Super: Underground: Book 2 in the Super: Series

by Palladian

  “Yeah, that’s me,” Lex admitted, rubbing the back of her head.

  Sarah looked at Rachel with a smile, and Lex watched as the blonde’s hand seemed to unconsciously move over to link with the redhead’s hand. Lex had to smile, as well.

  “So,” she asked, “how long have you two been together?”

  Sarah looked at Lex in surprise, but Rachel looked wary instead. “Why? Do you have a problem with it?”

  Lex laughed. “No, I just asked because the two of you seemed so comfortable, and then when you started holding hands, well…” Lex broke off to smile at them as Sarah smiled back. Rachel still looked a little suspicious, though, so Lex continued. “If anything I’m probably a little jealous since I don’t have anyone of my own.”

  Rachel raised an eyebrow, her suspicious look having evaporated. “What, a beautiful lady like you?”

  Sarah elbowed her with a smile and Rachel grinned as she looked back at her girlfriend, a familiar game. Lex responded, “My fiancé dumped me a few months ago and I guess I haven’t really been interested in looking for another guy since then. Too much else going on, anyway.”

  “His loss,” Rachel said with a smirk as she linked hands with Sarah again.

  The three of them talked for a while about the upcoming tour before Sarah and Rachel decided to go upstairs and get some dinner. Lex followed them but continued going up the stairs after a glance in the living room, wondering where Riss and Victor had gotten off to.

  She found them in one of the upstairs rooms. Riss sat in front of the monitor for a desktop computer near the door; she looked up at Lex and gave an almost invisible smile before going back to her work. Victor crouched near another man who sat on the floor, a thin blond with shaggy hair that stuck up on one side. He wore a big smile and a white shirt that proclaimed “E=mc2”above an oil stain, and some jeans with holes in the knees. Victor and the blond both glanced up when they realized that Lex stood in the door.

  “Hi, I’m Lex,” she introduced herself as she squatted down near the two men. “You must be Luke.”

  The blonde held out his hand and shook Lex’s vigorously, his grin now nearly taking over his face. Lex looked down at her feet to see some little robots crawling or rolling around on the floor. Victor looked at her, halfway smiling, then went back to tinkering with the robot he had in hand.

  “I’m so glad you guys came by,” Luke said, gesturing to Victor. “I’d been having trouble with this one and couldn’t figure out why, but it looks like Victor can fix it.”

  Lex laughed. “He can fix everything, as far as I know,” she replied, giving Victor a sidelong look and a grin, both of which he met.

  She sat cross-legged on the floor for a while and watched while Luke showed her his robot collection, explaining how he’d made each one. Finally, Lex asked, “So, is this the kind of thing you do for work?”

  He shrugged. “Well, sometimes. I got tired of just teaching robotics lab and wanted to do things a lot more cutting edge. I’m still on the faculty, but now I do a lot of movie work, too, building robots to support films. I’ve also started working with some colleagues in Japan on a couple of projects. The work they do with robots over there is just amazing.”

  Luke became distracted as Victor closed up the robot he’d been working on, then turned it on and put it back on the floor. The little robot began moving across the floor in a serpentine fashion.

  “See? That’s why I was having so much trouble fixing it, I think. I couldn’t figure out where it got stuck inside,” Luke concluded, eyes glued to the little figure sliding across the rug.

  Lex remained there for a while longer, watching the mini-robots until Luke told her she could pick them up. After playing with a couple of them, she ended up leaving when the two men got into a deep discussion on some of the technical specs of one of the more complex robots, similar to a new project Luke had begun. She stopped by Riss’ side for a moment before she left the room.

  “Hey there,” Lex said, watching the multitude of windows Riss shuffled through. She turned away from the screen before she started to feel dizzy and looked at her friend instead. “How’s it going?”

  Riss stopped for a moment to look up at Lex and grin. “Pretty good. Luke told me his computer was acting funny, so I decided to take a look at it.”

  Lex smiled back broadly. “That’s very nice of you,” she replied, holding back a laugh.

  “That’s just the kind of person I am,” Riss replied as she turned back to the screen, tiny smile in evidence.

  Lex made her way back downstairs a short time later, heading for the kitchen to see if anyone had brought dessert, and ran into Laura.

  “I think I’ve met everyone I didn’t know before,” Lex said, and Laura looked up at her and smiled.

  “Good. I hope they’re behaving themselves?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Lex laughed. “Everyone seems to be getting along, if that’s what you mean,” she replied, looking behind her in the direction of the living room to see Eddie, Lou, Casey, Sarah, and Rachel having an animated conversation.

