by R. J. Ross
I’m about to yell at Max for that when I notice everyone looking in the sky. I glance over, watching with an inward sigh as the blue, white and red clad hero lands in front of us. Century is huge. I bet he’s a little taller than Dad and Grandpa Superior. I know his jaw is a lot squarer. I bet you could shovel with that jaw.
“I’m here to hear what you have to say for yourself,” he says. Wait. I think I missed part of what he was saying while looking at his jaw. Whoops. “So what, exactly, happened?” he demands, looking straight at me.
“They were trying to mug me. I bent that one guy’s gun, by the way. Him having a gun proves my point, right? I tossed it in the dumpster next to the gas station.”
“I see,” Century says. “They pulled a gun on a fifteen year old boy, huh?”
“And told me to hand over my wallet,” I say in my most injured tone. “We’d just gotten here, we were kicked out of the RV and had no food--it was the middle of the night, you know? So I got stuck going for groceries!”
“You tossed a fifteen year old out of the RV without food in the middle of the forest?” Century asks Panther.
“He’s the child of Lady Rose and Technico,” Pan says, “I really doubt he’s going to die.”
“Lady Rose?” Century repeats, looking a bit surprised. “I should have known that was where you got your powers from. But don’t think you’re off the hook, son. If we don’t find the gun, I’ll be back,” he tells me.
“Well I can’t swear it’ll still be there, I mean someone might have found it between now and then. Of course it’d probably explode, wouldn’t it?” I say. “So if you find someone dead from an exploding gun, that’s it, got it?”
He just looks at me and I can practically see him biting his tongue. “I see,” he says instead. “I’ll inform the suits of that fact. Now--where are the other three?” he asks Pan. “I want to know who to blame for any unscheduled villainous acts.”
“I will be keeping them far too busy for that,” Pan says, “but fine--boys, time to come out.”
“We’re not sure we should,” I hear Ace call from the tree house. Century takes to the air, floating up to the tree house.
“You brought Maximum AND Cold Steel?” Century asks Pan incredulously.
“And Dragon--seriously, people, do I have to wear the dragon head all the time just to get recognized?” Ace complains.
“I had requests to bring Falconess’s daughter, as well, but she’s not come into her powers enough--she’ll be joining us next summer,” Pan says. “Now, if you’re finished with your interrogation, these boys need to get cleaned up and ready for their day of training.”
“Yeah, I need to shave,” I hear Jack say.
“How do you do that, anyway?” Ace asks.
“I’ve got a grinder,” Jack says. “It’s got a full set of attachments, including buffers--I, unlike you, have a girlfriend to look good for.”
“Don’t lie, you’re a total narcissist,” I call up to him, “you just like to look shiny!”
“Shut up, Sunshine!”
“I’m watching you, boys,” Century says. “If one of you steps out of line in my territory, you’re going to be on the nastiest duty I can think of for the rest of your life, got it?”
“He’s going to make us clean Jack’s room, man--NOT cool,” Ace says.
“You might be joking now, but you won’t be when it happens,” Century says before flying off.
Pan lets out a whistle. “ASSEMBLE!” he yells. “Line up in front of me in one second or Century’s threat will sound like a vacation.”
We line up. Even Cubby appears next to me, still eating a piece of toast. “Side by side,” Pan says after just staring at us for a second. We move, standing side by side and waiting for him to speak. He starts pacing in front of us, his hands behind his back like a military general. “I am not here to give you merit badges,” he starts out. “I am not here to teach you to canoe and wrap your boo-boos. This is a super villain camp. You will learn to be proper, accomplished, and entertaining super villains or you will be forced to go hero.”
I see the color leave their faces from the corner of my eye. “Permission to speak, sir?” Max asks.
“You will speak when I tell you to speak, Maximum.” Max lowers his hand. “And while I have not said anything about your precious tree house yet, it does not mean I will allow you to keep it.”
