Quinn found the strength to look through his tear-filled eyes. Ana Maria slid the note out from under the phone and opened the envelope. She pulled out a five-by-seven index card and read it. When she finished, she frowned and handed it to Quinn. “I’m sorry,” she said.
Quinn grabbed the note and read it. Blake read over his shoulder. The note read: You take from me, I take from you. You killed two of mine, I’ll kill two of yours. The question is, which two?”
“Oh shit!” Quinn screeched. “How could I have been so stupid as to leave them unprotected?” He blurted out. Then, his emotions overwhelmed him. Blake grabbed him and Quinn’s body went limp as he sobbed on his best friend’s shoulder.
“Whatever he wants, he can have it, I just want them back safe,” Quinn shouted through his tears.
“Uh, boys, we need to leave right now, I think the attack is over,” Ana Maria said. I don’t feel the orgone and people are beginning to recover.
“Let’s go,” Blake said.
Quinn reached out and grabbed Keegan’s cellphone. He tried to stand, but his emotional state made him unsteady.
“Don’t worry, I got ya,” Blake said.
Then, he picked Quinn up in his arms and made his way out of the hotel.
The minutes blurred together until Quinn managed to regain his composure. He felt drained and emotionally exhausted. He blinked through his tears and looked around.
“Where are we?” he asked.
“My condo,” Blake replied.
Quinn realized he and Blake were sitting on the floor. Quinn was curled up awkwardly in Blake’s lap, as his best friend had been holding him as he sobbed. “Thanks,” he said, and the boys climbed onto the couch. Across from them, Quinn looked into the concerned face of Ana Maria. “How did we get here?” he asked, wiping his eyes.
“We turned invisible and walked out before anyone could recover and spot us.”
“I figured you’d want to come here and not go home right away.”
Quinn nodded and wiped his eyes again.
“The good news is, the attack is over. Lieutenant Doral reached out and confirmed that although the city is a mess, people have been recovering. I explained to him what happened and shared our current theory about how Nightmare may have used the attack as a distraction to lure you away from dinner to kidnap your dads and boyfriend.”
“Except my dads were already kidnapped,” Quinn said.
Ana Maria shrugged. “Moot at this point. Victor has them and when David and his team can get to Hangar 227, they will double their efforts to find his location. Lieutenant Doral said Agent Hartman was calling everyone in because of the unknown weapon attack on Portsmouth.”
“He has to be at Androscoggin where we grabbed Dr. Madison from. We should go there right now.”
Ana Maria shook her head. “We can make plans to go there in the morning. We don’t know if they’re there or not. Let’s give the human Guardians a moment to do their jobs.”
“We don’t have time for that. My dad’s lives are stake!” Quinn shouted incredulously. Then, he added, “Your cold demeanor really sucks right about now.”
She barely winced. “I understand, but we do not have enough information to know where he took them. You could spend the entire night looking in the wrong locations. You’ll only be more tired, frustrated, frazzled, and more easy for Victor to eliminate. This is what he wants, Quinn. Don’t play into his hand.”
“Dr. Madison might know,” Quinn said. “Let’s go talk with her.”
“Tomorrow,” Ana Maria said sternly. “You are too emotionally upset to fight Victor and his super humans right now. He wants you to react without thinking so he can kill you. With you out of the way, there’s nothing to stop him from killing your dads and Keegan as an afterthought. But as long as you’re alive, they live. Tonight, you rest so we can make a plan with the Guardians and catch him with his pants down. Understand?”
Quinn sighed. I hate it when she’s right. “I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight.”
“I know. Do your best. Maybe this will help; I will fly to Androscoggin and do some stealth reconnaissance. Would that set you at ease?”
“A little, yeah. At least I’ll know something’s being done.”
“Um, he’s going to sense you,” Blake said. “So will his super humans.”
“No, they won’t.”
“Why not?” Blake asked.
Ana Maria smiled and Quinn sensed her disappear from his mind.
Blake gasped.
