“I’ll run,” Blake said. “I’m probably faster than a car these days.”
“It’s about one-hundred and eighty miles from here to Portsmouth,” Victor said, turning to Dr. Madison. “How fast did he run?”
“Two-minute miles.” She punched numbers into the calculator on her desk. “Unless you can go faster, it will take you almost six hours to run home, I hope you’re up for that.”
“Nope,” Blake said. “I’ll take the car, but, I can spare an hour to talk.”
“Great,” Victor said, smiling. “Let’s go, it’s time I told you everything. I want you to understand what’s at stake.”
2-18 | Shifting Priorities
Quinn
DO I TELL THEM? CAN I trust them with my secret? Do I want to put them in that kind of danger? I’ve read enough comics to know how this goes—the more people who know a superhero’s identity, the more they become involved and their lives become unnecessarily complicated and dangerous.
“Earth to Quinn, come back,” Ravone said, snapping her fingers.
“Oh, sorry, I’m just distracted today.”
“Worried about Blake? It’s okay, I am, too.”
“Yeah, we haven’t talked since Thursday night and it’s like he’s off-the-grid,” Quinn lied, making up an excuse for Blake’s absence.
“It would have been nice to see him at Homecoming,” she commented, sighing.
“He wouldn’t have asked you, Ravone. Sorry,” Quinn said softly.
“A girl can dream, right? That’s not going to stop me from trying.”
Oh boy. This isn't going to end well. Quinn smiled. “Of course.”
“Hey, you two,” Loren said, walking to their spot. “It’s getting too cold in the mornings; we have to find a spot in the cafeteria to meet up.”
In the distance, Quinn spotted Keegan stepping out of his dad’s car. He smiled as his heart became filled with warm fuzzies.
“Hopefully our usual table is free,” Ravone commented. “At this point, we might have to take what’s left.
“Maybe we should go scope out the situation in a few minutes to see what’s available,” Loren suggested.
“Good idea.”
Tracing Quinn’s gaze to Keegan, Ravone smirked. “Your man didn’t ride his longboard today?”
Quinn shrugged. “Apparently not.”
Appearing behind Keegan, Darien, Kyle, and Tony trudged to school, but they didn’t appear threatening. A moment later, Quinn winced at the sensation of Blake’s proximity.
Finally.
“There he is,” Ravone said, crossing her legs and resting her elbow on her knee and her head on her hand. She longingly gazed at Blake as he pedaled to the bike stand to lock up his bike. “Gosh, he’s so handsome.”
Quinn ignored her as Keegan approached, a wide grin on his face as he and Keegan stared into each other’s eyes. Quinn couldn’t hold back a broad smile as Keegan stepped in front of him.
“Good morning, handsome,” Keegan said.
Oh, he’s going to kiss me.
Keegan bent down and placed a small kiss on Quinn’s lip, then stood upright. Quinn noted the beaming smiles on Ravone and Loren’s faces.
“Hey, faggots, I brought you coffee,” Darien yelled. Then, he wound his arm back and threw his paper coffee cup at Quinn and Keegan. Ravone and Loren screamed and covered their faces.
I’ve got this. Quinn stood, focused on the flying cup, and reached out for it. He caught it and spun around, carefully redirecting the cup’s inertia around him, so it didn’t explode and make a mess when it hit his hand.
“Thanks, Darien, it’s my favorite flavor,” Quinn called out, smiling and triumphantly holding the coffee cup.
“What the hell, Darien?” Keegan exclaimed, stunned. Darien look at him, dumbfounded. Then, he turned to Quinn and asked, “How did you do that?”
“Talent or athleticism, take your pick.” Quinn quipped.
Blake stormed toward Darien, who fumbled an apology when he saw the rage in Blake’s eyes.
“Why are you always such a dick to him?” Blake roared, dropping his backpack on the ground and pulling up the sleeves of his jacket.
