by R. J. Ross
“That’s why you should stop staring and get Ginger started on a new sedative,” the old man says. The sound of heavy footsteps echo in her ears as the group leaves. For a long moment Repeat keeps her eyes closed, listening for the sound of people breathing. There’s Skystep, whose breath is on the same level as her ear, but no one else, she thinks, carefully opening her eyes and daring to look around.
The room they’re in is white and steel. She’s lying on a surgical table, strapped down by her wrists and her ankles. Skystep is in an identical position right next to her. The older woman is sound asleep. “Skystep,” she hisses as loudly as she dares. “Wake up.”
For a long moment she’s sure it isn’t going to work. She can’t speak louder, though, because she doesn’t know how close the kidnappers are. And who is Ginger? She shakes that odd thought off, focusing on what’s right in front of her. “Skystep,” she hisses again, disappearing off of the table and popping back next to the unconscious woman. “Wake up,” she whispers, shaking Skystep.
“Wh--what?” Skystep asks, a groggy look on her face. “Melody? Mel--” Repeat covers Skystep’s mouth with her hand, since she’s speaking too loudly.
“Be quiet,” she whispers. “We need to get out of here before they come back.” Skystep nods, jerking at the wrist bracelets. Her eyes widen in surprise and she looks over at them. “What’s taking so long? Just phase through them,” Repeat hisses, daring to lift her hand.
“I can’t,” Skystep whispers. “Whatever was in that stuff they gave us is messing with my powers.”
Repeat almost groans, looking around the room for some sort of key to the shackles. There’s got to be a way to release Skystep in--there, she thinks, pouncing on a key on a side table. The door swings open and she goes perfectly still out of shock.
“What--” a woman says. Repeat turns, teleporting over to the woman and grabbing her. Her hand covers the woman’s mouth as the other arm confines her. She nudges the door shut with her foot, feeling a bit panicked, still. All it would take is a single scream and they’ll be surrounded. Who knows if this Mr. Will has supers working for him?
“Be quiet, or you’ll regret it,” she whispers next to the taller woman’s ear. “You’re messing with a super hero, got it?” She waits impatiently until the woman nods her head slowly. “Are you the one called Ginger?” The woman nods again. “What are they doing here?”
“You need to go,” Ginger whispers quickly as soon as Repeat dares to lift her hand. “He’ll hear us.”
“Who will hear us?” Skystep whispers.
“Me.”
As a group the three females turn, watching as a man steps out of the shadows in the corner. “I don’t think this is what the old man wanted you to do, Ginger,” Shadowman says.
***
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I left my tights in another bag,” Nico says, leaning against the podium. At least he’s wearing a mask, but just a plain black one that you could buy in any costume store. He doesn’t look very bothered by that fact. “My name is Technico, I’m the principal of Cape High, and recently we’ve breached out, bringing in children from other branches. I’d like to thank both Century and Voltdrain for that sign of trust. We won’t let them down. Now if--”
“How can we be sure you’re really Technico?” one of the louder reporters demands. “You’ve got nothing but a mask to show that you’re a super--you could be an impersonator!”
“I--” Nico looks at him, his jaw tightening as he fights the urge to do something overly dramatic. He looks over at Century, who’s just smirking slightly.
“Son, I keep telling Mastermental you need to be in uniform whenever you fly,” he says blandly.
“Fine,” Nico says, looking around before digging a handful of metal pieces out of his pocket. He tosses them in the air, causing the audience to gasp as they start floating, forming into a strange looking gun. It lands in his hand and he aims it at the guy that asked the question. “Does this prove my identity?” he asks.
The reporter drops his mic, holding up both hands. “Yes, um, sorry, sir,” he stutters.
“Can you tell us what the gun does?” a woman asks.
Nico looks at her and shrugs, pulling the trigger. The reporter holding up his hands lets out a yelp and digs his phone out of his pocket as it starts to smoke. “Tech killer,” Nico says simply. “Now if we’ve got no other questions--”
“Technico! Technico! What is Voltdrain here for?” another reporter asks.
