by R. J. Ross
“You had better not fall for--”
“Adanna?” I say.
“Yes?”
“Quit trolling me.”
“But it’s so easy!” I smile slightly as she laughs before going on, “Your mother is worried about you. You really should answer her calls.”
“She’s going to ground me,” I mutter, “and Dad’s going to take his belt to me or something--what DOES a super dad do to a kid that causes something like this?”
“Well, I got time out a lot as a child,” she offers.
“He won’t beat you,” Pan says from behind me. I jerk, turning to look at him--and stare blankly. I swear that’s one of Dad’s t-shirts. I’ve never seen Pan in anything less than semi-formal. I think he thinks that t-shirts should always have a very expensive brand somewhere on it--and need to be dry-cleaned or something. But here he is with a T-shirt that has a silhouette of Falconess on it. It has the saying “Fly-by-Night Delivery” across it. I bet Mom chose it--I really doubt she wants Dad running around with a picture of Falconess on his chest. For that matter, I doubt Amara wants that for Pan. I think I’ll avoid mentioning that fact.
“Yeah? What will he do?” I ask. I’ve never actually gotten in trouble with my Dad before--at least not on this big of a level. I’ve only known him for a little over a year, after all.
“He’ll force you to do community service, which, apparently, you’ve already chosen for yourself,” Pan says with a slight smile. “Hello, Adanna, it’s good to hear your voice,” he adds.
“Yours as well, Papa! How are they doing?” Adanna asks. Neither of them speak louder for this--they don’t need to. I shrug at Pan as someone yells for me. I motion in the direction and he nods, walking alongside me as he shoves his hands into his jean pockets.
“Your boyfriend caused a small earthquake,” Pan says mildly. “Other than that, the other three are very much a ‘three stooges’ type setup, and Cubby is enjoying himself thoroughly.”
“That’s great,” Adanna says in a happy tone. She’s sort of a daddy’s girl, but I don’t mind. She doesn’t mind me going out on weekends with Mom, I don’t mind her spending her spare time training with her dad. I pick up whatever it is they tell me to pick up, glancing over at Pan once in a while. There are certain types of supers that get a stronger reaction from norms. Tanks get a huge reaction--they get avoided or stared at in wonder. I’ve heard the same thing happens to Vinny, which makes sense since he’s part fire. Humans are instinctively nervous about fire they’re not controlling. They’re equally antsy around large cats.
Yeah, you follow me with that one. I just called Pan a large cat--one that walks like a man. When he’s in cat form I figure he’s a large man that walks like a cat, or something. That’s about the only way I can explain it, really. I don’t think he’d be offended by that description. Humans usually come second in his mind, with only a few exceptions. Even Dad admits that, and they’ve been best friends since before I was born.
“Sunny,” Pan says, forcing me to look over, “Adanna just asked you a question.”
“Oh, sorry, I was just thinking,” I admit sheepishly.
“Don’t worry, Papa, Sunny has that habit,” Adanna says. “I think he falls asleep while pretending to be awake.”
“I’m not asleep! Well, not completely,” I add, ever honest. “I was just noticing how your dad terrifies most of the guys around us, and they don’t even know why.”
“I would hardly call it ‘terrifying,” Pan objects. “I merely make them somewhat nervous.”
“Somewhat,” I repeat dryly. “Adanna, tell Mom that I had a little accident, but I’m cleaning it up properly,” I tell her. “And you never told me what you were thinking.”
“About the Texan girls?”
“No, before that.”
“Oh… um… well…” she says, sounding oddly hesitant. I’m not used to hearing that from my girlfriend. “There’s a… gathering after you get back, but you would have to dress up, and I’m planning on inviting Carla, Rocco, and Brandon--”
Carla, Rocco, and Brandon? I blink at the names, since I’ve never actually seen Adanna talk to any of them. In fact, I’ve never even SEEN Brandon--he’s invisible like, ninety percent of the time. “What sort of gathering is this?” I ask when she starts rambling a little.