“Blake, stop!” Quinn called out. “Look, I’m okay, there’s no mess. We’re good.” The last thing we need is a super-powered beat down before school.
Blake stopped short as Darien raised his fists in defense. Kyle and Tony raised their fists but backed away. They seemed too stunned and not awake enough to muster the courage to fight an angry Blake.
Blake reached out and grabbed Darien by the front of his letterman jacket, moving a little faster than he should have in public. “You pull another stunt like that and I will make you suffer, do you hear me, Darien?”
“Fuck off, Blake,” Darien screamed, trying to wrestle free from Blake’s strong grasp.
“Leave him alone!” Blake snarled, pushing Darien backward, knocking him to the ground. Then he said to Kyle and Tony, “Get him out of here.”
Students gawked, but no teacher saw what happened.
Quinn ran over to Blake. “You need to stop, buddy. Thanks for defending my honor, but please stop right now.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Blake snapped, glaring at him for a moment. Then, he turned and walked back to his backpack.
Quinn followed him and lowered his voice. “Everyone’s staring at you. Stop before something happens.”
“What are you all looking at?” Blake yelled, spreading his arms out, palms up, while looking around at his curious schoolmates. They looked away and continued about their business.
“We need to talk,” Blake said, picking up his backpack. “I’ll meet you in the library at our usual table during our free period.”
“Um, okay,” Quinn said, pleasantly surprised at Blake’s invitation to talk. “I’m all for that. I miss you.”
“Yup,” Blake said, turning away from Quinn and walking into the school building.
Quinn shook his head and walked back to his friends.
“What the hell was that all about?” Ravone asked.
“I have no idea, but he’s pissed off at the world today. I wonder if something happened at home.” Or at Rangeley, if he was with Victor.
“I don’t know what you see in him,” Loren said to Ravone. “The boy has a ton of unresolved anger issues, and that rarely plays out well in a relationship. He’s only going to hurt you, one way or the other.”
“But he’s so dreamy,” Ravone protested. “Those eyes, that hair…”
“That violent temper,” Loren said flatly.
“Blake certainly has his moments,” Quinn said. “He wants to talk later, so I’ll find out what’s going on, I hope.”
“Do you want company?” Keegan asked.
Quinn looked up at him and smiled. “I think I better do this one-on-one, but believe me, I’d love to spend more time with you.”
“Maybe later, then,” Keegan said, smiling. “I’m gonna go in and get ready for my first class. I gotta swap some books at my locker.”
Kiss him.
“Okay, I’ll see you later.” Quinn stepped forward, locking eyes with Keegan, who smiled and leaned down to kiss him.
“Get a room,” Ravone said.
They laughed together as Keegan walked into the school.
❖
Blake
Blake walked into the library and made his way around the stacks to the table he usually studied at with Quinn. His best friend was already there, pulling books out of his backpack to make it look like they were studying together.
“Thanks for agreeing to talk with me,” Blake said.
“No problem,” Quinn said flatly. “What did you want to talk about? Will you tell me where you’ve been? We missed you at Homecoming.”
“You know where I’ve been,” Blake answered, his voice a bit terser then he intended.
“With Victor?”
“Yeah, I went back to Rangeley this weekend to help them out.”
; “Help them out? Uh, okay…” Quinn’s brow wrinkled with suspicion, and Blake knew he wanted more details. “Basically, I did running tests, some heat and fire stuff, and then it all went to shit.” He explained how Mother Superior showed up and ordered her guards to stun him when she felt Victor wasn’t moving fast enough.
“Wait, a taser can take us out?”
“Apparently so.” Blake explained how the electrical shock was similar to the defibrillator experience in the hospital that Dr. Madison had told them about. “And by the way, Dr. Madison works for Victor.”
Quinn rubbed his eyes. “Wow, this keeps getting more complicated. What happened next?”
“I don’t really know. I was unconscious for about a day before I woke up and got some questions answered. At one point, I think I regained consciousness for a few seconds, though. I remember hearing them talk about trying to put some kind of control chip in me, but Dr. Madison said she couldn’t cut into my skin.”
