by R. J. Ross
“Are they the real thing, this time?” Malina asks.
“They’re real.”
“Are you—are you going to keep them?”
“We’re taking them back to the jewelry store,” I say, turning and walking away.
***
“Nicely done, girls,” Nico says as we head for the R.V. in the West Hall’s private parking lot a half hour later. The gems have been delivered and I have my new uniform in a bag, slung over my shoulder. I wanted to leave it here, but Jeanie stopped me. I guess I’m stuck with it. I get into the R.V. without replying, my mind full of other things. Superior is in the passenger seat, and I take a second to touch his shoulder, you know, just in case. He looks at me with a little smile.
“You did good,” he says.
“Thanks,” I say, relieved that nothing happens with the touch. The world is still firmly in place. “I don’t ever plan on coming back here, again.” I take a seat on the couch to the side. Aubrey is sitting there, as well, closer to the front. Jeanie takes a spot in the back, next to Malina. Absently I dig out my phone, planning on getting some gaming in on the trip.
“I think we should arrange for a talk with Reaper,” Jeanie says.
“What?” I say. “That Goth man? Speaking of Goths, where’s Ace? Is he coming with us?” The door closes, and Nico drops into the driver’s seat, starting up the motor.
“He headed home after the first part of the debut. He’s got a gig tonight,” Nico says. “He and Emily are going to fight it out over a toy store.”
“A toy store?”
“Emily spent a month trying to talk him into it—she says killer teddy bears are just too good to ignore.”
“She’s going to traumatize several small children with that,” Malina says. She’s got the pendant that looks like me dangling from her fingers. She seems quite happy, looking at it. Personally, I’m tempted to chuck it out the window.
“I think Mastermental could arrange for the meeting,” Jeanie says. “You should at least test and make sure he’s right, that he’s your biological father.”
“It’s not like I have his powers, or anything,” I say. The group goes quiet, and I stop, looking around. “I don’t, right?”
“Well… you did knock me out,” Superior says. “Are we going to drive all the way to the Arctic Circle?”
“Of course we aren’t, but we do need a bit more space before we go into flight mode,” Nico says.
“You’re kidding me—you’re saying that HE’S the reason that happened?” I demand.
Before someone can respond, I see a face come through the wall next to my chair. “SANDRA!” Skye says, coming all the way through the wall and wrapping her arms around me. “I’ve missed you! Malina!! I’ve missed you, too!” she says before I can figure out how to respond, throwing herself at Malina, next. Malina starts laughing.
“Hi, Skye! We want to be on your team for finding the bad guy,” she says.
“Preparing for lift-off in three, two, one,” Nico says. The RV starts shifting, and I glance out of the window as wings come out of the side of it. “And lift-off,” he says. Nobody even blinks as we take to the air.
“Oh! You mean the job that Nico mentioned! Okay! We will hunt down the nasty man—” Skye starts out.
“Woman,” Nico says.
“The nasty woman!” Skye says without missing a beat. “And we will make her pay for… um… what did she do?” she asks, looking at Nico.
“She poisoned the old man,” Nico says.
“She poisoned Pop?” Skye says, her eyes huge with shock. “Really? HOW?”
“Venom,” Superior says. “Can you find her, Skye?” He turns, looking at Skye, seriously. “Or are you still mad at me and Tatiana?”
“I’m not mad! I just don’t like the crazy eyed lady!” she says. “She brainwashed me! I don’t like people that brainwash me! But… but I don’t like people that poison my pop, either.”
“So you’ll do it?” Nico asks.
“I’ll do it! With Malina and Sandra as my partners!” she says, leaning over to wrap an arm around me as best as she can while still holding onto Malina.
“Good,” Nico says, “because we’re heading straight there.”
“I need to tell Ken and the boys,” Jeanie says.
“I should call Carla,” Malina says. “I haven’t called her since we first headed to the East Hall. I bet she’s panicking by now, especially if they saw all that stuff on HTV. Can they see it, Nico?”