“It’s called ‘Capes of Ethnicity,’” Pan says. “It’s a small gathering of African American capes. It’s become something of a tradition. It’s a… support system for the newer capes, whether they’re hero or villain. Personally I think it’s just an excuse for a party.”
I stare at him a bit blankly. None of us are going to point out the pink elephant in this conversation. Honestly, who cares? My girlfriend is actually asking me out on a date! Wait-- “Brandon’s black?” I ask. “I mean, how do you even KNOW? You never see the guy!”
“I saw him once,” she says. “But really, I think we bring in more ethnics, since it’s ‘Capes of Ethnicity’--Papa, can I invite Jimmi? She’s Hispanic.”
“I don’t mind,” Pan says. “I’m sure your mother will enjoy meeting her.”
“Vinny’s Italian!” I say cheerfully. “And I’m pretty sure there are others in the zoo kids--hey, I know! Let’s have it at the school! I mean, unless you already have a place--”
“I’ll discuss it with everyone,” Pan says. “But you do realize that Italian is considered white, right?”
“I think we should rename it ‘Capes of ALL Ethnicity,’” Adanna declares. “I heard one of the zoo kids say that Lance is part Native American. There’s no reason we shouldn’t-it makes more sense to segregate by whether someone is hero or villain!”
“I’m not the one that came up with it,” Pan drawls. “But regardless, it’s good to support--” he stops and we both turn, watching as a man walks through the mess with a cage in his hand. The cage is nearly overflowing with guinea pigs. Not only that, I notice, but the man doesn’t even seem to notice all the people working at cleaning up. He looks familiar…
“Sunny? You can finish your community service later,” Pan says silently. “We’re following him.”
“Who is he?” I ask.
“The same man that was in the woods earlier--the one with the twins.”
“What’s with all the guinea pigs?” I ask blankly.
“That’s exactly what I was wondering.”
***
“And that is how I defeated Century, himself!” Skystep declares, jumping on top of the RV and posing dramatically. “THAT is how you be a super villain,” she goes on, pointing at each of the teens (and even at Cubby.) “You had better be taking notes,” she snaps when they just look at each other blandly. “Get your paper and pens!”
“She’s completely and utterly--” Ace starts out in a whisper. Max holds up a hand, stopping him before he finishes.
“What’s that metal piece down there for?” Skystep asks, pointing at the sheet with a curious look on her face. Either she didn’t hear him, or she didn’t notice. Either way all the boys let out a sigh. This was SUPPOSED to be a time of training to be super villains (although they’re already acting villains--the chance to learn from Panther is far too good to pass up!) Instead, they’re babysitting one of the most insane capes in the world.
“I patched a hole,” Jack says.
“In the ground?”
“Yeah,” he says.
“Was there anything down there? Like dinosaur bones?”
“There was a really thick slab of concrete about ten feet down,” Jack says, earning dark looks from Max and Ace. “Seems a bit strange, you know, considering this is a park, right?”
“A national forest,” Max says. “It’s a lot more than just a park.”
“Yeah, well someone should complain. They’ve been doing construction underneath,” Jack says.
“Concrete?” Skystep repeats, a strange look on her face. “I wonder…” She looks at them, a serious expression on her face before she says, “Maybe it’s a secret base!�
�� Before they can reply she sinks into the ground, leaving them behind.
“What if there’s nothing down there?” Ace asks after a long moment. “Think she’ll suffocate or something?”
“I have no idea,” Max says, dropping a hand on Ace’s shoulder, “but if she dies, it’ll leave a job opening perfect for you down here! We’ll miss you, man,” he adds dramatically, pulling Ace into a full out hug.
“Either you’re looking for my badges or you really miss your girlfriend,” Ace says, “neither of which will get you anywhere,” he adds, slamming a fist into Max’s gut as hard as he can. Max grunts and let go.
“Trent hits a LOT harder,” he points out. “He doesn’t carry them on him, Jack, so we’re going to have to find them.”