“This is scary stuff, Blake. Are you sure you want to work for these people?”
“They couldn’t do it, Quinn, so it’s not a big deal.”
“But what if they could have? What if there’s a chip in you right now and you don’t know it? You have no idea what it does. You called it a control chip, but does that mean it can control you, neutralize your powers, or track you like a GPS?”
“It’s not in me and I don’t know. It doesn’t matter right now.”
“Wait, why did they make a control chip in the first place?”
“They want to create others like us, but they want to be able to control them should they get out of hand.”
Quinn’s eyes widened with horror. “They want to make more super-powered people? Are you kidding me Blake? That cannot happen!”
“Would you just shut up and listen? There’s more.”
Quinn frowned. “Fine.”
“Before I came home last night, Victor pulled me into his office and told me about Mother Superior’s real plan. Well, I mean, The Order’s plan. Our accidental awakening set them back significantly. Their Archimandrate is pissed and the investors or whoever else is forcing Mother Superior to accelerate their plans.
“Their Archi-what?
“It’s the title of the person over Mother Superior. It’s like a regional director.”
“Uh, okay. Plans for what?”
“They’re going to do some kind of mega-fusion reaction—don’t ask me to explain it—but it will supercharge the reactor in a fraction of the time. It’s experimental, though; if it backfires, it will leave a crater where the facility sits today. They don’t want to test the procedure on one of their newer, more expensive and state-of-the-art facilities. If it’s successful, it gives them the practical knowledge they need to adapt the tech at the other facilities, so they can speed up the orgone collection process.”
“What for?”
“They want to start experimenting on human test subjects and imbue them with super powers.”
Quinn sat back in his chair, stunned. “And you are okay with this? You’re willing to let them do this?”
“No, I’m, uh, here to ask for your help. Even I know the dangers of an army of super-powered people. Victor is on our side, Quinn. He told me all of this to stop Mother Superior and The Order’s plans. As far as he’s concerned, without us, they’d still be doing things the old-fashioned way. Now they want an army of super-assassins.”
“I’m glad we both agree this is very bad.”
“So, you’ll come back to Rangeley and help me destroy it?”
“Wait, you want to destroy the facility?”
“Not really, because I think a lot of good could happen with it, but Mother Superior has different plans that Victor is really upset about. I’m telling you, he all but begged for our help to stop her.”
Quinn frowned. “Uh-huh.”
“I’m serious, Quinn.”
“Okay, how will they do this mega-fusion thing?”
“Oh boy, this part is really confusing. I’m not entirely sure how it works, but I’ll try to explain it to you. They’re going to manipulate weather patterns in the area with the Cloudbusters. This will create a ton of rainfall and snow over the next few months by dropping the air pressure and creating a bunch of storms around Rangeley. The problem Victor pointed out is the downstream effects to southern parts of Maine and New Hampshire. All of the rain and snow has to go somewhere; there’s a major potential for super flooding. Imagine not only the Piscataqua river over-flowing and taking half of Portsmouth with it, but like every river down through Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island doing that. The storms will not be localized to Rangeley, though. They will spread them across New England and while it will seem like extreme weather, it will have unforeseen, devastating effects. The local news and meteorologists won’t understand what’s going on because they all think it’s impossible to artificially generate severe weather.
“We have to tell someone,” Quinn said.
“Quinn, this is crazy talk. Who will believe us?”
“Mr. St. Germain will.”
“Our science teacher won’t be able to do a damn thing. Sure, he might have some advice, but that’s about it. Can you go to the police?”
“Uh, so, about that…” Quinn explain what happened to him at the Sheraton Hotel after work.
“Wow, so they’re seriously gunning for you. Shit.”
“It won’t be just me once people figure out you exist, too. I don’t mind taking the heat for both us right now since I’m the exposed one, so we have to be careful. I’ve been working with Mr. St. Germain to learn how to control the glowing thing because that will help me avoid any accidental public disclosure.”