Nico hesitates, glancing over at Voltdrain. “It’s his kid that’s going to my school,” he says, moving away from the podium. “I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions to ask him, so I’ll just leave you to do that,” he adds as he takes to the air and flies off.
“Ah… good afternoon,” Voltdrain says, shrugging at Century, who’s glaring after the runaway cape. “I am Voltdrain.”
***
“What do we do?” I ask as Trent and I land behind the house. The backyard is grown over, with tall fences and an empty doghouse to the side. “Where are we?” I ask him.
“I’m not sure,” he admits as he looks around. “Think there’s a dog here?” he asks, heading for the doghouse and examining it closely.
“They’d have attacked already,” I say, picking up a half deflated football and examining it curiously. “We don’t have time for this, we need to get in and get Repeat and Skystep out.” I head for the back door, testing it to see if it’s locked. It slides open, revealing a rather dirty looking kitchen with no one in it. I dare to step in, only to go perfectly still as I hear Repeat calling over our mental link.
‘He’s got Shadowman working for him! He’s got us trapped in here, Em!’
I look over at Trent. “Shadowman is here,” I whisper. “He’s got Repeat and Skystep trapped--” I have no idea where she is. I’m about to ask when an image of a white hospital-like room pops into my head.
I blink and I find myself standing right next to my doppelganger--with Trent nowhere to be seen. “That wasn’t what I wanted!” Repeat yelps.
“Well… crud,” I mutter as Shadowman turns a gun on me.
“You look familiar,” Shadowman says, looking from me to Repeat and back again. I have no idea where we are in the house--I can only assume that we’re underground, since I doubt a secret lab like this would be kept in the shed. “Where have I seen you before?”
‘Where’s TRENT?’ Repeat shouts at me. ‘You brought him with you, right? So why isn’t he here?’
‘I left him wherever I was before you showed me this place,’ I snap back. ‘Why’d you have to go and plant a full image in my head?’
‘Because I expected you to bring the big guns! It took Trent, Max AND Adanna to take him down last time, that leaves us seriously short handed!’
“What, are you two deaf?” Shadowman demands, cocking the gun in his hand. “This is a special little toy that Kunnins--wait, he calls himself Will now, doesn’t he? Well regardless, the old man paid me a lot of money to come back to the states. And he gave me this sweet little toy, to boot,” he says, waving the gun around slightly before turning it and aiming it at Skystep. “Don’t even think about it, lady.”
She has one arm out of the cuffs holding her to the table, but that arm stays right where it is. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she lies blatantly. As if to emphasize that lie, she slides her wrist back through the cuff, so it looks like she’s still locked up.
I have to do something. I have no idea how Skystep is going to--
The sound of a deafening boom comes from above. The lights hanging from the ceiling start to shudder, swinging back and forth wildly as pieces of concrete fall to the ground. Another loud BOOM echoes and I instinctively grab both Ginger and Repeat, throwing them to the ground and sliding so we’re under the nearest surgical table--or at least as under it as we can get.
The roof caves in, and Trent lands in the middle of the rubble, looking as if he’s going to tear someone apart. “EMILY,�
�� he bellows, looking around wildly.
“Over here!” I call, waving a hand. “Take out Shadowman!”
A zapping sound comes from the man in question and I watch in shock as the gun shoots Trent. For a second I see a shock of electricity hit him--and then it stops. So does Trent.
“Kunnins!” Shadowman yells, poking my still boyfriend. “We’re leaving NOW.” He runs out, leaving us in the room. I get up, going over to Trent and poking him. His eyes move, but the rest of him is frozen.
“Everyone grab onto us,” Repeat says, placing a hand on my shoulder. “We’re leaving.”
“What about--um--” Ginger says, looking at the hallway.
“We’ll deal with that after we get out,” I say, placing a hand on Skystep’s leg, my other one going to Trent’s arm. “Let’s just hope I can pull this off,” I say, meeting Repeat’s eyes. We nod, both picturing the all-too-familiar picnic table. I won’t say I’m not inwardly panicking over whatever he did to Trent, but I have to hide it. What if it has long lasting damage? What if he figured out a way to take away his powers?