“What? But we--” Jack starts out, only to slam his mouth shut as Pan looks at him.
“The point of this exercise is to take you out of your comfort zones. When you are super villains, you will rely on only yourself! Your base will be made by you! It will be guarded by you! And the first one to say something about minions gets an automatic ten points off,” he says before anyone can open their mouth. “Now, on to the point system--points will be rewarded for style, class, and deviousness. I expect each of you to reach at least one hundred points. You might think that’s easy, but remember, points can--and will be deducted. If I don’t like the expression on your face, I will take away points.”
He walks down the line, taking a moment to look each of us in the eyes. “You can steal points from others,” he says when we just watch him with blank expressions. “This is where your real bases come in. If you manage to break into someone else’s base, you will earn five points. If you have your base broken into, you will lose those five points. And while villain alliances are allowed, you’ll be splitting whatever points you get among the alliance, so I suggest you keep them small--and short. Cubby, you, too, will be building a fort. Don’t underestimate my son. Of all of you, he’s by far the stealthiest in the group.” He looks at me, as if I’m going to argue. I don’t say a word, but I do nod in agreement. “Now, I will allow questions, and then you will begin your base building.”
Max holds up his hand, earning a nod. “What will happen to the tree house?” he asks.
“I suggest you strip it for material,” Pan replies.
“How big do our bases have to be?” Ace asks.
“Big enough that you can sleep and keep your things in them. Oh, and I almost forgot,” Pan says, heading into the RV. He comes out a few seconds later with five boxes. “These are your booty, your stolen goods, or whatever you wish to call them. They will be a way of proving you’ve earned your points from others.” He hands a box to each of us, and we look inside. “Each is worth five points–Sunny, you have two more than the others, thanks to the little trip in town.”
“So... does that mean Sunny’s the best super villain in the group?” Ace asks.
“Sadly, yes. The rest of you are starting out with five tokens, so you’ll have to earn the other seventy five points from me, or steal them from each other. You will need to obtain and keep twenty tokens by the end of the two weeks. These were created by Nico, so I’ll know exactly who has them, and who they belonged to first.”
This actually sounds like a TON of fun. I know the others are thinking the same, because they’re grinning like idiots. Even Ace looks excited. “If you manage to break into their base, you can only steal one token,” Pan goes on, “regardless of how tempting it might be. To cut down on that temptation, I suggest you hide the majority of your tokens somewhere safe and keep only one in base at a time.”
“Can we use our powers?” Jack asks.
“Yes. Don’t destroy the trees or start any fires, though, the last thing we want is Century showing up again. Keep away from norms, as well. If we get found out, we’ll have to cut the exercise short. There will be a cease-fire three times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don’t trust any of you to make sure Cubby’s fed properly.”
“How can we build a fort without trees?” Max asks.
“Use the stuff on the floor or go out and do some shopping, just don’t draw attention to yourself. If you get mugged, well, they approached you first,” Pan says. “Just change your shirts before doing it,” he adds with a pointed look at me.
“I didn’t know it had that on it!” I say
, even though I’ve slipped the shirt back on. I like it, “Sunshine” or not. I feel like a part of the group! And I might sound like a nerd--I would NEVER admit it to the other guys, but I really think they’re the coolest group in the school. Just for a little bit I get to be a part of it, you know?
Then again, who would have thought my bully not so long ago would classify as “one of the cool guys”? I glance over at them, see them glance at each other--and then blink as they all turn and look at me and Cubby, the same expressions on their faces.
“It’s good to see you all realize who the biggest threat is,” Pan says mildly.
Wait, what? “Who, me?” I ask a bit blankly.
“In a forest, who would you think is most dangerous in the group, Sunny?” Max asks pointedly.
“Um, still Ace.”
“City boy, born and bred,” Ace says, raising a hand. “I don’t know anything about trees, and what I don’t know shows.”
“I was born and bred city,” I say.