“Good to know,” Jack says, still frowning down at the metal patch job. “You sure we should have let her go?”
“Can’t exactly stop someone like that--even Pan didn’t,” Max says.
“I vote we go after her,” Ace says.
“Sounds good,” Jack says as the metal plate pulls away from the hole, “let’s do it.”
“Wait, who takes care of Cubby while we go down?” Ace asks, stopping the others. As a group they turn and look at the little boy.
“Rock, paper, scissors?” Jack asks.
***
This is an education in itself, I think as I jump into yet another tree. We followed the man all the way from the city--from the rooftops. Pan can’t fly, you know? But it doesn’t seem to matter; the guy deserves the title of absolute master of parkour. I’ve never seen someone move this smoothly and silently, all the while jumping seriously long distances from building to building. We reached the edge of the forest just a few minutes ago. Trees seem even more comfortable to Pan than rooftops did.
I’m actually learning from just watching him. I didn’t think it was possible, but I can see just how he shifts his weight with each jump. All I have to do is copy that movement--which didn’t work the first four or five times. Thankfully we’re following a norm. He doesn’t hear me when I land wrong. The trees, though, are a lot easier for me thanks to my ability. The big problem is that they keep trying to move to accommodate me, which makes a lot of noise. I have to mentally tell them NOT to move.
I see Pan glance back at me, a slight smile on his face as he nods. Score--I got approval! Adanna will be proud. She hung up when we told her we were following someone, saying that I need to focus on the task at hand. I get the feeling she doesn’t think much of my concentration. I don’t see why, I’m perfectly fine at concentrating--
I blink as a hand blocks me from moving forward, realizing with a bit of surprise that Pan’s already stopped. When did that happen? He points forward and I watch a bit blankly as the norm crouches down, pulling open a trapdoor that I hadn’t noticed was there. He heads inside, going down what sounds like concrete steps. The trapdoor swings shut again.
I look at Pan, who looks back at me. “So… um… I really doubt that he’s their dad,” I say quietly.
“He might be,” Pan says, “but something tells me that it’s not a family friendly camping trip. Now let’s get back to camp, Cubby is going to want lunch soon.”
“Shouldn’t we follow him in?” I ask, mentally noting where the door is. “See what he’s doing? I don’t really care about the guinea pigs, but he’s up to something, right?”
“He is,” Pan agrees, “and we will--when it’s not the middle of the day. I work best at night.”
“Yeah, okay,” I say, following him reluctantly to the campsite. The sight of Ace, Max and Jack doing a heated game of rock, paper, and scissors makes me stop and stare at them blankly. Cubby is just sitting there to the side, sharpening more small sticks with the knife that Jack made him. He looks up as we come and jumps to his feet, racing to hug Pan.
“Papa!” he says happily as Pan swings him up in the air.
“Where’s Skystep?” Pan asks the others as he hugs his son.
“She went down,” Ace says, pointing at the hole in the ground, “to see what’s past the concrete.”
Pan groans. He looks at each of us, his eyes finally landing on Jack. “And would you mind telling me why you told HER and not me? You might not have noticed, but she’s pretty much unhinged.”
“We noticed,” Max says. “It’s just, well, she asked,” he finishes, shrugging. “We didn’t think she’d actually go down.”
“Obviously she would,” Pan says, sighing. “As easy as it would be to leave her to her fate, let’s get going.”
“Don’t you think breaking through that much concrete might risk bringing attention to ourselves?” Ace asks.
“Of course it would. That’s why we’re going through the door--”
“I don’t think so,” a strangely familiar voice says. As a group we turn, watching as a man steps out of a shadow on a tree. “Hello, Pan, been a while,” Shadowman says.
“Not long enough,” Pan says, his stance changing.
