Cape High Villainy_A Side Story

by R. J. Ross

  “Maximum is a bad guy,” the little boy’s voice says, clearly pouting.

  “Max only PLAYS a bad guy,” Nico corrects him, “remember?”

  “Yeeeeees,” the little boy’s voice says. “Is my new body done?”

  “Is that… so you’ve actually accomplished it?” Pan says, stunned. “You always said you would, even back in college—”

  “An actual artificial intelligence,” Nico says. “Zoe’s been helping me, recently. It would have taken a lot longer without her. I still wasn’t sure how well it would work until today.”

  “You should have never left him alone, Dad,” Zoe says, completely ignoring the compliment. “You know he’s curious!”

  “I know, I know,” Nico says.

  “So… that child speaking… and this robot—” Pan says, looking from the screen to the robot being built.

  “Mmm, yeah,” Nico says. “He’s a bit like Pinocchio, I guess.”

  “And you plan on raising him?”

  “He’s a computer system,” Nico says. “It isn’t—”

  “I will take him,” Pan says.

  “PAPA!” Cubby bellows. They turn as the boy races into the room, heading straight for Pan. “Nico is bad! He killed Robot!”

  “CUBBY!” Robot says.

  “Robot?” Cubby says, looking around in confusion.

  “Hi, Cubby!” Robot says. “I’m getting a new body! And a new cape!”

  “No capes!” Nico says, automatically. “And you ripped the school flag.”

  “It’s my cape!”

  “It’s not a cape, it’s a flag.”

  “It is TOO my cape!”

  “Prototype nine!” Zoe scolds. “Now is not the time to be arguing, you’re in time out. Besides, if you want a cape, you need to ask, not steal.”

  “Yeees, Zo-wee,” the robot says in a sing-song tone.

  “I will raise him,” Pan says. Both technopaths look at him. “My home is in your system, and you can check on him any time you wish.”

  Zoe and Nico look at each other. “He’ll need a new body in a year,” Zoe says. “He’s going to want to grow along with Cubby, and we’re still working on the growing metal idea.”

  “I’ll bring him back for that,” Pan says.

  “Don’t you think you should ask Mama, first?” Adanna asks from the doorway.

  “Ah, yes, of course,” Pan says, looking flustered. “I’ll just be right back.” He pulls out his phone and heads out to the hall to call his wife.

  “Robot can come home with us?” Cubby asks his sister.

  “Um, well,” Adanna says, looking at the robot body. “If he doesn’t, I’m sure you can come here and play with him, okay?”

  “I wanna take him home!”

  Adanna sighs and looks at the screen where cartoons are now playing. “That’s him?” she asks Zoe.

  “That’s him,” Zoe says. “He’s a very good AI… he just got a little excited.” She sighs. “I’m working on his programming right now. I told Dad he should have made that one a girl…”

  “You’re changing his personality?” Adanna asks.

  “Just a bit, I think he should be more serious,” Zoe says. “With great power comes great responsibility. If we make him more mature—”

  “But then he wouldn’t be Cubby’s friend—he’d be someone else,” Adanna says. “Can he learn from what happened?”

  “It’s the theory, yes, and so far he’s been doing fine, but—”

  “You can’t just go in and change someone’s personality because it’s easier to deal with, Zoe,” Adanna says, tugging Cubby closer. “I think we should raise him, as well.” She hadn’t at first. One little brother is annoying, two would be twice the handful, but—

  “We have permission to take him home,” Pan says, stepping into the room.

  “And you will let us check in on him whenever we need to?” Nico asks. Zoe looks like she wants to protest, but stops when he looks at her and shakes his head slightly.

  “Of course,” Pan says.

  “And when we open up the elementary part of the school, you’ll enroll both of them.” It wasn’t phrased as a question.

  “Certainly,” Pan says. “I’m glad to hear that it’s in the works. I’ve wanted to enroll Cubby since you began the school.”

  “Cubby’s almost old enough, now,” Nico says. “He wasn’t when he was three.”