“They have access to all of the HTV branches,” Nico says. “They’ve probably either seen it, or will see it soon.”
“Then we had better call them, now,” Malina says. “We need to tell them before they find out, if possible.”
“Yeah,” I say, “not that I know what to tell them. ‘Oh hey, guys, turns out that my mom is a rock and my dad is a grim reaper’? That’s not awkward at all…”
“Your dad’s a what?” I hear Jack ask. I turn, seeing his face on the screen of the wall. Jeanie must have already made the call.
“Oh yeah, this isn’t awkward at all,” I repeat.
***
*Central Hall*
Mastermental leans forward, looking at the tall man standing in front of his desk. Max is sitting on the couch to the side of the room, but no one pays him any mind. “You realize that the relations between Central and East are strained enough as it is, don’t you?” he says.
“She’s my daughter,” Reaper says. Once again, he’s dressed like a well-paid mobster in a blue and silver zoot suit, complete with a fedora this time. “If someone had informed me that I had a child, I wouldn’t have had to make an unexpected trip.”
“I was just as unaware as you were,” Mastermental admits. “Of course we realized who her mother was once she started to change, but you, well, you can see how it might come as a surprise. Actually, Sandra came as a surprise to us, as well. She was one of the zoo kids.”
“Zoo kids?” Reaper repeats, his eyes widening slightly. “You mean the unknown super children trapped by that norm?”
“Yes. I see you’ve heard of them.”
“I heard of them. You’re saying that my daughter was… put on display like an animal?”
“Yes,” Mastermental says. “She has been going through counseling with America’s Son. He is the one that wants to adopt her.”
Reaper goes silent. “I see,” he says, finally. “America’s Son, Star Spangled—”
“All of them,” Mastermental says, almost gently.
“I can understand where you’re coming from,” Reaper says, “but you need to understand where I am coming from, as well. She is my heiress. She has my blood, she has my powers. I will not let her go that easily, not now that I’ve found her.”
“We will discuss this when the time comes,” Mastermental says. “But as of now, you are officially on Hall house arrest as a super. If you leave Central territory, in uniform, within the next two months, well, you will have to speak before the board.”
“I’m what?” Reaper demands. “Whose stupid idea was that?”
“Marigold says this isn’t the first time you’ve snuck into her territory using your powers. Of course, if you hadn’t appeared on their HTV I would argue it, and win, but you did, so I can’t.”
“He hasn’t had a uniformed gig in ten years,” Max points out. “From what I’ve seen of his file, he makes more money playing Wall Street than he ever would by playing the photo-op game. If you think of it that way, this doesn’t even qualify as a punishment. You’re just giving him a slap on the wrist to irritate Marigold.”
“Be that as it may,” Mastermental says, “it also means that he can’t follow Sandra during her training hours, not without hiring a personal jet.”
“Follow? Where is she going?” Reaper asks.
“She’s going up to the Arctic Circle to train with Superior,” Max says. “The entire school is excited about it, so it’s a big topic on the com-link. But you can’t go there, so don
’t bother asking where it is.”
“Superior won’t be able to train her in reaper abilities,” Reaper says.
“You can speak with Technico about that,” Mastermental says.
“Fine,” Reaper says. “I’ll do that. Where is he?”
“He is… heading to the Arctic Circle, right now,” Mastermental says. “Once he is finished with his work there, you can talk with him. I’m sure he’ll be very interested in hearing from you.”
“Then where’s my daughter?”
“With him.”
CHAPTER NINE
“We are almost finished with bridal gown!” Tatiana says excitedly as she serves the drinks. Marie, Toodles, and Duplicitous are sitting at the dining table. Only Toodles looks a bit awkward, and it has nothing to do with the fact that her legs are swinging because the chair is too tall. “We have invited you both to see them before we bring up the bride. We are wanting your honest opinion, yes? Do not pay attention to all of the hours we have spent. It is not important!”
“In other words, she wants someone to brag to,” Marie says, sipping her coffee.