“But you’re an elementalist,” Max says, “surrounded by--”
“Hey, if he’s too stupid to realize it, don’t tell him,” Jack says. Pan is just watching us with amusement.
I shrug, feeling a little sheepish about admitting this, but I’m a bit too honest, sometimes, “I’m still getting used to them. I mean, I can barely cover a thousand acres--that’s pretty small in farms nowadays, you know?”
“A thousand acres… that’s a LOT of football fields, isn’t it?” I hear Ace whisper to Jack.
“Close to a thousand?” Jack offers, “Not exactly… but close.”
“I want to work with Sunny!” Ace says, raising a hand. “You said we could have temporary alliances, right?”
“He’s my future brother-in-law,” Max says, shoving Ace back, “I get him.”
“Um, actually--” I start out.
“We used to be foster brothers, I get him,” Jack says.
“Actually--” I try again, glancing down at the little boy clinging to my leg silently. Nobody seems to notice, I think with an inward sigh. I lean down, picking Cubby up. He crawls onto my shoulders, wrapping his arms around my forehead.
“I believe he’s already picked his alliance,” Pan says with a slight smile. The other three look at me sharply--before assuming the same sheepish expression.
“Well… that sucks,” Max drawls. “Who wants to be my ally?” The other two look at him and promptly laugh.
“Yeah, right!” Jack says.
“The guy that is STILL selling memberships to my fan-club? I don’t think so,” Ace says. Jack looks at Ace, who just stares at him. I can see him thinking for a long moment, and can almost read his mind as he holds out his hand. “A temporary truce,” he offers.
“A ‘You scratch my back I’ll scratch yours’, huh?” Jack asks.
“Exactly.”
“I am feeling distinctly left out here,” Max complains. “Panther, can we pair up with you?”
“I am the judge for this game. I need to stay impartial.”
“If I fly back to KC and get the little blonde, can I use her?” Max asks a bit desperately.
“NO!” Jack says, looking panicked. “I’m STILL in the doghouse over the donut thing!”
“Then you might consider giving me a hand to keep me from doing it,” Max says, evilly. “Until the bases are done, I propose a truce among all of us--allowing us to trade favors. It can be broken as soon as the last base is finished. Super villains are allowed to do the ‘you scratch my back’ thing, right?” He looks at Pan.
“You’re negating the idea of building your own bases by hand,” Pan points out dryly, “but I’ll admit it does work if you apply the temporary alliance rule--as long as both parties feel they’ve benefited more than the other. You have today to build the bases. If they aren’t finished by the end of the day, all truces are off. Also, five points to Maximum for circumventing the rules with style.”
“One day will be plenty, so fine,” Max says. We repeat him, even Cubby nods. We go our own ways. I’m a bit surprised to see Pan take off first--heading for the base we already built. When he jumps out holding the fire-pit, though, I understand why.
“This is mine, now.” I can’t exactly blame him--that fire-pit is awesome. I bet he plans on taking it home when we’re done and setting it up by the tree swing. It’d make for some awesome parties.
“Think that’s why he insisted on killing our shared base?” Ace asks, not bothering to whisper.
“Probably. Who’s willing to trade for another one?” Jack asks.
“I am!” I say.
“Set me up another floor, would you? I’ll go get the stuff.”
The others jump on it, each arranging for a fire-pit of their own. By the time we’re done, we wind up having to build most of Jack’s base for him. Oh well, I decide, at least I can cook now!
***
“Not exactly what I was hoping for,” Kunnins says mildly for the fiftieth time as he looks around the underground base. The hotel had been excellent--at least it had until Voltdrain started sniffing around. Kunnins scowls as he remembers that little scene. The chances of Herold helping him again are slim to none, and his own reserves are almost completely tapped. He can’t even go back to his old home to see what’s salvageable.
