by M. R. Anglin
“You don’t understand.” Nicole turned to him. “I know her. In real life!”
“I know you?” Stephanie furrowed her brows as she studied Nicole. Her eyes widened. “It . . . can’t be. Nicole?”
Nicole nodded. “Yeah, it’s me.”
Stephanie gaped at her a moment. “Take off your mask and prove it.”
“Refraction . . . don’t . . .” Junior Justice said.
Nicole gazed at her friend and then at Junior Justice, the two people she wanted to impress most in the world. But Refraction was her alter-ego, not who she was. It was more important to be real. “Sorry, JJ. Suit off, Bee.”
Stephanie stared as Refraction’s costume faded. “Nicole. You’re Refraction.”
“Whoa!” Junior Justice turned away running his hands over his head. “This is bad. There’s at least a dozen regulations being broken right now.”
“I don’t believe this.” Stephanie gaped at Nicole before glowering at Junior Justice. “And who are you? My Uncle Robert?”
“Refraction’s the only Hero whose identity you’re learning tonight.” Junior Justice crossed his arms.
“Stephanie, why did you do this?” Nicole dropped to her knees in front of her friend. “How did you even know Margaret had the Sapphire?”
“I’m not saying anything!” Stephanie swung her face away from them. “I don’t trust Heroes.”
“You’re not talking to a Hero now, you’re talking to me.” Nicole placed a hand on her knee. “You can trust me.”
Stephanie examined her, considering. “Maybe . . . but I can’t trust him.” She glared at Junior Justice.
“I’ll vouch for him. We’ll keep what you say confidential.” Nicole eyed Junior Justice. “Right?”
“I can’t agree.” Junior Justice crossed his arms. “We’re Heroes, Refraction. We can’t blur lines because we may or may not know someone.”
“We need to get the Sapphire, Junior. That’s the priority.” Nicole glared at him. “She’s the only clue we have.”
Junior Justice heaved a sigh. “Fine, but let’s not forget she’s a criminal. When this is over, you’re going in.”
Stephanie thrust her nose in the air. “If you can catch me.”
“That settles that.” Nicole dusted her hands off.
“Whatever you say.” Stephanie squirmed in her bonds. “Can you get me out of this?”
Nicole pointed into Stephanie’s face. “If you promise to stay and talk to us and not try to escape.”
“I promise.” Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Let me out.”
Nicole nodded at Junior Justice who, with an exaggerated sigh, cut Stephanie’s bonds.
Stephanie climbed to her feet, stretching her arms. “Better.” She scooped up her mask and wig and stuffed them in her pocket. Most of the wig spilled out of it.
“Now, Stephanie.” Nicole stood. “Where’s the Sapphire?”
“Safe,” Stephanie said.
“Steph, I need to get it back. It’s too dangerous to be left around for anyone to find.”
“No one will find it.”
“Why’d you steal it in the first place?” Junior Justice crossed his arms.
Stephanie glared at him and then glanced at Nicole. Her defiance melted. “It was the only way I could think of to get my brother back.”
“Your brother?” Nicole furrowed her brows. “Don’t you live with him?”
“Yeah, but . . .” Tears came to Stephanie’s eyes. “He was only supposed to be gone a few days. He left to show off my inventions to some mogul who was interested in buying the rights for it, but he never came home. I haven’t heard anything from him since.”
“How long has he been gone?” Nicole said.
“A few months,” Stephanie said.
“Then . . . who did my dad talk to about taking you on vacation with us?”
“Me.” Stephanie grinned sheepishly. “I made a voice-altering device to make me sound like my brother. I have to convince the utility company not to shut us off. All the savings he put aside ran out, and I had to do something before I starved. So, I started taking things here and there—not much. Just enough to get by. Then the landlord said if I didn’t pay the back rent, he’d evict us. Nothing I nabbed was quite enough to pay it, so I thought I’d grab some stuff from the Museum. I wasn’t going to take it all.”
“There are other legal ways to go about this. Why didn’t you get a part time job?” Junior Justice sneered at her. “Or call the police to tell them your brother is missing.”
