A True Hero

by M. R. Anglin

  “Bee?” Nicole ventured. “Are you okay?”

  Bee’s eyes focused on Nicole. Immediately, she morphed into the Bee Nicole knew . . . with her cute pigtails and all. She averted her eyes, and shrank into herself. “Um . . . 2556 errors detected . . . initializing self-repair. Estimated time until completion . . . 4 hours 42 minute and 34 seconds. This unit will enter hibernation until repairs are complete.” She disappeared without another word.

  “There.” John took the gem out of the receptacle. “Once she’s finished the repairs, she’ll be as good as new.” He handed it to Nicole.

  “Thanks, Daddy.” Nicole gazed at him. Didn’t he notice how Bee avoided looking at her?

  “Are you okay now, Pumpkin?”

  Nicole nodded.

  “Good. ‘Cause you do realize you came in the house with Starlight and Junior Justice, don’t you? And while you were in costume. Junior Justice knows your identity now. So did Stephanie.”

  Nicole set the stone in her suit. “I told them from before. Suit off.” Her costume faded into jeans and a T-shirt.

  “Isn’t that against ASH rules?”

  “It was necessary.”

  “I see.” John heaved a sigh. “You and I are going to have to have a chat when this is all over. You can explain everything to me then.”

  Nicole nodded.

  John patted her shoulder, hefted himself out of his chair, and walked out of the office.

  Nicole followed him, staring at the gem her mother had given her. Inside, Bee was repairing herself, but Nicole couldn’t get over her behavior.

  Could it be . . . was Bee mad at her?

  CHAPTER 56

  WHEN NICOLE WALKED out of the home office, she spotted Junior Justice sitting at the breakfast bar, shoveling food into his mouth. “You’re a great cook, Mr. Lambert,” he said with his mouth full.

  “It’s just some eggs. No big deal.” John turned to Starlight who sat beside Junior Justice with her lips pressed together. “Nothing for you, Starlight?” he asked.

  Starlight shook her head and held her stomach.

  “Are you okay?” Nicole gazed at her. “You look sick.”

  “I am.” Starlight swallowed hard. “I’m nauseous.”

  “Does this have anything to do with your powers?” Junior Justice chomped on a slice of toast. “When my power started fading, I got dizzy spells and nausea for a while.”

  “Oh, yeah! You got tested, didn’t you?” Nicole got some food and sat on her other side. “How did it go?”

  “Not good.” Starlight lowered her head. “I don’t have any power left.”

  “You lost your power?” John swung around to her. “They’re completely gone? It’s not temporary?”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Lambert, but this is not something I can discuss with a civilian,” Starlight said.

  John stared at her for a moment, his skin paling. “Just . . . please tell me . . . Beatrix has nothing to do with this, does she?”

  Starlight jerked her head up. “How do you know about Beatrix?”

  “Tell me it has nothing to do with her. Please tell me.”

  Starlight pressed her lips together. “She’s the one who did it to me.”

  “You didn’t tell me it was Beatrix!” Nicole said.

  “Didn’t have a chance,” Starlight said.

  “Oh, no.” John buried his face in his hands. “I thought she was deleted.”

  “So did I.” Starlight peered into his face. “How do you know about her? The information is classified.”

  “I used to work with ASH.” John massaged his forehead. “I helped program Beatrix.”

  Nicole gaped at her father. She’d always seen him as a regular guy, but if he worked with ASH . . . “You’re a Hero, Daddy?”

  “I have no powers. I worked as a civilian computer engineer.”

  “More importantly, you programmed Beatrix?” Junior Justice swallowed a mouthful of food. “She’s the most sophisticated computer program in the world.”

  “I was more of a co-programmer.” John scratched the back of his head. “I wrote her base code, but her directives, her core programs, her personality . . . they were done by a genius coder named Geode.”

  The corner of Starlight’s lip raised in a sneer. “You knew the traitor?”

  “You know nothing about Geode, so shut up!” John shouted.

  Starlight fell silent, her eyes wide.

  “Daddy!” Nicole stared at him.

  “I’m sorry, Pumpkin, but I can’t abide how ASH smeared her.”

