by R. J. Ross
“You’ll need a healer, too, right?” Alyssa offers. “I can come with you—”
“No!” Jonas says, making her look over. “I mean—I had to pull out some of the venom from you, too,” he says, hesitating in the face of her enraged look. “You couldn’t process it all the way, you know?”
“Are you trying to tell me what to do?” she demands, her hands on her hips as she stares him down. “Besides, a huge part of my ability is creating the anti-bodies for viruses, and the anti-venom for this sort of thing. It might have affected me the first time, but there’s no way it’ll get me again!”
“Shouldn’t Aubrey be done by now?” he asks, looking at Nico in an almost pleading manner. It’s obvious that he doesn’t want to go head to head with Alyssa. “Maybe she can meet with Skye and Sandra after they get Malina back—and we’re not even sure that Malina’s been taken, right? She might have gotten lost in the… snow?” he seems to question that, especially when he sees all of our faces. “Um, what does Malina do, again?”
“She’s a water manipulator,” I say. “Her getting lost in the snow is like you getting lost in a hospital.”
“Oh.”
Nico hesitates. “Will the venom work on Sandra?” he asks the healers. They look at me, and Jonas even walks over, touching my arm.
“I don’t know,” he admits. “If it does, maybe it’ll take longer to sink in? What do you think, Alyssa?”
Alyssa walks over, touching my arm, as well. She closes her eyes, and I can practically see her trying to do her thing. “I don’t know, either. You’d have to ask Aubrey. Or we could try it out—”
“Just try to find her without confronting Atlanti,” Nico says. “If you do find Atlanti, keep out of sight and call me over the com-link.”
“Can you find Malina by her com-link?” I ask.
“I could… if it hadn’t been busted and tossed,” he says grimly. “She must have stripped her of all of her devices. That’s not a good sign, ladies, so I suggest you move quickly.”
I nod and look at Skye. “Let’s go,” I say. Before I take a step, though, I see a black spot appear in the sky above us. It snaps shut, but another opens a few miles away from where it had been. “What in the—”
“Cosmic,” Nico says before grabbing Jonas and racing off.
“What does Cosmic do, anyway?” I ask.
“I heard once that he opens space portals,” Diamond Dust says. “He was a space patrol officer back before he died. Or… didn’t.”
“Suddenly I’m glad I’m dealing with the octopus lady,” I mutter. “Skye, let’s go.”
“I’m coming with you,” Diamond Dust says.
“Jeanie,” I say, touching my earbud, “can you meet Nico over at Cosmic’s place?” Jeanie’s the definition of “not just anyone,” right?
“Of course, sweetie, is something wrong there?”
“Yeah, we think the octopus lady might have gotten to Cosmic. There are black holes opening and closing in the sky.”
“I’m on my way,” Jeanie says, her tone going serious.
“Skye, have you found her?” I ask, looking over at Skye. She’s got a frown on her face that makes me worried.
“It’s… really hard to find weaker capes in this area,” she admits. “But I’ll do it! I just need to dance harder!”
“Is she wearing any jewelry?” Diamond Dust asks.
I try to think. “Not that I—no,” I say, remembering. “I think she’s got the pendant you made. At least she had it a while back.”
“Then that’s how we’ll find her.”
***
*Central*
“Yeah, this looks like a villain’s hideout to me,” Jack says, sitting on his metal surfboard and looking over the rocky ground below. There’s nothing interesting to be seen. There are a few tufts of dead grass, a speckle of snow that’s rapidly turning gray, and the faint hum of generators.
“A very well hidden one,” Ken agrees. “You should take notes.”
“Nah, when I set up my base, everyone in the world will know where I live,” Jack says. “I’m thinking a metal castle right in the middle of downtown. I’ve already had Ace draw up the blueprints, seein’ as I’ll be graduating sometime soon.”
“That’s a bit too obvious, though, don’t you think?” Ken asks.