  “We will agree to disagree on that,” Pan says. “Now, will you, or will you not allow my family to raise this child?”

  “This AI,” Nico corrects him, “and sure, if you want. His body will run off of your power, but that shouldn’t be a problem. He’ll need to check in on a daily basis, where Zoe or I will check his programming. Prototype nine, you will only interact with the internet with supervision, got it?”

  “But—”

  “No buts,” Nico says, waving a hand. The lit-up wall panel dulls and the robot’s eyes light up. “Be good, listen to your parents, and don’t wear capes. Capes are dangerous.”

  “But I LIKE capes!”

  “No capes,” Nico repeats.

  “Unless you’re playing dress up,” Pan says, shooting a look at Nico.

  “So—so he’s coming with us?” Cubby asks.

  “He’s coming with us,” Pan agrees. “We’ll have to give him a proper name, though. Prototype nine is unacceptable.”

  The robot jumps down from the table he’d been standing on and rushes forward, throwing his arms around Cubby excitedly. “My best friend!” he proclaims happily.

  “Robot!” Cubby says, just as happily.

  “Is there anything else we need to know?” Pan asks, looking at them.

  “I’ll, um, send his learning programs to your home system,” Zoe says, looking at her father.

  “Then that should be all,” Nico says, walking over and placing a hand on Cubby’s back, another on the robot’s. “You two be good to each other.”

  “Yeah!” the boys say. “Let’s go home! I show you cats!” Cubby says to the robot, tugging on his hand. The two boys race out the door, leaving Adanna and Pan no choice but to follow.

  For a long few minutes the room is completely silent. Then a message floats on the air in front of Nico, sent by his daughter. ‘You planned that, didn’t you? You’ve wanted to put the most advanced one in an outside environment for a while, now.’

  “Why ever would you think that?” Nico asks, only to laugh. “Now, what should we do with the other eight?”

  THE CAPE CELL INMATES

  The Cape Cell inmates were the villains of our last arc. A lot of them have been stripped of their powers because of their actions during the cell break, but they’re still being held prisoner by the Hall (even if they’re old, now.) It was suggested, during the arc, that the Hall didn’t put in nearly enough effort to rehabilitate them. After thinking about it, it has been decided that Technico will have a part of the rehabilitation, since one, he knows them all very well, and two, he volunteered. Mastermental is still wondering what he’s up to, thanks to that.

  Cell Class

  The day before the first class starts, a letter pops up on everyone’s wall screens. Each is given a choice, whether they want to join Technico for a group class, or stay in their rooms. Every single one of them hits the “yes” button. Although things have changed in the Cape Cells, including the ability to go to the gym on a regular basis, they are still bored enough to see what Technico has planned (and probably complain about it.)

  *Now*

  Nico is sitting on a large desk at the front of the room as they’re led in by the guards. “Hello, boys and girls,” he says dryly. “I’ll be here in person for this first day, but more often you’ll see me here, on this screen.” He waves a hand and a screen lights up behind him. “Another cape will be here to oversee you when I’m not. Don’t get any big ideas, Mimic, they’ll all be guarded against your abilities. Now, it’s been brought to our attention that the Cape Cell system hasn’t focused on reforming yo
u. They want to change that, so I’m here to start working with you, trying to help you out as much as possible.”

  “NOTHING CAN HELP ME OUT WHEN YOU’RE LETTING THE PLANET DIE!” Atlanti bellows dramatically.

  “And that’s why for our first class—wait, first, gentlemen you can leave, please,” Nico says to the guards.

  “But—“

  “No, Mastermental says to watch them through the one-way mirror,” Harry says. The group heads out and the door snaps closed behind them. The light in the room pulsates twice before all of the chains fall off the prisoners.

  “Wha—“ Deathblow says, looking up for the first time. Ever since getting his powers stripped, he’s been silent. It’s actually a bit of a surprise he had accepted the invitation, in the first place.