“I would LOVE to see the dress,” Duplicitous says, smiling widely. “I know you two have been working hard for a while, now. I’m surprised that it took so long to tell us.”
“I’m um, not sure why I’m here, though,” Toodles says. “I have absolutely no experience with weddings.”
“And whose fault is that?” Duplicitous asks, bluntly. “You’ve got a perfect saint of a guy that you work with—”
“He’s my boss,” Toodles says, although she’s blushing.
“And there is no Mrs. Claus,” Tatiana says. “You should make your intentions to be known!”
“You don’t just go up to THE Santa Clause and say, ‘Hey, I like you, wanna go out?’!” Toodles says. “Besides, he’s never seen me as a prospective wife! He’s tall and handsome and powerful, and I’m… short.”
“And adorable, and powerful,” Duplicitous says with a little smile. “Really, Toodles, if Santa didn’t have you, I’m certain that Christmas would NEVER be on time. You need to stop looking down on yourself.”
“Adorable isn’t the same as being attractive,” Toodles points out. “Shouldn’t we be talking about the marriage right now, and NOT my lack of a love life?”
“I do not worry about Nico and Summer,” Tatiana says, “they have already given me grandchildren to dote on. YOU are the one that is needing to give the children to be doting on!”
“I’m not even married! Look at Duplicitous, SHE is married! Why aren’t you bugging her about it?”
“Yes, Felicia! She makes good point! Where are your little ones?” Tatiana says, turning on Duplicitous.
“Wait just a second—” Duplicitous says, holding up both hands. “Toodles is absolutely right—is it hot in here? I think I’ll open a window—”
“We’re in the Arctic Circle,” Marie says dryly even as Duplicitous opens the window. She’s the only one wearing a sweater in the group.
“Someone’s avoiding the subject!” Toodles says, grinning evilly, now that the focus isn’t on her.
“We… well, we’ve tried,” Duplicitous says with a sigh that says she’s giving up. “You all know how it goes—well, maybe you don’t, Toodles, but the birth rate for upper level capes is pretty low. We’ve thought about going to a doctor, but… well, ARE there doctors for our type?” She cups her coffee in both hands, looking down at it. “I’ve always wanted a daughter…”
“Oh, Felicia,” Tatiana says, her expression falling. “I am so sorry, I did not know it was sensitive subject. But! We will call my son! He will know what to do!”
“What, because he has twins?” Duplicitous says. “I don’t think he—”
“No, no! I mean, because he is knowing doctors and healers!” Tatiana says. She gets up, not even looking over as Duplicitous jerks and a confused expression crosses her face. A second later, even as Tatiana is tapping on a panel on the wall, Duplicitous slumps to the ground, unconscious.
“Duplicitous?” Toodles says, getting out of her chair and crossing over to the other woman. “Duplicitous?” she shakes the fallen woman, trying to wake her up. “Tatiana—” She stops, feeling something hit the side of her head. Her hand comes up, touching the spot.
“Felicia!” Tatiana says as Marie gets up and runs over.
“What just happened?” Marie asks, looking at Toodles, who has a strange liquid on her fingers. Without even bending her knees, Toodles falls flat on her face. “Tatia! It’s an atta—” Marie gets hit, and falls far more quickly than the other two had.
Tatiana’s expression darkens and she flies through the open window. She looks around, trying to find the attacker, but she doesn’t see anyone. “SHOW YOURSELF!” she bellows. In the distance she hears ice cracking from the noise. She ignores it. Something twitches below her, and she dives, slamming into the octopus woman straight on. “You dare to attack my home!” she roars, going straight through the ice with her hand around the woman’s throat. “You dare to attack my friends! I will not accept it—”
“I’m—” the octopus woman says, gasping. Her hand wraps around Tatiana’s wrist, and the liquid venom coats Tatiana’s flesh. Nothing happens. She shifts, turning into an octopus and slipping out of the hold as much as she can. Every time she gets free, though, Tatiana grabs another part of her. She tries to fight back, wrapping her many tentacles around the larger woman, but it seems to have no effect. It DOES get her mouth close enough to bite, though.