“Pan’s place is obvious,” Jack says. “It hasn’t caused any trouble, yet. I figure if it’s nice and easy to find, I won’t have to hunt down the debuting heroes. They can come to me.”
“So you’re still planning on doing debuts after you graduate?” Ken asks, flying slowly over the area, looking for signs of a door. “He must have a door, how else would he have brought in contractors?” he says to himself.
Jack drops off of his board and starts to walk, a thoughtful look on his face as he pauses here and there, and then turns, drawing his foot along the ground in spots. “We’ve got a very nice setup down there, including a pretty complicated air filtration unit. He didn’t get chintzy with the cash, that’s for sure. Have you ever met him, in person?” He doesn’t look up with that question; he merely stops and knocks a few times on a particularly large rock. “Found it.”
“Unfortunately, no, I haven’t had the privilege, although he was how my father retired.”
“Seriously?” Jack says, looking up with a startled expression.
“Reaper is the man to go to, especially for the bigger names in the industry. He had a rather morbid comic book series back in the day, as well. Of course, he always has to remind people of who he is before doing a new job, so they release updated versions once every twenty years, or so,” Ken says as he lands. “But you should never forget that he is officially one of the only villains ever to off a Liberty.”
The door swings back and they both look up at the tall, thin man that opened it. “You two are louder than a church full of gossips,” the man says as he puts a fedora on. “What brings a pair Liberties to my humble abode?”
“This is Sandra’s dad?” Jack says.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Reaper,” Ken says, holding out a hand.
“The feeling is not reciprocated,” Reaper says coldly.
“I take it you’ve heard, then,” Ken says, letting his hand fall.
“You’re trying to adopt my heiress,” Reaper says. “Do you really think I would let that happen? Now that I know that I have one?”
“I think we might be able to reach a compromise, if we sit down and discuss it like adults,” Ken says.
“What, going to offer me weekends and holidays?” Reaper says, looking around before stepping back and revealing the stairway that he’s standing on. Jack looks down, realizing that he’s actually a foot taller than he’d thought. He’s wearing a yellow dress shirt, dark purple zoot suit slacks, and a matching jacket. He even has a tie, striped yellow and purple. The fedora he’s wearing? It’s dark purple with a yellow band. It’s all perfectly fitted to his large frame, as well. The only thing that doesn’t go with his outfit is the dense pressure that surrounds him. He steps back to let them in, his eyes running over Jack’s worn jeans and t-shirt. “You young villains should pay more attention to your appearances.”
“I’ll, uh, remember that,” Jack says, tearing his eyes from the man and heading down the stairs. “It looks like an old fashioned… what were those bars called? You know, during the prohibition,” he says, even more awed. It isn’t his style, sure, but it IS style. It’s so outdated that it’s come back around, he thinks. “A speakeasy, right? Hey, is that your uniform?” he asks.
“Of course not,” Reaper says. “The uniform is traditional, boring, but traditional. Would you care for a drink, America’s Son?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t drink alcohol,” Ken says, “but a glass of water would be fine.”
“I’ll take the same,” Jack says, looking up at the chandelier that hangs overhead. “This place is amazing. Maybe I’ll rethink the whole underground lair thing. It’d make a nice vacation place!”
/>
“I’ve had this place since the twenties,” Reaper says. “Don’t think it’s something you can build overnight, not properly. Now, let’s get straight to the point.” He holds out two glasses of water to them. “I will not let you adopt my daughter into your family line. I’ve already made my intentions known to Mastermental. Your coming here is a waste of all of our time.”
“Do you know what your daughter has been through?” Ken asks.
“I’ve been told that she was one of the… zoo kids,” Reaper says, a stark look crossing his face. “I’ve already made plans on how to deal with it.”
“Plans?”
“Shadowman did it, Shadowman will pay for it,” Reaper says.
“He’s already paying for it,” Ken says. “Nico’s put him to work for the Hall, as a cape finder.”
“So he’s a tool for the capes? That’s not good enough.”