“Because you didn’t sense me until I wanted you to sense me. I even visited you when you worked at Kaffee Vonsolln twice and you were none-the-wiser to my true nature.”
“That’s why you look so familiar,” Blake exclaimed. “I knew I had seen your face before.”
Ana Maria stood. “All right, get some rest. I’ll check things out and meet you in the morning at eight.”
“Okay,” Quinn said.
“See ya,” Blake responded. Ana Maria nodded and then let herself out of his condo.
“So, I guess I’m sleeping over?” Quinn asked.
Blake smiled. “Been a long time, bud.”
“Got any comics?” Quinn teased.
Blake grinned. “Unfortunately, Dark Flame was too cool for comics, but there might be one or two around somewhere. Are we gonna watch the ball drop?”
Quinn shook his head. “She’s right. I need sleep. Could we um, sleep in the same bed, like old times? I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
Blake smiled. “Yeah, lets do that. But first, let’s change the bed so it’s fresh. I had some crazy nightmares and I sweat a lot. Besides, the place hasn’t been touched in two weeks. Bet the sheets are pretty stale.”
“And nasty,” Quinn said with a smile.
The boys changed the linens on Blake’s bed, showered, then climbed into bed. Quinn tried to fall asleep, but he was restless. His mind was preoccupied with the possibilities of what would come the next day.
A minute later, Blake rolled over and put his arm around him, becoming the big spoon. “I’m not your boyfriend, but I think you need this right now.”
Quinn nodded in the pillow. “Thanks.”
Sometimes the superhero just needs his best friend to hold him. I love you, Blake. I’m so glad you’re back.
5-14 | Waiting Game
Quinn
“AGAIN!” ANA MARIA SHOUTED.
While Quinn waited for David’s team and a fresh group of analysts to pour over the latest satellite imagery of orgone energy maps and other data, he and Ana Maria trained together at the warehouse. Blake sat nearby and watched them train.
Quinn put his hands in front of him like he was holding an invisible basketball and summoned orgone energy and water. Then, he hurled the electrified water ball across the warehouse at Ana Maria, who barely deflected it with an invisible shield. She side-stepped to avoid being hit with the plasma energy that made it through the force field.
“You’re combining powers now. I suspected it was possible, but I had no idea.”
“We can fly and be invisible,” Quinn replied. “Why would you think it’s not possible?” His voice sounded irritated and frustrated because there was nothing he could do yet about his dads and Keegan.
She nodded. “You have a point, but I was referring to your offensive powers.”
“Oh, right.”
The door on the far end of the warehouse squeaked open with a grating, metallic sound and all three superheroes shifted to invisibility so they wouldn’t be seen.
Ron St. Germain walked in, carrying three stuffed paper bags in his hands. “I know you’re in here. I can feel the charge in the room and the air smells of burnt ozone…or orgone. Can’t say I’ve smelled the latter before.”
The trio became visible and Ron adjusted his course as he walked toward them.
“I’ve got something for each of you,” Ron said.
“You do?” Quinn asked, surprised. With less ceremony than the revea
l of his first super suit, Ron handed a Trader Joe’s paper bag to Quinn, the second to Ana Maria, who smiled, and the third to Blake, who looked at him with surprise.
“Me too?” Blake asked.
Ron nodded. “My brother is a freakin’ genius,” Ron said, beaming with pride.
“Oh yeah?” Quinn asked, reaching into the bag and pulling out a familiar-looking blue gradient super suit. The texture of the fabric, however, felt different.
“Yep. He and one of his trusted materials technicians reverse engineered the fabric sample of Blake’s Order-created super tights and realized they discovered a way to enhance advanced, heat-resistant fabric by interweaving and bonding super-thin titanium fibers throughout the material. The result was Blake’s super-strong, mostly bulletproof, flexible, breathable, and flameproof fabric.”
“So, this is probably what Victor and his goons are wearing these days?” Quinn asked.
