by Lucas Flint
“Electrica?” said Talon in surprise. “I thought you were dead.”
“Going to take more than that to kill … to kill me,” said Electrica, her voice somewhat breathless. She put her hands on her knees and shuddered. “Good riddance, I say.”
Electrica suddenly stumbled forward, but Talon jumped back to her feet and reached Electrica just in time to catch her before she could fall face first onto the floor. “Hold on. This isn’t the place to fall unconscious. We need to get you out of here before Mann sends anyone else down here to check on us.”
Electrica nodded, but she looked a little surprised nonetheless. “Not going to abandon me, kitten? Guess you’ve taken a liking to me, eh?”
Talon scowled. “The only reason I’m saving you is because you are my friend’s mom, so don’t push your luck.”
Electrica looked like she was going to say something else about that, but a sudden shout of triumph from Rime caused both Talon and Electrica to look over at Rime. He had somehow manage to form a thin sheet of ice between the secret door and the wall and he was expanding it, forcing the door open inch by inch while his family stood by watching him do it anxiously. It wasn’t long before he had forced the door open wide enough for all of them to enter, but as soon as the door was open entirely, Talon saw a disturbing sight: The corpse of Colombina was gone.
“Where did her body go?” said Martha, rubbing her hands together anxiously. “Wasn’t it left in there when the door closed the first time? It didn’t just get up and leave on its own, did it?”
“I d-don’t know,” said Rime. “B-But we h-have no choice but to go through here if we w-want to get out with our fr-freedom intact. I’ll l-lead the way. Come on.”
Rime entered the dark entrance, with Martha and Dana following closely behind. Talon, with Electrica leaning on her for support, also followed, despite her own reservations about it. The irrational part of Talon was worried that Colombina had somehow become a zombie and was waiting for them somewhere within the secret tunnel that would take them back to the city, but Talon ignored that thought. She needed to focus on getting out of here and also finding medical aid for Electrica. She would worry about what happened to Colombina’s body later, after she was safe and sound on Hero Island with everyone else.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Two days later …
Stinger sat in the hallway outside of Mecha Knight’s office, his arms hanging by his sides. He was tired, as it was pretty early in the morning, but he had received a message from Mecha Knight summoning him to his office as soon as possible. Stinger was also hungry, too; he had grabbed a banana on his way out of the House, but it had only sated his hunger for a little while and now he was hungrier than ever. Bolt had told him that they would save some of the bacon and eggs for him when he got back, but Stinger wished that he could have eaten before he left. But Mecha Knight’s message had seemed urgent and he didn’t want to delay, especially since he had the feeling that Mecha Knight had something important to tell him, though what, he didn’t know.
He probably wants me to give him an update on Rime, Stinger thought. He did have me spy on him, after all, to make sure that he wasn’t tricking us.
Thinking of Rime, Stinger could not help but also think about the events of the last two days. After he and Bolt escaped Mann’s guards, the two of them had returned to the cafe where Bolt and Rime had been before Stinger had received a message from Talon telling him that she, Rime, and Electrica were inside a building on the next block. When Bolt and Stinger arrived, they discovered that Electrica had a bloody, wounded back, while both Talon and Rime looked like they had been in the fight of their lives. There had also been two women with them that Stinger did not recognize, but Rime had introduced them as his wife and daughter and, unlike the others, they appeared to be okay, albeit shaken and clearly frightened by whatever had happened back in the Mann Building.
But instead of explaining to them what had happened, Talon had said they needed to get Electrica to a doctor right away. Even now, two days later, Stinger still remembered how his mom’s bloody back had shone in the weak lights of the abandoned building in which she lay. She had looked almost dead, but she had been conscious enough to tell them to teleport back to the Electric Cave, as she didn’t want to see a normal doctor who might tell the police about her. Bolt almost objected, as he thought this would be a good moment to arrest her, but then Talon explained that Miami was not safe for them right now and that the Electric Cave was probably the safest place in Florida at the moment due to the fact that Mann did not know where it was.