  “It was her fault, though.” Starlight crossed her arms. “We all heard Beatrix invoke her name.”

  John glared at her again but swallowed hard—Nicole recognized the gesture as him swallowing his anger. When he spoke, his voice was clipped but controlled. “Geode wanted to help people. She joined ASH to that end, but her power set wasn’t conducive to battle. Still, she did everything to help people. She even trained as a firefighter after she lost her power.”

  “She lost her power?” Junior Justice shoveled more food into his mouth.

  “Is that what happened to her?” Nicole leaned toward her father. “All you ever told me was the Hero job overwhelmed her.”

  “Did Beatrix turn on her?” Starlight said.

  “I don’t know how it happened. All I know is one day she came home without her power.” John’s bottom lip quivered as he spoke. “Even after, she still tried to help. She died trying to save people caught in a car after a crash. The car exploded after she got them out. She tried to shield them. They survived; she didn’t.” He wiped his sleeve across his eyes.

  Nicole gazed at him; she’d never seen him cry before.

  Junior Justice stared at him, his fork lowering from his mouth. “You . . . sounded close to her, Mr. Lambert.”

  “I was.”

  Nicole leaned in close to him. “Daddy, did you love her?”

  “I did.” John’s eyes pooled with tears again. “I miss her. So much.”

  Starlight pressed her lips together, her cheeks flaming. “If you’re not over her, Mr. Lambert, perhaps you shouldn’t be engaged to someone else.”

  John shot a glare at her, anger rising as redness in is dark complexion. “What does it have to do with you?”

  “Nothing.” Starlight tossed a shrug at him. “I’m making an observation.”

  Junior Justice cleared his throat and changed the subject. “If Geode wanted to help people, why did she make something to steal Heroes’ powers away?”

  “She wanted to create accountability—a reason for Heroes not to go too far.” John inhaled through his nose and exhaled loudly. “Her plan was to work with ASH to put Beatrix into commission. If a Hero broke the law, he or she would be tried. If convicted, their power could be taken as a punishment. It was her plan, but something happened. Beatrix went rogue. I thought ASH confined and deleted her. Geode was devastated after it happened. She cried for weeks.”

  “I can imagine,” Nicole ducked her head, clenching her gem in her hands. “If I really had erased Bee, I . . . wait . . . Daddy, Bee told me she was programmed by the same people who programmed Beatrix.”

  John gaped at her. “Bee told you that?”

  Nicole nodded.

  “This is serious. Her Advent Protocol must have activated.” John hissed a breath through his teeth. “Geode used the base program I created for Beatrix in order to make Bee.”

  Nicole set her fork down to think. “Bee was made my Mom, so does this mean . . . Geode was . . . she was my mom?”

  John nodded.

  “You were married to her?” Starlight slammed her palms on the table. She froze and clutched her stomach.

  “Her name was Jessica. I called her Jess.” John didn’t notice Starlight’s discomfort. “When she found out what Beatrix had done, Pumpkin, she worked day and night to create Bee and integrated her into a BT-X system. She said she wanted to protect you. I didn’t understand what she was talking about, but . . . if she knew Beatrix
wasn’t gone . . . She created Bee as an opposite to Beatrix. Beatrix takes; Bee restores. Jess must have done it to make sure Beatrix wouldn’t be able to hurt you.”

  “Beatrix doesn’t want to hurt me, Daddy. Bee says she’s trying to protect me. She didn’t even try to do anything to me.”

  “You spoke to Beatrix?” John said.

  Nicole nodded. “Bee has been in contact with her. She has full access to Beatrix’s data files.”

  John ran his hands over his hair. “What is going on?”

  “I don’t know.” Starlight shook her head. “We cannot let Beatrix run around unchallenged. She could go rogue again.”

  John nodded. “True . . .”

  “We were thinking of purging ASH’s computer system.” Junior Justice ate the last of his food and downed some orange juice.

  “It won’t work.” John rested his face in his hands. “Beatrix has too many access points. She could jump to any connected BT-X system to hide herself.”

  “Not just Bee’s?” Nicole said.