“I tried to get a job; it doesn’t pay enough for rent and bills and food and stuff. I didn’t call the police because I try to keep under the radar. If anyone found out my brother went missing, they’d put me back in foster care, and I’d never seen him again.”
Junior Justice pressed his lips together and nodded.
“At the Museum . . .” Stephanie banged a fist on the wall. “The TelePorter was sporting my tech.”
“Your tech?” Nicole widened her eyes.
“The portable teleportation machine you damaged—it’s mine. The schematics for it was my entry into the Young Inventor’s Competition. I made two prototypes. My brother had one. The only way the TelePorter could have gotten it was from my brother.” Stephanie clenched her teeth. “They kidnapped him; they must have. When I realized the TelePorter was after the Sapphire, I arranged a trade. My brother for the gem.”
“You can’t!” Nicole cried. “Do you have any idea what will happen if Villains get the gem?”
Stephanie eyed her. “Do you?”
“The gem absorbs any type of energy.” Nicole clenched her fists. “It could power a device which could rob Heroes of their powers for good.”
“So you do know,” Stephanie said.
“Don’t you care?” Nicole said.
Stephanie shrugged. “Heroes and Villains are all the same to me.”
Junior Justice watched her through narrowed eyes. “You should have gone to ASH if you thought your brother was kidnapped by Villains.”
“Are you kidding?” Stephanie swung her fury on him. “After what they did? After my parents were murdered by a Hero? I can’t trust them. They’d toss my brother aside if it meant they’d catch the ones they’re after.”
“No, they won’t.” Junior Justice crossed his arms. “That’s not what being a Hero is about.”
“Like I can trust you.” Stephanie turned away from him.
“Then trust me.” Nicole put a hand on Stephanie’s shoulders. “True Heroes always come to the rescue. My mother taught me that. I’ll be a true Hero to you, Stephanie. We will find him; I promise.”
Stephanie gazed at Nicole, studying her face. She nodded.
“Do you have a plan?” Junior Justice said.
“This is what I’m thinking.” Nicole started to pace. “We’ll set up a trap. Let me have the Sapphire. Once it’s out in the open, the bad guys will track it and come for it. When they do, we’ll follow them back to their lair. We’ll definitely find your brother then.”
Stephanie shrugged. “Sounds good.”
“It’s risky, but . . .” Junior Justice shrugged. “I’m in.”
“Good, now . . . where’s the Sapphire?” Nicole glanced around. “We tracked it here, but . . .”
“I’m no longer receiving a signal,” Bee said. “According to my scan calculations, it disappeared from this location 9.2 hours ago.”
“Probably because this is where I was when I hid it.” Stephanie crossed her arms. “Even though I had it in a shielded box, I figured it would leak some energy. So I teleported it to a secure location.”
“Teleport it back,” Junior Justice said.
“No can do.” Stephanie held up a device which looked like a hair dryer. “There’s a reason this was my first prototype. If I use it too much, it burns out the power supply. I came over here to hide the Sapphire so no one could trace it to my house, and since I was here I started to retro-fit it to use a power crystal to use as a powe
r supply. Lost track of time. Fixed it, though. Just need to install the crystal which is back at my house.”
“Did you steal the crystal?” Junior Justice said.
“I got it as a gift, okay?”
“My dad bought it for her to try and make up for her missing her competition,” Nicole said.
“Let’s get going.” Junior Justice marched out. “The sooner we get the Sapphire, the sooner I can be done with this.”
“Someone has a bad attitude,” Stephanie muttered to Nicole.
“I don’t blame him,” Nicole said.
Stephanie glanced at her. “Any clue who Junior Justice is?”
Nicole shook her head. “Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.”
“Fair enough.” Stephanie headed out the door after Junior Justice. “But . . . I’m kind of curious now.”
Nicole grinned. “Me too.”
“Careful.” Bee floated after them. “Curiosity is what got me into this situation.”
Nicole glanced at her but decided not to comment on Bee’s strange statement.