“Yep. Funny story, the original fabric comes from one of his competitors, so he was happy to gain a little insight into heat-resistant fabrics. Anyway, my brother one-upped The Order and figured out how to bond Titanium particles to the fabric. The unique chemical composition of the new material increases its resistance to heat without compromising the rest of its properties and you can still throw it in the washing machine.”
“That’s awesome!” Blake said as Quinn held up his new blue shirt. Unlike the previous model, it had a slight sparkle to it.
“That sparkle comes from the titanium particles in the fabric,” Ron comment. “Other than that, your suit looks the same.”
“It looks so cool this way, thank you.” Quinn set his tunic back into the bag and looked at Ana Maria. “Aren’t you going to look at your suit?”
Ana Maria smiled. “I am curious, yes.” She reached inside and pulled out material that was pink and purple. Like Quinn’s suit, it had a similar sheen to it. She unfolded it and held up her suit’s top. It was pink at the neck and shifted to purple as it approached her waist.
“The design is similar to Quinn’s suit, but fitted for your body’s measurements.”
Quinn saw the same hexagonal patterns woven into the fabric, but instead of the continuous gradient color scheme, her suit had some solid, form-tracing shapes.
She held up the top and smiled. “Thank you for not turning me into a neon pink Power Ranger.”
She reached in and pulled out the boots. They were similar to Quinn’s boots, but they were dark purple and contained a two-inch wedge heel. Ana Maria frowned at Ron. “Your brother expects me to fight in heels?”
Ron blinked and Blake stifled a laugh. Quinn huffed with frustration. This is great, but…my family…
“Um, yeah, I had to talk him out of his original design. Let’s just say he was really inspired by Wonder Woman’s wedge-heel boots in her latest movie and despite my protests, he insisted it would make you taller and more intimidating.”
“I see.” She set the boots on the floor and slipped out of her shoes—which had a one-inch heel—and slid into the boots. She took a moment to flex her feet, then paced in a small circle. Then, she walked up to Ron, who was shorter than her, and stepped close to him—close enough to violate the unspoken rule of personal space. He looked up at her and stepped back.
She smiled. “He was right about the intimidation part. They’re comfortable and practical. I like them. Please thank your brother for me.”
Ron chuckled and nodded. “Whew. I will. It’s not easy, you know, designing a woman’s costume.”
“What do you mean?” Blake asked as Ana Maria slipped out of the super boots and put her shoes back on.
“Well, if you think about it, all superheroes wear skin-tight suits that accentuate their muscles if you’re a guy, or your curves, if you’re a woman. Comic book artists designed female superheroes to be sexy and appealing to their male fan base, so although we used those as a guide, we made sure to put practicality first and tried not to be sexist or lewd about it.”
“So, I won’t look attractive in my suit?” Ana Maria asked. “Will I look like a frumpy old lady with ill-fitting clothes?”
Ron’s face turned a deep shade of red. “Um, that’s not what I meant. Stephanie made sure the suit would be awesome, yet tasteful, and respectful.”
“And not slutty,” Ana Maria said, grinning. “I am, after all, seventy-something years old.”
Ron smiled with her. “Yes, and not slutty. If you don’t like the design, I’ll tell you the same thing I told Quinn. My brother can update the suit’s fit and its patterns. As Quinn suggested when we talked about a suit for you, the next time you’re training or fighting Victor, you won’t experience a wardrobe malfunction.”
She smirked. “Again, please thank your brother for me.”
“Your turn,” Quinn said, pointing at Blake.
“Why did you make one for me when everyone thought I was dead?”
Ron shrugged. “I have a hunch it’s much harder to kill you guys off if your vital organs are intact or reassembled. Besides, once Quinn told me you were in some kind of coma, I suspected it was only a matter of time before you rejoined the world of the living.”
Blake grinned and pulled out the first piece of fabric he set his hands on. It was similar in design to Quinn’s suit in the sense that it had the same hexagonal patterns and material with a subtle sparkle to it. The main color of the suit was charcoal gray and a mix of yellow, orange, and blue stripes across the chest. In the center of his chest, a large sunburst appeared. The same striped pattern also ran down the outside of the arms.