When they returned to the Electric Cave, Bait and Switch quickly took Electrica over to a corner of the Cave that was apparently the Cave’s medical station. Even stranger, Bait and Switch proved themselves excellent surgeons; at least, Switch did, which she claimed was because Electrica had taught her and Bait how to perform various medical procedures for just these occasions when Electrica was badly wounded. Bait, on the other hand, merely stayed out of her way and listened to Talon’s story about what happened inside the Mann Building.
It was one of the wildest stories Stinger had ever heard, yet Rime and his family confirmed nearly every detail, so neither Stinger nor Bolt had any reason to disagree with it or to be skeptical. Not that Talon was a liar or anything, but the story of some kind of weird temple-like room underneath a modern twenty-first century skyscraper stretched credibility, especially when Talon mentioned the tentacle-faced monster which emerged from a portal leading to what might have been an alternate universe. Talon only hesitated once, toward the end of the tale, as if she was not sure whether to share certain information with Bolt and Stinger or not, but Stinger just assumed that that was due to her nerves, since Talon had seemed really shaken by the experience.
About the only good part of the story was hearing that one of the Venetians was dead. Well, that was what Talon said, but she sounded uncertain, which Rime explained by telling them that Colombina’s body was missing. Whether that meant that Colombina wasn’t really dead or that someone had taken her body, neither Talon nor Rime seemed to know. It just added another layer of strangeness to their story, but again, it seemed to be true so Stinger did not question it.
Then Stinger shared his story about his fight with Bauta. In comparison to what Talon went through, Stinger’s fight with Bauta didn’t seem nearly as interesting or mysterious. Nor did it seem nearly as triumphant as Talon’s; while there was always the possibility that Colombina was indeed dead, Bauta was obviously still alive and would undoubtedly try to get back at them at some point in the future.
After Stinger’s story, Bolt decided that it was time for them to go back to Hero Island. Bolt reasoned that the Leadership Council needed to know about what Talon and Stinger had seen, as well as tell them about the two new Venetians they fought. In particular, Bolt seemed to find the story of the strange temple-like chamber underneath the Mann Building to be especially important, although whether that was because Bolt knew something they didn’t, Stinger didn’t know.
As for Rime and his family, they also came with Stinger and the others to Hero Island, mostly because their house was still wrecked and was an unsafe place for them to be, given how the Venetians knew where it was. As a matter of fact, Rime and his family were still here, staying in the guest’s quarters in the Tower of Heroes, although Stinger had heard that Rime was making arrangements to leave the Island, though where he and his family would go that would keep them safe from the wrath of John Mann and the Venetians, Stinger had no idea.
In any case, Stinger was aware that Bolt and Talon had both spoken to the Leadership Council about the events that happened two days ago. Stinger had yet to be summoned before them, but that was probably because his side of the story wasn’t nearly as interesting as what Talon had experienced. He wondered if that was why Mecha Knight wanted to talk to him; he may not have had any information that the Council needed to know, but maybe he had information that Mecha Knight wanted to know.
A small ding on his watch caused Stinger to look down at it and see a message from Mecha Knight summoning him into the office. Rising from the chair in the hall, Stinger opened the office door and entered.
He wasn’t surprised to see Mecha Knight seated behind his desk, sitting as still and stiffly as ever, but he was surprised to see Black Blur also sitting there, albeit on the other side of the desk. Black Blur turned his head to look at Stinger; he didn’t look exactly pleased to see Stinger, which made Stinger wonder if he had gotten into trouble.
“There you are, Stinger,” said Mecha Knight. “Please sit down in the open chair so we can talk.”