What if--
“Son of a biscuit eater,” Trent says, shuddering back to life. “What WAS that thing?” he asks, looking at the rest of us. “I could see and hear everything but I couldn’t move!”
“I’m sorry,” Ginger says, looking terrified. “I just--it was--”
“Who are you?” Trent asks her.
“Ginger Hanks,” she says, “MD.”
“What were you there for?” I ask her.
“He’s trying to--oh no,” she breathes out, looking around with a hint of terror. “I have to go back, I HAVE to--”
“Why?” Trent asks.
“Because he has my sons.”
***
“Nico, we’ve got a problem.” Not the words he wants to hear, Nico thinks darkly as he flies over Texas. “We’re at Fifth and second, the smoothie joint we rebuilt last time we came--we’ve got Skystep and Em, but we’ve also got a doctor by the name of Ginger Hanks. The house that held the kidnappers was at 7295 Brooks Street, but Shadowman is working for them, there’s a good chance they pulled out.”
“Shadowman?” Nico repeats, letting out a curse. It’s all too prevalent in his mind how Shadowman was the one that easily killed his mother, Tatiana–or could have. Or--well, let’s just say time travel can get extremely screwy. Regardless, Shadowman has the ability to kill off an S class tank, with enough stealth. “Those sneaky supers are going to be the death of us all,” he mutters, idly thinking that Emily was a perfect example.
“So what do we do?” Trent asks.
“Wait right there for me,” he says. “Get as much information out of the doctor as you can--”
“Nico, Shadowman called the old guy Kunnins,” Emily says over the phone. “Does that mean anything to you?”
“Yeah,” Nico says quietly. “Yeah, it does.” He mentally curses his luck, feeling the urge to break something. He’s going to have to call his old man. If Superior finds out that Kunnins is still alive, he’s going to be extremely irritated with his only son.
“And we have to go back,” Emily says. “They’ve got Ginger’s sons. If there’s even a chance of reuniting them, we need to do it.”
“I’m coming,” Nico says, cutting off the com and taking off towards the smoothie place. Something is nudging at the back of his mind, but he ignores it. He doesn’t have time to figure it out just now.
***
“Quiet.” The single word is enough to send the twins into silence. The old man in front of them has become terrifying to Lee and Michael. He’s like the boogeyman that masquerades as a kind looking grandpa. “Your mother seems to have gotten herself lost,” he goes on, casually leaning back in the large computer chair. The trip to this strange apartment had freaked the boys out even more than he does--they still swear there are dinosaurs in that shadowy area they came through.
“She--” Lee starts, only to shut his mouth again as the old man raises a hand.
“She’ll be back, I’m sure. She’s not likely to want to leave you with us,” Mr. Will says, his hand tightening ever so slightly on the cane in his hand. “Nice place you’ve found us, Shadowman,” he adds to the plain looking man standing behind them.
“Thank you, sir. I doubt the Hall will think to look for us here.”
“Where are we?” Michael asks.
“That’s for us to know and you to find out, boy,” Mr. Will says. “How did my boy make it through the transfer, Shadow?” he goes on.
The boy in question is one the twins have snuck in to see several times. He’s unconscious, and is pretty creepy looking. His skin is so pale that you can see his veins–they’re bulging in places. And every once in a while his eyes start twitching back and forth–seeing that through his eyelids is REALLY disturbing. As far as they can tell, the old man is trying to wake the guy up with the help of their mom.
“The boys say he’s stable, sir,” Shadowman says, leaning against a doorframe and crossing his arms over his chest. “That kid that crashed through the roof--it’s America’s Son’s kid, right?”
“You should know better than I do.”
“Well if it is, there’s a chance that Cape High is involved in this somehow. You didn’t mention that fact to me earlier.” There’s a hint of irritation in Shadowman’s voice that has both twins feeling a little worried. “They might be kids, but they team up better than the adults do.”