  “Today we’re going to focus on Atlanti’s major problem, in a way that’s not going to get anyone killed,” Nico says, waving a hand. Plastic and metal pieces float through the air, landing on the tables in front of them. “Take a seat—for those of you that still have powers, well, you’ve probably noticed you don’t, at the moment. You never will during this class. I will, though, so don’t get any big ideas about rushing me. It wouldn’t be smart.”

  Slowly, reluctantly, they each find a spot far away from each other—or as far away as possible. “What are you talking about, Technico?” Mimic asks. “What are we making today?”

  “I’m not good with machines,” Massteria mutters.

  “The directions are on your table, and correspond to each of the pieces. When you pick one part up, the attachable part’s outline will glow. We are making small, portable ocean cleaners today.”

  “Ocean cleaners?” Atlanti asks, looking stunned.

  “Out of recycled plastic and metal, specially coated to keep them from contaminating the water,” Nico replies. “We’ll be building these once a month and I’ll have them delivered to the Halls with access to water. I’ll probably come up with other designs for this sort of thing—my fiancée and kids are pretty big environmentalists, as well.”

  “So… so… this will clean up oil spills?”

  “And plastic, and any other toxins that shouldn’t be there,” Nico agrees.

  “So we’re all supposed to be doing this? You might not have noticed, but not everyone here is a tree hugger,” Deathblow says.

  “For you others,” Nico says, “well, for all of you, we’re going to set up a two-part system. Each of you will get a pet. If the pet is kept safe, happy, and clean, we’ll let you take turns deciding what sort of class you want to have—within reason. Cheesy splatter films are… negotiable, depending on rating. Video games are very likely. Basically, if you have an idea, or a cause, we’ll do something for it. Even if your cause is something silly, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone, we’ll do something for it. Of course, if you want everyone else to go along with your idea, you should probably go along with theirs.”

  “Can I have a fish?” Atlanti asks.

  “We’re getting a tank set up in your cell as we speak,” Nico says. “I don’t expect you to fall in love with your pets, but I do expect you to do your best. Also, America’s Son will be coming to speak with you, one on one, on a regular basis.”

  “So… if I want to force all of these jerks to learn ballroom dancing?” Massteria asks, looking over at Deathblow.

  “We’ll provide the dancing shoes,” Nico agrees.

  “And if I want to drive a monster truck over Massteria’s head?” Deathblow asks.

  “We’ll get some virtual reality systems up and ready,” Nico says. “But DB, you’re the one we’re going to watch the most closely with your pet.”

  “Where’s the wolf boy?” Mimic asks, looking around.

  “Badmoon is going through a different system,” Nico says. “We’ll bring him in once we’re certain you won’t do anything to him.”

  “Do anything to him?” Atlanti asks. “How could we do something to him?”

  “I’ll explain it as you work,” Nico says with a hard-to-read expression.

  “I still have my powers,” Massteria whispers towards Deathblow. “You don’t.”

  “Shut it,” Deathblow says.

  “If I ever get you alone, I’m going to make you scream like a little girl.”

  “Shut it!”

  “Well, there goes Massteria’s first class choice,” Nico says. A calendar comes up on the screen and it blinks, the day with Massteria written on it going blank.

  “That’s not fair!” Massteria says.

  “Is it?” Nico says. “Do you really think I’m going to allow you to get into that sort of thing?”

  “Do you really think that treating them like children will work?” Herold asks from the table in the back. He has his ocean cleaner already put together. “Can I finish his?” he asks, pointing at Kunnins, who’s just staring at the parts.

  “I’m treating them how they’re acting,” Nico says. “Besides, he’s lying. Massteria doesn’t have his powers anymore.”

  “Will we ever get them back?” Deathblow asks.

  “You? No. You’re a serial killer, DB. In some states you’d have gotten the chair by now. But it seems like, for most of you, that your genetics are extremely good, as well. I didn’t expect that. When we stripped Mimic of his powers—“

  “I still have my powers!” Mimic protests.

  “Not the you from now, the one from the future,” Nico says, “he died pretty fast. How old ARE you, Mimic?”

  “I can’t remember,” Mimic admits.