“Uh, yes, sir,” said Stinger. He walked over to the chair and sat down in it. He didn’t look at Black Blur, but he could feel the speedster staring at him. “Um—”
“My apologies,” said Mecha Knight. He gestured at Black Blur. “Black Blur will be joining us this morning for our little talk. The Leadership Council has deemed your knowledge of the situation at the Mann Building to be less urgent to know than Bolt and Talon’s, but we still wish to know it. Therefore, Black Blur will be acting as the Council’s representative for this conversation, while I am acting as the Young Neos’ supervisor. Basic NHA formalities, you understand.”
Stinger nodded. He relaxed a little upon hearing that explanation, because he now knew that it had nothing to do with him getting into trouble, but he still didn’t exactly feel comfortable about Black Blur. It was probably due to Black Blur’s negative opinion of Bolt, which Stinger sometimes thought extended to the rest of the Young Neos as well.
“All right, then,” said Stinger. “What do you want to know?”
“First, we need an update on Rime,” said Mecha Knight. “While it is now abundantly clear that he is not a spy and that the kidnapping of his family was genuine, I still wish to know if you noticed anything suspicious or out of the ordinary with him during your time with him.”
Stinger shook his head. “No, nothing. He’s just a man who loves his family and wants what’s best for them. I heard he is thinking of leaving Hero Island sometime, but he didn’t say when.”
“According to my sources, Rime is thinking of moving his family to Russia,” said Mecha Knight. “He appears to think that the Venetians won’t be able to find him there. I don’t know why he thinks that, though he did mention something about having friends there who would be willing to protect him and his family.”
“Russia is awfully far away,” said Stinger. “But I guess it makes sense. I doubt the Venetians would be willing to chase him all the way there, though I guess you never know with them, huh?”
“Indeed,” said Mecha Knight. “We have offered to help Rime with the relocation efforts, so he and his family should have no trouble moving out once they find a place in Russia in which to stay. I imagined that one of the reasons he chose Russia was because of its cold environment, which would no doubt help his powers.”
“That sounds good,” said Stinger. “Is that all you wanted to discuss? Or is there more?”
“There’s more,” said Mecha Knight. He glanced at Black Blur—which Stinger didn’t take as a good sign—and then said to Stinger, “We would like to discuss your mother, Electrica, and her children. Or your half-siblings, as you might think of them, Bait and Switch.”
“More like criminals in training,” said Black Blur in a disgusted voice.
Stinger didn’t look at Black Blur. Instead, he kept his eyes on Mecha Knight and said, “Uh, am I in trouble? Because if so—”
“No, you’re not in trouble,” said Mecha Knight, shaking his head. “Bolt and Talon both explained why it was necessary for you to team up with her. And based on what Talon told us, it was thanks to Electrica’s efforts that Colombina and that monster did not kill all of you. Thus, we will not hold you accountable for working with her to save Rime’s family, even though working with supervillains is usually against the rules.”
Stinger sighed in relief. “Whew. I thought I might get kicked off the Young Neos or something like that.”
“However, we are still searching for your mother and half-siblings,” Mecha Knight continued. “However helpful they may have been in saving Rime’s family, they are still supervillains wanted for crimes.”
“We forced Bolt to give us the coordinates of their base,” said Black Blur, causing Stinger to look at him for the first time since sitting down. He scowled. “Unfortunately, when we sent a team to the Cave, we found that it was empty.”
“Empty?” said Stinger in surprise. “You mean Electrica and her kids weren’t there?”
“By ‘empty,’ I mean that the entire Cave was cleaned out,” said Black Blur. “We found none of the computers, medical equipment, or other things that Bolt and Talon described to us. We thought that Bolt might have given us the wrong coordinates at first, but when we checked them again we realized they were right.”
“Meaning that your mother and half-siblings are still out there somewhere,” said Mecha Knight. He shrugged. “I can’t say that I am very surprised, given how Electrica has eluded capture from the NHA, INJ, and G-Men for over a decade, but it’s still not a good thing.”
“How did she clean out an entire cave in less than two days?” said Stinger. “It was a pretty big cave with lots of stuff.”