Tatiana slows, her hold on the octopus lightening before letting go entirely. There she falls, buried deep within the snow. Atlanti shifts, taking her humanoid form again and looking at the woman. “This isn’t personal,” she says. “You’re just in my way.” She climbs out of the hole, slowly, wincing as her body heals. Even if she has no bones in her octopus form, it still feels like all of them were broken. Her entire body is one massive bruise. She pulls herself out of the hole, panting a bit.
She looks at the large ice mountain, seeing the windows and curtains that decorate it. This is the reason the ice is melting, she thinks as she heads for it. Even the supers are helping to kill the planet.
She goes through the door, looking around for a moment, certain that she missed someone. When she hears nothing, she heads in.
***
“So…” Jack says, after ten minutes of explaining everything that happened in the West branch, “not only are you a walking statue, you’re also a grim reaper?”
“I doubt it,” I say. “I think he was just making things up.”
“How is it you can be cooler than I am?” he demands, looking irritated. “Hey, you can NOT go villain, got it? I’d lose all of my fans to you. This is absolutely unfair!”
“Jack, that’s not very supportive of you,” Jeanie scolds him.
“Yeah, okay, fine, you’re awesome, there, I said it. Who IS Reaper, anyway? I’ve never heard of the guy.”
“He’s a specialist,” Nico says. He stops as something beeps, and waves a hand. “What’s up, Mom?” he says, only to frown. “Mom?”
“Are you sure it was your mother calling?” Superior asks.
“Do you really think I would get something like that wrong?”
“She probably dialed by accident, then,” Superior says. “She’s been so obsessed with the wedding that she’s been a bit distracted.”
“Mom? Mom, are you there?” Nico says. “I don’t like it. I’m going to speed up.”
“Won’t North Hall notice us?” Jeanie asks.
“If they do, well, we’re just passing through,” Nico says. “Mom? Are you there?” he asks.
“Your mother can handle herself,” Superior says.
“We thought you could, too, but we all saw how that wound up,” Nico says darkly.
“So… do you get a scythe?” Jack asks.
“No,” I say. Of course I really have no clue, but right now I don’t care. “Even if I did, it’s not like I would
show people. If I have to go on television for everyone to watch, I’ll just stick with the stuff I can’t hide—like being a gargoyle.”
“Hey, if you got it, you should flaunt it,” Jack says. “Dad’s been busy this weekend, or else we’d come out there… wherever you are, that is. I can come, though, if you want me to.”
“We’re heading for the Arctic Circle. What’s Da—what’s Ken doing?” I ask.
“He’s being followed around by this idiot from the West Branch, named Crashtastic,” Jack says. “He’s out to try and become an actor in the next Liberty movie.”
“Huh, sounds annoying.”
“It is,” Jack says. “Hey, why didn’t you all use Aubrey’s teleportation watch? You’d get there a lot faster, right?”
“Even with both of the watches, we still wouldn’t have been able to bring the R.V.” Nico says. “I’m not leaving this to Marigold, she’d have it reverse engineered within a day. We are now entering the Arctic Circle, everyone, so expect some turbulence.”
I look over at Skye, noticing for the first time that she’s been suspiciously quiet for the past ten minutes. I only know her a little bit, but it strikes me as strange. She looks up, clearly noticing me looking, and pastes a smile on her face. “I can’t wait to work with you, Sandra!” she says. “Then you can move down to Texas with us and join our Deadly Darlin’s! You’ll fit RIGHT IN!”
“I don’t want to move to Texas,” I say, but now that I know that Reaper guy lives in Central, I’m not feeling quite so averse to the idea.
“Oh, come on, you’ll like it! We have our own pool and everything!”
“Do I look like I can swim?” I say.
“Oh,” she says. “That could be a problem, huh?”
“You think?” I say.
“We’ll get you floaties!” she declares, rebounding far too quickly.
“No, thanks,” I say. “I really doubt that will work. Are you okay?” The question slips out before I can stop it. She blinks, looking confused.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” she asks.