  “Figures.”

  “This is more like an old folk’s home than a prison, anymore,” Atlanti mutters, looking around with a scowl. “Work faster, you old billygoats! We might get to make more of these wonderful machines!”

  “I would, but Herold stole my pieces,” Kunnins mutters, glaring at his ex-friend. “It’s bad enough that I’m surrounded by supers, now I’m getting my things stolen by them—“

  “Kunnins, we CAN send you to a normal prison,” Nico says, “all we’d have to do is let them know you’re still alive and what you’ve done.”

  Kunnins glares at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “How’s the boy, Technico? Have you killed him, yet?”

  “We’ve been working with him,” Nico says. “He actually spoke to one of my colleagues the other day.”

  “Re—really?” Kunnins asks, shocked out of his grump.

  “He’s grown attached to the real Jersey Devil. The one that Herold stuck in a suspended animation pod,” Nico says.

  “Here, you can do mine,” Deathblow says, waving to Herold. His ocean cleaner is completely untouched. Herold gets up and walks over to take the pieces.

  “I’ve finished!” Atlanti says proudly. “Give me another to make!”

  Pieces drop onto her table, as well as Kunnin’s, and everyone falls silent for a bit, either working, or thinking about what they want to do for their day.

  ***

  “Can you believe how well this is working?” Harry asks the guard standing next to him. They’re watching the class through the one-way mirror, stunned. “I heard he started doing something similar with Star Born, over at the Hall.”

  “It’s because he’s Technico,” the other guard says, shaking his head. “He turned a room full of some of the most dangerous people in history into a high school class. I had to bribe a lot of people to be part of the guard for this, you know.”

  “Trust me, I know.”

  “But will it work?” another guard asks.

  “We can only hope.”

  “Sir, the pets have all been delivered, along with their supplies,” a robot informs Harry.

  “Good,” Harry says. “I hope this works. If they wind up killing little puppies and kitties, we’ll have PETA after our throats. What did he give Deathblow, anyway?”

  “A canary,” the robot says.

  “Technico always did have an ironic streak.”

  ***

  After the class is over, everyone
heads back to their rooms. Herold drops down in his comfortable chair, closing his eyes as he leans back, only to open them again as a bit of weight presses against his shin. He looks down, seeing a small cat rubbing against him. A little smile pulls at his lips as he scoops the cat up. It widens as he sees a suspicious glow to the cat’s emerald green eyes. “I can’t believe it,” he says in wonder.

  And then a bell dings and his screen lights up with his mother’s face.

  It’d been a very good day, until now.

  ***

  “Hey, what did everyone get?” Massteria asks over the chat program on his screen. They’d known it was there, but this is the first time someone’s used it. “I got a corn snake.”

  “An anaconda,” Mimic says. “This cage is massive, but he’s beautiful. Just look at those glowing yellow eyes.”

  “Hey, anyone want to trade me? I hate birds,” Deathblow says.

  “I’ll feed it to my snake, if you want,” Mimic offers.

  “That’d blow my video game day, so no,” Deathblow mutters. “What about you, fish girl? Anything that’d taste good fried?”

  “I’m too happy right now to try and kill you for that comment, Deathblow,” Atlanti says. “They gave me an octopus.”

  ***

  *Somewhere in Texas*

  “Skye! Doris! Ariel! Anyone here?” Nico says as he appears in their front room. Under his arm is something that looks suspiciously like a chupacabra. “I brought a gift for you.”

  The girls come from their various rooms, dressed in pajamas and yawning loudly. “We had a late night, Nico,” Doris says. “Can we make this quick?”

  “What’s that?” Ariel asks.

  “A pet, just for you,” he says, putting it down. “Right now his name is Prototype Eight. You can feed him, if you want. I set it up so he could process it, but for the most part he’ll run off of your energy.”

  “It’s a chupacabby!” Ariel says, squealing excitedly. “Skye, he got us a chupacabby!” Skye and Ariel start jumping up and down excitedly, while Doris just stares at Nico.