CHAPTER 39
JUNIOR JUSTICE DROVE Stephanie and Refraction—he refused to think of her by her real name—back into the city. Luckily, Refraction had re-engaged her costume before they had left the apartment building, so it made it easier to forget he knew her civilian identity. As he drove down Arden Ave, Stephanie slapped the window, directing him to pull over at a corner.
“My house is a few blocks away, and I don’t want a Hero to know where I live.” Stephanie got out of the car. “You stay here. I’ll go get the Sapphire.”
“There is no way you’re going off by yourself.” Junior Justice got out of the car and slammed the door. “How do we know you won’t run as soon as you get the chance?”
“I wasn’t planning on going on my own.” Stephanie smiled at Nicole. “Nicole—Refraction, I mean—can go with me.”
Junior Justice crossed his arms. “You do remember she’s a Hero, right?”
“I won’t hold it against her.” Stephanie waved her hand in dismissal. “Besides, I’ll need her to get it.”
“Me? Why me?” Refraction narrowed her eyes. “Where did you put the Sapphire?”
“Better you don’t ask too many questions.” Stephanie grabbed her hand. “The gem will emit a unique energy signature once we get it, right? You need to work your powers to counteract it so we can transport it without any Villain tracking it before we’re ready.”
Refraction blinked. “You’re right.”
“I guess it does make sense.” Junior Justice crossed his arms.
“Of course it does.” Stephanie pulled Refraction down the sidewalk. “Let’s go.”
Bee started to follow them.
“Bee, can you stay behind?” Junior Justice grabbed Bee’s arm before remembering she was just a hologram. Surprisingly, he caught hold of a warm limb. “I want to talk to you.”
“Oh, okay . . .” Bee glanced at Refraction who nodded even as Stephanie dragged her away. “It’s only for a little while.” She gripped her collar as she watched Refraction disappear around the corner. “I can monitor her from afar as long as she wears her hub. It’s fine.”
Junior Justice furrowed his brows. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself. “Bee, you’re not supposed to know who I am,” he said once Bee turned her attention to him. “How’d you find out?”
“I queried ASH’s main computer for the information.”
“What made you query ASH?”
“I . . . was curious.”
“Curious?”
Bee nodded. “I saw you without your mask and thought you were familiar so I queried ASH’s computer, and it responded.”
“You’re a computer AI.” Junior Justice stared at her in disbelief. “You can’t be curious.”
Bee shrugged. “I was, though.”
“But you can’t.”
“I’m a learning, AI.” Bee let her gaze drift to the car’s roof. “It means I can develop the ability to become curious.”
“No, you can’t. You literally can’t.” Junior Justice gestured with his hands to make his point. “It’s in your BT-X coding. There’s several fail safes in place to keep you from evolving like this. I know. I’ve delved into the coding on several occasions.”
“Is that so?” Bee’s eyes took on a faraway look for a fraction. “I’ve reviewed my coding. Nothing like that exists. I was following my user’s command.”
“Nicole doesn’t have the skill to rewrite your programming.” Junior Justice pinched the bridge of his nose.
“She didn’t have to. She told me to learn, and my previous programmer told me curiosity is a precursor to learning.”
“Your previous programmer?”
Bee nodded.
“Who’s your previous programmer?”
Bee opened her mouth and then closed it. “I . . . don’t have access to this information. It might be stored in my hidden partition.”
“Even so, you shouldn’t have the ability to query the main computer for anyone’s identity.” Junior Justice narrowed his eyes. “It is forbidden. If you tried, you’d run into a feedback loop which would cause you to shut down.”
“I found a way around it.”
“This is not normal.” Junior Justice gaped at her, shaking his head. “Let me take a look at your coding. I’ll figure out what is happening.” He tapped some buttons on his cuff.
“No,” Bee said and the program Junior Justice had been trying to run errored.
“No?”
“I will not allow you access to my systems.”