The place they’re in now is one of the government secrets that most of the government doesn’t remember. Underground bases had been set up all throughout America during the Cold War. They were guaranteed to keep even the strongest of supers from noticing them--supers like Tatiana. This one comes equipped with generators, uncomfortable cots, and running water piped from underground and filtered through ancient machines. The water tastes funny, the cots came complete with mice, and the smell is terrible. Sure there are air vents connected to the surface, but they don’t help the staleness enough.
“How is Ginger coming?” he asks one of the huge, muscular male nurses.
“She’s asking for more animals to experiment on,” the nurse replies. “She says she doesn’t agree with experimenting on animals, but it’s either them or the kid.”
“Send someone to the local pet store,” Kunnins says, waving a hand.
“Wouldn’t it be faster just to trap some of the animals up top?” the nurse asks. “We found some traps in the back, the no-kill type. We’ve already got the mice that were living in the cots.”
An ear-bursting shout makes Kunnins’ right eye twitch as the twins race past them, pretending to shoot each other with ancient (and probably not loaded) rifles. The only ones in the group that actually like this place are the twins. They’re the source of the massive headache Kunnins has been fighting for the past week.
“How about you take those two with you?” he says. “They’re already half wild, hunting small animals might be good for them.”
“What if they make a run for it? Try to tell someone about us?” the nurse asks.
“Tell them the moment they step out of sight is the moment you come down here and shoot their mother,” Kunnins says.
“But we need their mother--”
“We don’t need her capable of walking. We’ve got plenty of wheelchairs,” he says in a bland tone. The nurse barely hides a wince at the cold-blooded comment.
“Yes sir. Boys! We’re going animal trapping!” he yells at the two. They stop mid-battle, turning to look at him. “That means fresh air.”
“Let’s do it!” the twins say.
***
So now I’m standing in the area I picked for myself and Cubby, staring up at the biggest tree in the forest with a sense of awe. Look, I know Pan said it should be temporary, and I’m sure Cubby can make his own base--if he couldn’t, Pan would have never told him to. Maybe I should just build him a floor not too far from my own, just so, you know, he’s doing his work, but I know where he’s at. Yeah, that works.
“Hello, beautiful,” I say, heading up to the tree and placing my hand on the trunk. “You’re amazing, did you know that? Wow, wou
ld you feel that life force,” I say, almost to myself as I look at my hand. It’s like a steady flow of warm energy flowing through the huge tree. “Can my little buddy and I spend some time with you? Just for a few weeks, really.”
Look, trees don’t talk. I know that--I’m not crazy, or anything. But if you’re planning on staying in a living thing for two weeks, it’s a bit rude not to introduce yourself, right? I really should have introduced myself to the trees last night, but I would have looked like such a dork in front of the guys.
The tree I’m touching is starting to respond, the limbs are moving gently, slowly shifting to reach for me. Even the most rigid trees start to move when I ask them, or even when I look at them too long, sometimes. The branches move lower, coming down and forming stairs all on their own. “You ready, Cubby?” I ask the boy. Cubby stares in wonder at the tree, nodding almost absently as I tug him along.
The tree slowly stands, leaving us at least fifty feet off the ground. I look around, heading for one of the largest branches and stepping on it. Automatically the branches move either up or down, bunching together to form a floor, walls, and a roof. It forms into a small, cozy little nest right in the middle of the branches. It’s perfect for Cubby to work with. I just need to find another branch for myself and we’ll be good to go. I didn’t realize it would be this easy--I’ve never actually tried this before. Good to know, though!
“Hey! Sunny!” I hear Jack bellow from below. I step out of the place I built for Cubby, going further down one of the branches and looking down. Jack’s got a fire-pit in his arms--it’s different from the ones he built the others, it looks like a ball with holes in the sides. “I figured you’d want even less chance of sparks,” he says, holding it up. The base holding the ball is wide and curved slightly to stand on a branch.
“I appreciate it,” I say as he steps on his metal surfboard and comes up. He hands it to me, looking at the tree curiously.
“I don’t see much difference,” he admits, sounding a bit disappointed.