“I've got a cool power, but I can still be killed as easily as the next person,” Isabelle said.
“I can make you really good body armor,” Bobby said.
“He can make you really good body armor,” Fiver said.
Isabelle sighed. “I'll think about it.”
“That's a yes and a binding contractual agreement,” Fiver said. “That's five of us now, and two more when Bobby finishes the armor.”
“I like how you counted me in before I agreed to it,” Calliope said.
“If I don't count you, there is no team,” Fiver said. “Look, I like this stuff, but I really just like the fighting. I have experience, but not your experience. I don't have your instincts. Cal is great, but he's a shooter, not a planner. I love Sloppy, but we all know that Skyborne was the brains of that operation. No offense.”
“None taken,” Slowburn said. “I really just like fighting, starting fires, and flying around.”
“Everyone else is less experienced than you, by far,” Fiver said. “Bottom line is, we need direction, and a leader, and that's why we need you. This is your team.”
Calliope seemed like she wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the words. Everyone was looking at her. She looked back.
“You're really going to do what I say?” she asked, casting a doubtful eye in Fiver's direction.
“I mean, you're going to be the leader of the team,” said Fiver. “I'll show up to meetings, but I'm probably going to be having a beer when I do.”
“I don't have any foolish aspirations about sobering you up,” Calliope said. “But I also don't want arguments or general buffoonery. We might be the New Powers, but we're not teenagers.”
“Agreed,” said Fiver.
“Aw, man,” said Slowburn. “Okay. Starting when?”
“Now,” Calliope said.
“Fine.”
“Good. I hate meetings, let's go get into a fight,” Calliope said.
Cal jumped up. “Stone City lost a few streets last night. They'll try to take them back if they think they can get away with it. It's worth standing on some street corners and letting the gangs know those are our streets and they can fight over something else. Also, Injustice Unlimited seems hell-bent on adding to the chaos and there's a reasonable chance that they'll be out tonight. Who's going?”
“Everyone,” Calliope said. “Excluding those who are waiting on armor.”
“We'll stay here and listen to the police scanner,” I said.
“That's code for making out,” Cal said. “Let's meet up at 9. I need to get into character.”
Cal popped everyone away to their various staging areas. Bobby started writing out plans to fix Ironsides. Isabelle and I went for walk in the junkyard. We held hands.
“So now that we're doing this supra thing, it opens us up to a lot more honesty,” she said. “No more needing to lie about doing research, or who you're texting.”
“I don't know if I'm ready for complete honesty,” I said.
“I'm probably not ready for any sort of serious relationship,” Isabelle said. “But I figure we can proceed slowly. Also, there is a lot of potential weirdness of being supras on the same team. What if we break up? Who stays? Who goes?”
“I was on the team first,” I said. “But what if the team breaks up? There are 7 of us. What if we break into different teams and we end up wanting to go to different teams?”
“I think we should be able to do that. Normal people don't work at the same job as their significant other. So when were you going to tell me that Jen was your ex-?”
“I thought I mentioned it. When were you going to tell me why Lady in Black thought she knew you?”
“She thought I was someone else.”
“She said you were the other one, she thought you were the other unPerson,” I said. Isabelle said nothing. She didn't need to. I was struck with a moment of clarity. “Because you are the other unPerson,” I said. “That's why Ravelin thought that the unPerson was in the building. It was you, not me.” She said nothing. I kept thinking. “Glory Knight came to the building for coffee, and I thought he met up with Calliope, but it was you that he wanted to talk to, wasn't it?”
“He wanted me to break into the Citadel with him,” Isabelle said.
“Oh shit. Of course.”
“I didn't kill him.”
“I know,” I said. “So you were born in the Citadel. You weren't on the list because you weren't convicted and you were a minor, but they wouldn't let you go.”
“I had no where else to go.”
“And your family in Albuquerque?”
“Fictitious.”
“Cousin.”
“Also, fictitious,” she said.
“Parents?”
She stopped walking. “I'm not really ready to talk about it.”
“You know I'm going to look at every picture of every person in the history of the Citadel to figure out who you look like,” I said. “You could save me a lot of time and research by just telling me.”
“Where's the fun in that?” Isabelle asked.
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The City That Heroes Built Page 40