“We have no idea, but it doesn’t matter,” said Black Blur. “We want to know if you have been in contact with Electrica or Bait and Switch since you returned to Hero Island two days ago. Have you heard from any of them at all?”
Stinger shook his head rapidly. “No. I haven’t heard from them at all. I have even less idea of where they are than you guys do. Just because Electrica is my mom doesn’t mean I always know what she’s doing or where she is.”
“That’s not terribly surprising,” said Mecha Knight. “A bit disappointing, however, as we had been hoping that you might have a clue about where they went. Still, thank you for letting us know. And if you do hear from her, please let us know immediately.”
“Of course,” said Stinger. “Is that all?”
“For now, yes,” said Mecha Knight. “You may return to the House now. You look hungry and I don’t want to keep you from getting your breakfast.”
“All right,” said Stinger, feeling relieved that this meeting was so short. “See you guys later, then.”
Stinger rose from his chair, but before he could leave, Black Blur held up a hand and said, “Stinger? I need to tell you something before you leave.”
An ominous feeling washed over Stinger when he heard Black Blur say that, but he managed to look at Black Blur and say, “Yes, sir? What is it?”
Black Blur leaned toward Stinger, his brown eyes staring straight into Stinger’s own green eyes. “We are letting you off the hook for working with a known supervillain due to the fact that you are not the team leader. Bolt, on the other hand, is.”
Stinger scratched the back of his head nervously. “What does that mean? Are you going to punish Bolt?”
“No,” said Mecha Knight.
“Perhaps,” said Black Blur at the same time as Mecha Knight.
The two superheroes looked at each other. Based on their expressions, it was pretty clear that this was the end point of a much deeper conversation or conflict between them, one that Stinger didn’t know much about and wasn’t sure that he wanted to know about anyway.
“The matter is … complicated,” said Black Blur, looking at Stinger again. “All you need to know is that, if you end up succeeding Bolt as l
eader of the Young Neos, that we don’t want you making the same decisions as him. Don’t mention this to Bolt, though. It’s not for him to know.”
Unsure of what to say, Stinger just nodded. “Um, okay. Can I leave now or—”
“You may leave,” said Mecha Knight. “Black Blur and I still have much to discuss, but you don’t need to stand around and hear it. Go get breakfast.”
Again feeling relieved, Stinger turned and walked out of the room. Closing the door behind him, Stinger made his way down the hall, hoping that White hadn’t eaten all of the bacon yet, but his thoughts weren’t entirely on food. He also thought about what Black Blur said to him about Bolt. He didn’t know what to make of it. He supposed that he shouldn’t have been surprised that Bolt was going to be held accountable for working with a supervillain, but he didn’t know what that meant or what would happen to Bolt. He hoped that it wouldn’t jeopardize Bolt’s admission into the Neohero Alliance, although he had a feeling that it would. Stinger would feel awful if it turned out that that was the case.
I shouldn’t worry about it, Stinger thought, shaking his head. What happens happens and all we can do is just wait and see. I’m sure Mecha Knight will look out for Bolt regardless of what Black Blur has planned for him.
Even so, Stinger couldn’t shake the feeling that this was going to have deeper ramifications than it first appeared, although he couldn’t explain why he felt that way.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Talon stepped out of the elevator into Mom’s office. She immediately noticed a large difference in the office from the last time she had been in it only a few days ago.
It was incredibly clean. The piles of clothing were gone, leaving open spaces on the floor and desks. The mannequins were dressed in matching styles that actually looked good, while the papers and designs for future clothes were no longer on the floor, leaving the floor uncovered. The donuts and cups of coffee were gone as well, along with their old odor, replaced by a lilac scent that was more appropriate for the office of the CEO of a major fashion corporation. Indeed, it was all so clean that Talon almost thought that she was not in Mom’s office at all, which made her wonder if she had just walked back in time to before Mom got overwhelmed by the stress of managing such a large company.