks away, throwing a peace sign over his shoulder.

  “See you tomorrow, kay?” Kat kisses Theo on the cheek and goes to walk away.

  “Not so fast,” Theo sweeps Kat into his arms and gives her a proper kiss, she melts into his chiseled physique. They kiss until JEN alerts them that it is 9:59 and they are not in their respective rooms. They part breathlessly.

  “That’s way better than my last idea, we should do that more,” Kat says after she recovers a bit. Her eyes are betraying her hunger for more of the same. “I’ve got to go now, I don’t have super speed like some people.” She laughs and looks at Theo pointedly.

  ‘Keep a channel open to me tonight, I can feel a dream coming on and I think you’ll find it interesting if you can come along,’ Theo sends after he gets back to his room.

  ‘It’s not Friday, why are you sleeping?’ Kat asks. ‘I was going to open up a Netflix party room and send you an invite so we could watch together.’

  ‘Trust me, this is going to be better than Netflix.’ Theo grins at the thought.

  ‘All right,’ Kat replies.

  It won’t be the first time I’ve done that, but he doesn’t need to know that. I wonder what’s special about this dream? He usually just dreams of being a Cape, flying around and saving the city. Now that he is one, I wonder what his dreams are like? I’ll have to investigate.

  Theo settles down into his room for the night. After showering and brushing his teeth he clambers into bed, being careful that he leaves nothing flammable nearby, just in case. After a few minutes of meditative breathing he settles into a deep sleep.

  Kat reaches out for the familiar mind of Theo. She finds him settling in to sleep, so she rides along just like usual, but tonight is nothing like the dreams she usually joins him for.

  Chapter 36: Cinder

  Theo wakes up in a training hall dressed in a white gi, not unlike every kung fu movie ever, the room is complete with the cloth-like white covering on the floor. The hall is around 100 meters in diameter in a perfect dome, though there are four paths leading out and away from the central chamber at ground level, another path leads straight out the top of the dome. A small woman with reddish golden skin sits in the center of the room on a large red cushion, about 30 feet away from him. When she sees that Theo noticed her, she floats up to her feet.

  “This one welcomes Theodore-gong. If it pleases Theodore-gong, Theodore-gong may call this one Cinder,” the reddish golden figure stands at about 4’6” tall with long black hair, she bows deeply from the waist.

  Theo groans at the mention of ‘Theodore-gong’ again.

  Time for plan A.

  “You are forbidden from calling me Theodore-gong as long as I am here, call me Theo,” he says with the full weight of his power behind his voice, which startles him.

  “Excellent, if it pleases Theo, may I dispense with the other niceties I am currently bound to? I will still be unable to harm you, if
you were worried about that,” Cinder says as she stretches her neck.

  “Of course, I’m here to learn, not lord about. Dispense with the niceties. Also, please stand back up,” Theo starts walking closer to Cinder, stopping about five feet from her.

  “Welcome to the Fire Temple, Theo, I’ve been expecting you for a long time,” Cinder preens, shining her golden nails with her opposite hand and a rag that came out of nowhere.

  “I’m glad to be here, so where do we get started? Blasting things with fire? Flying? Super speed running? I’m all ears,” Theo positively bounces on the balls of his feet.

  I wasted almost a day with Richter, I’m not going to make that mistake with Cinder. I’ll get everything I can out of my time here. It’s sad that Kat couldn’t join me here, but it was worth a shot.

  “I think a race is in order. One full loop of the temple should do,” she waves her hand and indicates the, now glowing, five paths out of the temple chamber. One up and one at each cardinal point.

  “Oh, I almost forgot,” she waves her hand again and the floor Theo was standing on disappears. Only the walls around the massive chamber and the cushion of Cinder are left.

  Theo instinctively catches himself and starts hovering. He looks down and sees the sixth exit from the temple.

  “Like I said, one full loop. I’ll give you one path free before I try and catch up. Rules are that you have to exit from each path five times, ending up here. It’s a bit complicated, but you’re smart, you’ll figure it out,” Cinder jokes and starts tying up her long black hair in a braid. “Well? Get going, I’m starting after I get done with this braid.”

  Theo takes off into the tunnel above him, he skims along the perfectly smooth walls until he has to go one of four directions, he decides to go left, like any good nerd does. If you always go left, you’ll always find your way out of somewhere. It may take a while, but eventually you’ll find the exit.