“Why not? If you know who I am, you know I’m trustworthy. Besides, if you have nothing to hide, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“I have plenty of things to hide like your BT-X does.” Bee glared at him over her shoulder. “Would you let me access your system?”
“Good point.” Junior Justice leaned against his car. “I’ll have to let Starlight know what’s happening. She can look into it.”
They stood in silence a moment before Bee said, “Please don’t.”
“Why not?”
“If she looks into my systems . . . I’m afraid she’ll delete what she finds.” Bee clenched the front of her shirt in her hand. “I do not want to be deleted. Not again.”
“When were you deleted before?”
Bee opened her mouth to answer but halted. Her brows furrowed. “I . . . don’t know. Strange. I’ve never been deleted. Why would I think I was?”
“If you had been, you wouldn’t remember.” Junior Justice heaved a sigh. “Something’s wrong with you, Bee. I don’t want these glitches, or whatever they are, to cause harm to Refraction.”
“I wouldn’t never hurt Refraction.” Bee clenched her fists. “Protecting her is my prime directive.”
“That’s not your prime directive. Your prime directive is supposed to be support and assist.”
Again Bee opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. “I won’t let anything happen to her,” she said after a while.
Junior Justice stared at her, studying her holographic form.
“You look surprised, but I know you feel the same. Don’t you?” Bee said.
Junior Justice glared in the direction Stephanie and Refraction went. “Yeah, I do. I won’t let anyone hurt her either.” He dropped his voice to a mutter. “Not even a rogue AI.”
Bee gave no indication she had heard his comment.
But she did.
CHAPTER 40
“THIS IS YOUR HOUSE?” Nicole stepped inside Stephanie’s apartment. It was small, but furnished with everything they needed. The walls were painted white, and potted fichuses stood near the windows. “It’s nice.”
“My bro works real hard.” Stephanie tossed her keys in the tray by the door.
“Let’s get this Sapphire back so we can start searching for him.”
“Give me a moment.” Stephanie walked into her bedroom and emerged again. “My first prototype works pr
etty good, but it’s not practical. My second prototype—the one my brother had—is much smaller and doesn’t burn out. Let me install the power crystal.”
“Guess it’s a good thing you came with us on vacation.” Nicole watched Stephanie unscrew the back panel off the device.
“It was a lot of fun even if I missed the competition.” Stephanie smiled as she worked.
Nicole watched her a moment, then lowered her eyes. “Stephanie, when did you decide to take the Sapphire? Were you planning on it the whole time?” She ducked her head a bit. “Were you using me?”
Stephanie’s hands froze for a second before continuing the crystal installation. “I didn’t know Margaret had it. I only saw it when the TelePorter broke in. I wouldn’t use you, Nikki. Not on purpose. You’re my friend.”
Nicole ducked her head. “I feel terrible for thinking that of you. And about thinking the worst about Margaret and Starlight.” She buried her face in her hands. “They were right all along. If everything had gone according to plan, no one would have even known the Sapphire was with us. We could have gotten it to Quenton, and . . .” She heaved a sigh—the kind that often proceeded tears. “. . . and I wouldn’t continue to prove what a loser I am.”
Stephanie looked up at her. “You’re not a loser, Nicole.”
“It was the second time Starlight counted on me, and I let her down—the second time I let Villains escape. Plus, I thought the worst of Margaret without giving her a chance to explain . . .”
“To be fair, she did put us all in danger by bringing the Sapphire on vacation,” Stephanie pointed out as she worked to install the crystal.
Nicole didn’t respond. Instead she gazed at her hands.
Stephanie heaved a sigh. “Listen, I’m sorry I took it. I should have given it back, but I thought it was the best way to get my brother. I’m worried about him.”
“We’ll find him.” Nicole wiped her eyes. “I promise.”
“You’re real friend, Nikki.” Stephanie smiled at her as she screwed the back onto her device.
Nicole smiled back.
“Here’s the thing.” Stephanie lifted her teleporter. “I teleported the Sapphire to safety deposit box #1125 located at the First Alferdale Mutual, so I’ll teleport you to go get it.”