Blake looked down at the table. Should I tell him?
“What?” Quinn said, already knowing Blake was withholding information.
He knows me too well.
“So, there was a thing the other night…” Blake explained how he saved a woman from a serious situation in Hislop Park with his powers and how that triggered an investigation by DHS agents. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry. The woman was standing right there, and she didn’t recognize me.”
“Wow, Blake.”
“Sorry.”
“I mean, it’s good that you saved her, but bad they were investigating you.” Quinn took a deep breath and sighed. “All right, we need to come up with a plan to take down Rangeley. It’s good to have you back, Blake.”
“I don’t know that I’m back, Quinn. I just know this can’t happen.”
“Oh.”
Blake cleared his throat and stood. “I’ll be in touch. In the meantime, think about how we could do this. They won’t be ready for the two of us.” He smirked and then walked the cafeteria.
❖
After his last class, Blake quickly changed in the locker room and made his way across the school grounds to the outdoor running track. Although there was no practice, running afforded him an opportunity to burn off stress and anxiety.
“Well, if it isn’t the perpetual asshole,” Darien sniped, approaching Blake from one of the parking lots. Kyle and Tony were with him.
“What do you want? I’m in no mood to play your little games, Darien.” If this goes south, I better not hurt them too bad…I still care about not being outed as a super-powered person yet.
“I’m going to teach you some manners. I don’t know how your stupid friend caught the coffee cup or why you thought you could fight me and win this morning, but it’s time you learned what a piece of shit you really are.”
“Clearly, you underestimate us, Darien. You will always lose because you’re nothing more than a bully and a loser.”
Darien’s face contorted with anger. “I’m not a loser, you are.” Then, he charged at Blake.
Blake waited and simply stepped aside when Darien almost tackled him. Missing Blake, Darien snarled and turned around, fists ready and swinging.
This time, Kyle and Tony join
ed the fight. The three bullies surrounded Blake their fists raised.
Kyle and Tony lunged at him, wrapping their arms around his legs and chest, respectively.
Blake smiled.
Darien leapt forward with his right fist and struck the center of Blake’s stomach, but he screamed in agony and pulled his hand away, shaking it wildly. His angry face shifted to pain and fear.
“Bet that really hurt, jerk face,” Blake sneered.
Using his super strength, he spread his legs apart and wrenched himself free from Kyle’s arms, knocking him into the ground. He reached up, grabbed Tony, and flipped him over his shoulders. Then he raised his left leg and placed his foot squarely on Kyle’s chest, preventing him from getting up.
Tony jumped to his feet, dazed but still ready to fight. He charged at Blake, who didn’t flinch. When Tony’s fist connected with Blake’s jaw, he experienced the same painful reaction Darien felt moments ago. Tony cried out in agony and cradled his hand.
“I warned you guys not to mess with me, but you didn’t listen, did you? Instead, you had to come out here and make fools of yourselves.”
Darien charged at him like an angry linebacker and tried to tackle him. Blake crouched down at the last second, causing Darien to trip over him. The bully tumbled and rolled on the ground until he came to a stop.
“What is wrong with you?” Darien screamed. He got back up and charged at Blake. “Fight like a man!”
“I’ve had enough of your bullshit, Darien.” Blake coiled his fist back, ready to strike.
“That’s enough!” Coach Tomlin yelled. The boys stopped and stared at the man. He jerked a thumb back to the school. “I want the four of you maggots in my office right now! Move it!”
2-19 | Next Up, Paranoia
Quinn
THE NEXT DAY AFTER SCHOOL, Quinn pedaled to the hidden field behind Sagamore Hill. A few minutes later, Mr. St. Germain walked into the field and smiled. “You know, if someone discovered I was meeting a student here, it could create a really awkward situation for us.”
Quinn smiled. “Unless you can come up with a better place, this is all we have to work with.”
The Guardians Omnibus Page 34