“It isn’t revenge that Sandra needs right now,” Ken says. “She needs love and acceptance. If you’re going to be her father—”
“I AM her father,” Reaper says.
“Yes, you’re her biological father. We’re not arguing that,” Ken says, “but that child has gone through a lot of things—not only the zoo kid ordeal, but growing into her powers was quite an unwanted shock for her. She refused to leave her room for almost a year because she was so conscious of how she looked.”
“She’s beautiful,” Reaper snaps.
“We agree,” Ken says with a little smile, “but we all know, just as she does, that the world won’t see her that way. She’s coming to terms with that, now. You’ll need to be patient, though, because she still has her moments of self-doubt, and she’s far too fond of the illusion watch that Nico gave her.”
“You’re talking like we’ll just hand her over to him, Dad,” Jack says. “I don’t think we should. We saw that video of you two meeting, she didn’t want anything to do with you, mister. And don’t even get me started on her birth mother. She really hates that lady.”
Reaper leads them to a small sitting area, motioning for them to sit down across from him. “I’m not very happy with her mother at the moment, either.”
“You’re… ‘not very happy’?” Jack repeats, stunned. “If my girlfriend hid the fact we had a kid for fifteen years… I’d be a lot more than just ‘not happy.’”
“We’re supers, this sort of thing is expected,” Reaper says, but the twitch in his jaw says otherwise. “Now I really don’t have time for this, so if you two would leave as soon as you’re finished with your drinks, I would appreciate it.”
“Do you have a job?” Ken asks, not drinking.
“I have… personal business to deal with.”
“Can you really travel through the Shadowlands?” Jack asks, since it’s obvious he’s not getting anywhere with the girlfriend line.
“It’s one of the many routes I can take,” Reaper says, his impatience simmering under the surface.
“What else can you use?” Jack asks. “Mirrors? Are there others?” he asks his dad.
“I’m sure there are. I’m not personally experienced in any of them, though,” Ken admits. “Would it include electric lines?” he asks.
“I’ve not tried that one,” Reaper says. “You’re thinking of that new girl, right? What does she call herself…”
“Firefly,” Jack says, dryly. The idea of Firefly being “that new girl” is ridiculous in his mind, but if the guy’s had this place since the twenties, she probably is.
“She’s cute,” Reaper says. “But the idea of sticking my finger into an electric plug just doesn’t appeal to me.” He stands. “Now, I hate to be rude, but since you apparently have no desire to finish your drinks, I suggest you leave, now.”
“We’re not going to let you have her,” Jack says, standing.
“You have no say in it,” Reaper says. “We’re supers. If there’s a blood tie involved, not even the Halls will get involved.”
“They would, in certain cases,” Ken says, “but you’re right; in your case they would prefer to have her connect with her true parents. But you need to understand just how important it is that she stays right where she is.”
“Do you think she would be uncomfortable here?” Reaper asks, holding out his arms to the luxurious underground lair.
“How would hiding her away be better for her? We only just got her OUT of a hidden room.” Jack says. “She’s got friends. She’s going to train under Superior and his son. She’s going to either fight against me or pair up with me in some epic heists, either way it promises to be fun. But she can’t do any of that if she’s hidden away!”
Reaper stays silent for a moment, his eyes glowing dangerously. “Then what would you suggest?”
“You can travel through shadows,” Ken says. “I’m sure the short distance from here to Kansas City is no problem for someone as skilled at travel as you are.”
“Of course it’s not,” Reaper says.
“I’m sure Nico will be more than happy to give you access to the school campus and apartments,” Ken goes on, his smile widening, “and you can get to know your daughter in a place where she feels comfortable.”
“I still think she should move into our place,” Jack says. “Her room is a crap hole. He can visit her at the apartments, which means he wouldn’t have to have access to the dorms—it’s standing procedure to keep adult villains out, just look at Pan.”