  “Bee would probably be the best option but not the only one. The last time she went rogue, ASH had to use a team of computer engineers and programmers to trap her onto ASH’s core. I imagine Beatrix has reinforced her security protocols. We’d have to get on ASH’s computer mainframe to see what she’s done and what would work against her.”

  “She’s not on ASH’s mainframe anymore,” Starlight said.

  “I can trace her. Besides, part of her functions are to command the BT-X units. She’d have to remain connected to ASH’s mainframe to do it. Maybe she’s hidden her connection points.” John paused a moment before hefting himself to his feet. “I’ll get my computer.”

  “You can use my administrative access if you like,” Starlight said.

  “I’ll use my own credentials,” John said as he went. “Beatrix might not be so hostile if she sees it’s me trying to get into her system.”

  “Huh?” Bee appeared at Nicole’s shoulder, glancing around as if she had woken up from a deep sleep. “Beatrix?” She turned her gaze up to the ceiling as if listening. “You . . . what? . . . You did? Wait, what?” All of a sudden, a light twinkled above Bee. Out of it fell a figure in a cloak with goggles over his eyes. Bee barely managed to catch him as he plummeted to the ground. “Beatrix, what did—huh?” She blinked. “She hung up on me.”

  “Uh, um . . .” The figure looked around at everyone staring at him. “What’s going on? Where am I?” He stiffened when his eyes fell on Junior Justice. “Junior Justice?”

  “TelePorter!” Junior Justice jumped to his feet. “I’ve got you now.”

  The TelePorter scrambled out of Bee’s grasp. “You’ll never catch me!”

  “Wait, wait! Stop!” Bee stepped in between the two of them. “Stand down, Junior Justice. We have a truce . . . for now . . . I think.”

  John rushed in to plant himself between Nicole and the stranger. “Who are you?” he demanded.

  “The TelePorter, but . . . am I really going to do this?” He took a deep breath. “My real name’s . . . Brody . . .” He warily watched Junior Justice.

  “You’re Stephanie’s brother?” Nicole said.

  “Of course he is. Why not?” Junior Justice sank back into his seat, crossing his arms as he went.

  “Oh. It worked!” Once Junior Justice stood down, Brody relaxed a bit. “I’m not sure where I am, or how I got here.” He pulled his goggles from his eyes revealing the blue eyes and freckles both he and Stephanie shared.

  “All I know is Beatrix sent you over,” Bee said.

  “Beatrix?” Brody pointed at his head and twirled his finger in a wave-like pattern. “The woman with the wavy hair working with Shadowman? She told me I was supposed to give a message to someone named Nicole.”

  “I’m Nicole.” She raised her hand.

  “Oh, then, um. She said, ‘Consider this a peace offering.’ ” Brody shrugged. “Don’t ask me what it means.”

  “I don’t understand any of this.” John gazed at Bee. “I need to get into Beatrix’s systems to see what’s going on.”

  “I’ll get back to repairing my systems.” Bee gave Nicole a look before disappearing.

  John heaved a sigh before running his hands over his hair. “Brody, have some breakfast, I guess.”

  “Thanks, but . . .” Brody headed to the door. “I need to find my sister.”

  “She’s over there sleeping on the couch,” Nicole pointed.

  “What?” Brody rushed over to where Stephanie was sleeping soundly. “Stephie, thank God you’re alright.” He stroked her cheek. “I’m going to take her and go.”

  “You can’t take her anywhere.” Nicole stepped forward. “She’s being hunted by those weirdos.”

  Brody clenched his teeth. “Exactly why I need to go.”

  “Relax.” Junior Justice sniffed. “Between Starlight and I, Stephanie will be safe. We’ll even protect you . . . if we have to.”

  “Stay here, young man.” John laid a hand on Brody’s shoulder. “You’ll both be safe. I promise. This home has defenses. If any Villain comes close, we’ll have notice. Trust me.” He smiled at Nicole. “I’ve done everything possible to keep my daughter safe in a world of super-powers.”

  “Well . . . okay . . .” Brody smiled up at them. “Maybe I will have some breakfast. I’m starved.”

  “Help yourself,” Nicole said.

  “You do know I’m taking you in after this is all over, don’t you?” Junior Justice glared at him out of the corner of his eye. “You will face trail.”