Blake pulled out the tights and Quinn noticed the same stripe was sewn into the outside of the legs as well. Like Quinn’s suit, it was form fitting and would show off his muscular build. Except for their color, the boots were identical to Quinn’s.
“We can improve the colors of your suit later if you want, but I picked something based on what I liked, and I intentionally avoided purple. If this is going to work, your public image needs to change so people forget what the shirtless guy in purple tights did.”
“That’s cool, thanks. I’m glad you didn’t include purple since I don’t glow purple anymore.”
“You don’t?”
Blake ignited his eyes and body and he glowed orange and yellow. “No, see, it’s like orange-yellow now. Must have changed during my coma or something.”
“Huh. I had no idea. I put the sunburst on there because I thought it looked cool,” Ron said.
“It is.”
“You look like a starburst. We should call you Starburst, like the candy,” Quinn teased, surrendering to a movement of levity.
Blake rolled his eyes. “Um, no. That’s not gonna be my superhero name.”
“How about Helion since you burn the colors of the sun. It sounds pretty cool to me,” Ron said.
Blake smiled. “I like that a lot.”
“Helion it is, then,” Quinn said.
Blake smiled as he folded the suit and put it back into the paper bag.
“Blake, can I talk with you for a bit?” Ron asked.
Blake looked at Quinn and Ana Maria, then shrugged. “Sure, I guess so. I was only watching.”
❖
Blake
Ron and Blake walked to a corner of the warehouse and sat on the floor, each with their backs resting on the cinderblock wall.
“The last time I was in an old, cinderblock building like this I killed a lot of people,” Blake said as he settled in and crossed his legs.
“Um, okay, that just made me super uncomfortable,” Ron said, frowning at him.
“Sorry,” Blake replied, half-smiling at the science teacher. “I did a lot of unforgivable things with that chip in my head.”
“Well, now that it’s out of your head, you have a new path in front of you.”
“Not the old one?” Blake asked. It’d be nice to go back to where all this started…could we start again, please?
“There’s no going back, if that’s what you mean. Your life
changed over Labor Day weekend. The choices you made brought you here, but the choices you make now could take you anywhere. My question to you is, what do you want to be?”
“Well, I know Quinn wants to be a superhero,”
“Not Quinn, you. If Victor hadn’t seduced you to the dark side, what would you have done?”
Blake sighed. “Back then, Quinn had all these crazy ideas about helping and saving people, like he was going to become the next Superman or Invincible comic book hero.”
“You, Blake,” Ron said. “Not Quinn.”
“I’m getting there. Quinn’s powers developed faster than mine, and they’re different. Back then, I didn’t think Quinn trusted me fully with my powers and I resented him for thinking I was less than capable of dealing with this. I encouraged him to develop his, but I never felt the reverse. That, plus Victor’s noble intentions and a way out of my parents’ house won me over.”
“So, you thought Quinn didn’t think you could handle your powers?”
“It was my gut feeling. I…started hurting people and I didn’t want him to find out. I think that’s why he was so insistent we do all the superhero crap together.”
“I see. Is it still superhero crap to you now that there is an actual super villain on the loose?”
Blake chuckled and shook his head.
“I saw people freak out about him because they didn’t understand him and I didn’t want to be a part of the public spectacle. Also, I knew that if we got caught, our lives would change forever and our dreams, whatever they were, or are, would be taken away from us by a bunch of pricks who would want to dissect us and figure out why we’re so…uniquely powerful.”
“Really?” Ron said, looking at him incredulously.
“Yeah, I know, right? I did the very thing I didn’t want to do. But I thought I had to stop Quinn before that happened to us. Victor offered us the protection I thought we needed and Quinn wouldn’t even consider it. Clearly, he was right.”
“What about being a superhero now? Becoming Helion?”
The corner of Blake’s mouth went up. “Well, now that the world knows we’re basically Marvel class-five super freaks and there are bad guys running around out there, I know he needs my help and I want to help him. I can’t express enough how much I regret turning my back on my best friend and letting Victor come between us like that.”
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