“Afraid of children, Shadowman?” Mr. Will asks in a derisive tone. They hadn’t even known what the word “derisive” meant until they met this man. “They won’t be a problem. When you go back for the doctor she’ll come with you willingly.”
“But they won’t willingly let her go,” Shadowman says. “Nico is their principal--he still acts like a super villain, you know.”
“He might act like one, but you really ARE one. Enough of this, go make sure the security here is up to snuff and that they’ve got enough room for Wes and Will. You’re wasting my time just standing here.”
Shadowman stares at him for a long moment before letting out a curse and walking away. For a long moment the room is silent, until, with slightly shaking fingers, the old man twists the cane and slips the wooden cover down, revealing a faintly glowing stick. They’ve seen this happen before, of course, but the stick was glowing more brightly last time. The old man’s hand wraps around the glow-stick, holding on for only a few brief seconds.
The cane closes again.
Lee and Michael look at each other, the same worried expression on their faces. Their mom is gone… that means they’re left here with this psychopath old man.
***
“I want to go back to the house,” I say to Trent. Nico’s coming, so we’re just sitting here on the table. Well, I’m sitting. Skystep is sort of draped over it, looking rather woozy. She keeps staring at Repeat. She glances over at me and then blinks in confusion as Ditto pops into existence next to us.
“One… two… three…” she counts a bit blankly. “That stuff they shot me with was reaaaally strong, wasn’t it?” she asks, swaying slightly.
“No, there are really three of us,” Ditto says almost gently as she walks over. “Can we ask you something? Without attacking, without all of that--did you kill our parents?”
“I--” Repeat starts out, only to be hauled back by me.
“Quiet,” I say.
“I didn’t,” Skystep says, looking her straight in the eye. “I loved Melody. She was my best friend--you might not know it, but villains and heroes aren’t really that different--”
“I do,” I say. “My best friends are the daughters of super villains. But if you didn’t kill them, what happened?”
“Your dad and mom were on a mission,” she says sadly. “There were some missing campers in the mountains in New Mexico--it was a simple thing, one even B class capes like--well, like your parents, could handle. I missed Melody, so I went to pretend to attack them. It was a game,” she says, look
ing close to tears. “I would show up in a way that made her jump and we’d both laugh about it later. I just… it didn’t work out how it should have.”
“There was an avalanche,” I provided as tears start welling up in her eyes.
“I tried to save them, but they shoved the campers at me--one of them made it,” Skystep whispers. “But your parents didn’t. I’m so sorry,” she says, wrapping her arms around me tightly. “I’m so sorry--” she wails.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to let go of her,” I hear Nico say from above. I look up as he drops down from the sky, walking over to us. “My sister might get offended. Now, you must be Ginger Hanks,” he goes on, turning to the doctor. “I’m Technico. I’d like to ask a few questions, but I think they’re best asked at South Hall. If you don’t mind, I can fly you there.”
Ginger hesitates, looking even more worried. “I need to--Mr. Will has my twin sons,” she says. “I need to get them back before he does something to them--”
“We’ve already dispatched a black suit division to the house we found you in,” Nico says.
“I want to go,” I say, “I can teleport over there to make sure--” Ditto grabs me as I start to sway. “What--”
“Too much energy used,” Repeat says before disappearing.
“All that teleporting took it out of us,” Ditto admits before poofing out of existence. I blink as Trent wraps his arms around me, holding me up.
“I was just fine--” I start out.
“You relaxed when Nico showed up,” he says, as if it makes perfect sense. “It happens,” he says, hugging me. “We’re going to have to hand this over to the adults.”
“You can’t tell me that makes you happy,” I mutter.
“Of course it doesn’t,” he says, so sharply that I blink up at him. He looks a lot like his dad does in his serious moments. “They kidnapped my partner--I want to take care of the problem, myself, but they’ve got Shadowman. I don’t know how many people he can transport, Em, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a lot of them--”