***
She LOVES it, Skye decides as she wanders happily through halls. This is the perfect base for her! There’s even electricity! And she swears she hears water going through some of the pipes lining the walls. It has a total ‘dark and mysterious secret base’ feel to it, one that will suit her to a tee! She wonders, though, if it’s in the super villain shopping market. Doubtful, she admits. If it were on the list, she would have seen it in the Super’s Buyer Guide. Oh well, she decides, dealing with those strange people in three piece suits and too-wide smiles (real estate agents, for those that don’t speak Skye-ese) is too much to ask of her. She’s a super villain. She’ll just TAKE the base!
She stops as she hears footsteps, a bit shocked. It had completely slipped her mind that people might actually be down here already! No, she’d already been planning on where to put her weapons collections! Not that she actually USES weapons most of the time, but every super villain is supposed to HAVE them! Giant bombs and weapons of mass destruction--all those goodies!
She’s so busy thinking about her weapons and toys that she’s just standing there, pressed against a wall, as two twin boys stop in front of her. For a moment she looks at them blankly, wondering where they’d come from. One of the boys holds out a half-eaten candy bar to her. “Want some?” he asks. “We found a TON of them--they’re ancient, but they still taste...”
“Like crap,” his brother supplies.
“Well, yeah,” the first says. “Are you working for the old man?”
“No,” she says, slowly relaxing. “I’m secret base hunting,” she tells them.
The two look at each other, silently communicating. “So... You’re like, a super villain or something?” one asks.
“Yes.”
“What’s your name?”
“Skystep.”
“What’s your power?”
“I can phase through matter,” she says, just falling into their pace, especially as they started getting enthusiastic.
“That’s so cool--” one said.
“It’s sort of like Shadowman, though--” the other said.
“I am FAR better than that hack!” Skye declared vehemently. “I don’t need any shadows whatsoever!”
The two look at each other, nodding before they grab her hands. “Hey, can you take OTHER people with you through stuff?” one asks, ever so innocently.
“Of course!”
“Can you help us and our mom leave?” they asked seriously, speaking in tandem.
“I... guess?” she offered. “Why you’d want to leave this amazing base, I’ve got no idea--but I’ll only do it if you give the base to me!”
“Deal!”
CHAPTER SIX
It’s so wrong to want a bag of popcorn right now. Really, just the sight of Shadowman and Panther circling each other is straight out of the movies--two super villains going toe to toe--this is like, legendary! Except it wasn’t scripted, and there’s a very real chance that someone could get hurt. If it was just Shadowman that would
get hurt, I wouldn’t care, but there’s a chance Panther could be.
“I was wondering what teenage super villains were doing here,” Shadowman says in a casual tone, although his fists are up and he looks like he’s expecting an attack at any moment. “To think there would be an actual big-name super villain here, as well! What is this, some sort of daycare?”
“It’s a summer camp,” Max says, taking to the air. “You’re interrupting our training, Shadowman. I could have sworn I told you we would take you out completely the next time we saw you.”
“Do you really think I remember something so unimportant?” Shadowman asks. “But I seem to be at a slight disadvantage--or not,” he says, slipping back into the shadows of the trees and disappearing entirely.
“Get to the top of the trees!” Pan bellows. We shoot up, but I’m the slowest since I can’t fly. I feel a hand wrap around my ankle as I jump to the nearest tree branch, and am pulled down. I slam to the ground face first, the air knocked out of me. “SUNNY!” Pan bellows from above.
I get to my feet as the hand holding my ankle lets go. I look around, my hands in fists as I try to find him. He could be anywhere--how am I supposed to find--
There, I think, bringing up one hand by instinct. The tree Shadowman is about to step out of moves, slapping him hard with all of its branches. I hear him curse and feel him leave the tree. My eyes close, since looking isn’t getting me anywhere. I focus on the trees and ground.
He’s below me. I jump up and come straight down with a fist, hitting the top of his head as he starts to come up. I hear him curse as he sinks back into the shadows.
“What IS that kid?” I hear him demand from the top of a tree. I open my eyes, looking up at him.
“Technico and Lady Rose’s son,” Panther says before launching off his own tree and slamming into Shadowman in full panther hybrid form. He’s massive in this form--almost as big as Taurus’s Minotaur.