“That’s true,” Ken says. “We wouldn’t be adopting her, of course, since she’ll have a family line, but we do have a room prepared.”
“You have two teenage sons,” Reaper says. “Do you really think I’d agree to that?”
Jack looks at him blankly for a moment before starting to laugh. “Have you met your daughter, mister?”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Reaper asks, his eyes narrowing.
“You don’t gotta worry about anything happening, is all. She would beat the living crap out of us if we even thought about it. Besides, we’ve been thinking of her as a little sister since Mom and Dad decided they wanted to adopt her,” Jack says. “And if that’s not enough, both my girlfriend and my brother’s girl live right next door with Firefly. It’s an apartment full of supers. Heck, we could set up a place for you, if you wanted, for a small rental fee, of course. You’d have to come in through the front door, though.”
Reaper looks at his watch instead of answering that. “I’ll consider it,” he says finally. “Now, since your job is done, you can leave.”
“Where are you going?” Ken asks. “Are you going after her?”
“And what if I am?”
“My wife is with her, as is Technico, Superior, and a few others. She’s going to be fine. If you leave Central, you’ll be in more trouble, won’t you?”
“I don’t care,” Reaper says. “My daughter’s safety is more important than what happens to me.”
Ken looks at Jack with a little smile. Jack looks back with a frown. “I was really looking forward to a rocky little sister, you know,” Jack points out; completely uncaring that Reaper is right there. “It would have been a blast.”
“Just because she won’t be your sister doesn’t mean she won’t fight you,” Ken says. “Considering she’s a very promising tank, there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll be working together in the future.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jack says, getting to his feet. “Now all we need to do is stop this guy from doing something stupid, right?”
“Exactly,” Ken says, getting up as well. “Please don’t take this personally, Reaper. We just want you to have the freedom to come and visit Sandra whenever you like.”
“So you’re going to stop me, now?” Reaper asks. His eyes narrow as he gets to his feet as well.
“If we have to, yes,” Ken says. “You really need to have more faith in us Liberties. We’ll be like family, very soon.”
Reaper lunges for the door.
***
*The Arctic Circle*
Ma
lina runs through the snow, knowing that at any moment, Atlanti will get back to where she’d left her and see that she escaped. She has no idea how fast the cape cell escapee is, or what other skills she has other than the venom. It doesn’t help that the venom is affecting her. She staggers, falling onto her knees once again. The snow seems to slosh like water under her touch. She feels herself sinking into it, pulled down like it’s an ocean. But it’s not, she tells herself as she starts swimming upwards.
She wants to go home. She pulls herself up out of the ice, trying to focus. The snow is swirling around her, dancing and forming patterns that it really shouldn’t. She watches as it forms a hand, waving at her. Her own hand comes up, waving back. She can’t just sit here, she needs to…
She wants to go home. She wants to crawl into her bed and sob into her pillow, remembering things that she doesn’t let herself remember during the day. She wants to hear that familiar knock on her door, and then the sound of someone sliding down it to sit, and a soft voice singing a lullaby. Usually she would blush when thinking about how Justin does this whenever he hears her cry, but now she just feels a hot tear trickle down her cheek.
He’s done it for others, she knows, especially the girls. He never goes in, he just sits outside the door singing to calm them down. No one talks about it during the day. Banshee and Blackjack know about it, but they’ve never spoken to him about it, either. In fact, every time he does it, the entire dorm seems to sleep better, regardless of whose door he goes to. He does it for others… but it had started with her.
She watches as the snow starts swirling in an angry manner, and wonders if it would be okay just to take a little nap. No, she tells herself, she has to go back… where was she going?
Her hands shake slightly, but she manages to push herself to her feet. Every step she takes seems to send the venom deeper into her system. All she’d wanted to do was spend time with Sandra. Sandra is going to leave them, soon. She never really felt comfortable with the other zoo kids to begin with, but she IS one. Then again, they’d been forced together by outsiders. If Shadowman had never dragged them away, would they be as close as they are now?