  Brody returned Junior Justice’s glower. “If you can catch me.”

  “Don’t worry.” Junior Justice narrowed his eyes. “I will.”

  The two glared at each other until Brody broke eye-contact to dish out a plate of food for himself.

  Nicole glanced at the two of them but said nothing. Maybe it was best if they worked it out on their own.

  CHAPTER 57

  WHEN JOHN WALKED BACK into his office, he expected to get retrieve his laptop and return to the crowd gathered in his family room and kitchen. However, once he had left, the gravity of the situation weighed on him. He stood alone in the office a moment, letting his mind and eyes wander. His gaze landed on the two photos he kept on his work station—one of he, Margaret, and Nicole together at the Museum and the other of he, Jess, and Nicole. His sight lingered on Jess, her curly, dark hair haloed by the sun as she held aloft a three year old Nicole. Her smile and exuberance used to light up the room.

  As he picked up the picture, he sank into his chair. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He missed Jess. Oh, how he missed her! Her laugh, the cadence of her voice, even the way her Latina accent became accentuated when she got angry. He had loved everything about her.

  Holding the picture to his chest, he mourned for her—his wife, best friend, and mother to his daughter.

  After some time, he replaced the picture, and his eyes lingered on Margaret’s. He loved her too, but in a different way. He loved Margaret’s thoughtfulness, her smile, how scatterbrained she could be at times, and the way she tended to think out loud. She could never keep a secret. But . . . if he was honest with himself . . . something was missing. Though he tried not to compare her to his late wife, the difference in their relationships was glaring. He could speak to Jess about anything, but Margaret . . . something kept him from really reaching her. He suspected it was the same reason Nicole had trouble relating to her. There was a part of her he didn’t know and couldn’t know. Which was why he had jumped at the idea of taking her on vacation with he and Nicole this year; he thought they could find the missing spark. That didn’t go so well. Maybe . . . he sighed to himself . . . maybe he should take a step back from marrying her.

  “Is this cold feet or good sense talking, I wonder?” John thought to himself as he gathered his computer and walked back to the family room.

  When he got there, he noted Starlight walking out of the bathroom, her face looking green. He set his la
ptop on a side table, walked into the kitchen, and poured a mixture of the green smoothie he had made for himself, added some ginger ale and topped it with a bit of cilantro.

  “Drink this.” John handed it to Starlight as she eased herself onto the floor in front of the couch. “When Jess lost her powers, it was the only thing which made the nausea bearable.”

  “Thank you.” Starlight sipped the drink.

  “I’m surprised your BT-X system hasn’t stopped working.” John eased himself beside her. “Without your powers, it shouldn’t flag you as a Hero anymore and shut itself off.”

  “Margaret disconnected it from the main computer.” Starlight groaned as she rubbed her stomach. “It keeps pinging a warning to me that it’s been disconnected from ASH. It’s getting rather annoying.”

  John chuckled but then sobered. “Is Margaret okay?”

  “Perfectly fine.” Starlight took another sip. “I spoke to her before I came over here. Her department is trying to track Beatrix down.”

  “Good.” John heaved a sigh. “Last night we had an argument. I thought about calling her, but now might not be a good time.”

  Starlight looked at him askance. “Is this consideration or cowardice talking?”

  “Both.”

  “Ah.” Starlight nodded.

  Glancing around at the couch, John spotted Brody asleep on the floor beside the couch Stephanie was sleeping on. Junior Justice had curled up on the arm chair. All of them had covers and pillows.

  “They all crashed after breakfast,” Starlight’s voice was a bit stronger.

  “Where’s Nicole?”

  “She went outside.” Starlight pointed to where Nicole sat on the back porch.

  “What did you all do last night?”

  “I was in ASH taking tests.” Starlight took another sip of her drink. “Nicole and Junior Justice brought the Sapphire somewhere around 5:00 o’clock.”

  “What was Nicole doing by herself all night?”

  “Helping her friend is the short answer. I’m being a terrible mentor. I tried contacting her earlier last night, but she wouldn’t take my calls. Or perhaps Bee was screening them.”