  “I’m glad. So, how do you think we’re going to do on the road together for a few months?” Laura asked, laughing when she noticed Eddie make a point that included some of the beer he was drinking sloshing out onto his empty plate.

  “We’re going to have a great time,” Lex affirmed with a smile, knowing she meant it. “If the four of us could stand being in each other’s company for months in a small metal box for a lot of the time, it should be even better to have some other people along. That way, we can switch up riding arrangements for a while if someone isn’t getting along.”

  “Good point,” Laura said, nodding now. “I think you’re right.”

  The members of Alexander’s Army hung out until sometime after midnight, then made their way back to the hotel to get some sleep so they’d be ready for their first show the next night.

  Backstage the next day, Lex couldn’t believe how nervous she felt. It seemed like the first time they’d played out all over again, so she took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself. She looked over at Kate unpacking her guitar. Kate gazed at the instrument for a moment before she put the strap on and settled it over her shoulder. Suddenly remembering that the guitar was the only thing Kate had left of her fiancé, Lex felt ashamed. If Kate can be this calm at the prospect of our first really big show, I can too. The feeling cemented itself a few seconds later as Lex looked over at Riss, wearing her usual cool look but with a sizzling undercurrent of energy, and then at Lou, who gave Lex a grin as he hefted their speakers to carry them onstage.

  “Knock them dead tonight,” he told her in an undertone as he passed by.

  Lex couldn’t say afterwards if she’d knocked anyone dead other than herself; the show had gone by so fast and had been so loud and full of color that she found it hard to recall. However, Lex could clearly remember the whole band breaking into their first song, one of the ones off the new album.

  Five million years I walked alone in darkness

  Ten million days were dead when I arrived

  Four thousand excuses I once used to give

  Until I realized that I’m still alive

  And now I see you

  I know you now, there’s nowhere you can hide

  I wanted you to understand me once

  Now I know you’ll never cross that divide

  The song started off almost at a whisper, but by the time they ramped up to the chorus, Kate’s guitar had begun to wail, Lou’s bass drove the rest of the song on harder, and the rhythm Riss had built continued pushing the sound to a peak. Once the band got to the end of the song, Lex felt exhausted. Looking down at the stage she heard nothing but silence, but as she raised her head, getting ready to move on to the next song, the audience burst into cheering and applause. Lex smiled then and chanced a brief look at her bandmates, who appeared surprised but pleased.

  She’d been glad to help pack the equipment back in the van an
d just watch the next two bands. Jacob’s Hammer had a very bass- and synth-driven sound, while Rachel liked to play a lot of unique leads. Lex couldn’t decide whether she liked Sarah’s melodic alto or Jack’s deep, growling voice better because each of them sounded like a perfect choice on each of the songs they sung. Once off stage, however, Rachel and Sarah joined Lex and Riss inside the club to listen to End of the Road. Sarah and Riss had gotten deep into a conversation about synth modules and control equipment when their other friends began to play.

  The soul of End of the Road seemed to be Laura’s soaring soprano vocals and Eddie’s intricate guitar work, but the rhythmic bass parts and drums somehow managed to hold it all together. Lex found herself almost holding her breath as Laura began singing one of the songs she’d really liked when they’d heard the band the last time they were in town.

  Visions claiming what’s left of my mind

  Clarion charming many crowds untold

  Silently sharing warmth of lives releasing

  Wander far alongside foreign shores

  You were my original confusion

  Taking far more than remaining time

  Whether or not fledglings fly much farther

  Changing into something all of mind

  When they all met up outside as the last two bands packed their remaining gear into their vans, Lex noticed that everyone couldn’t seem to stop smiling.

  “So,” Casey finally said, “how about we do all of this again tomorrow?” Laughter rang out as the band members finished loading their vans and then headed off to their respective beds.

  For the first week or so the shows had been scheduled in Los Angeles or the nearby suburbs, and Lex felt glad that all of the band members seemed to want to spend time together when not at a show. It turned out to be a boon to have Victor with them, since the show venues had been bigger than those they’d played at the last time they’d toured, which usually involved a central sound board to manage. From the first show they’d played together, Riss, Lex, and Lou had known that Kate had been a great addition to their sound and their live presence. As Victor pointed out, however, the fact that Kate seemed to be in love with her leather top didn’t hurt at all. Lex had felt her face flame as he’d pointed that out, but Kate had just howled with laughter.

  “Hey, if it sells more CDs or more tickets, I’m all for it,” Kate had replied once she’d finished wiping her eyes.

  On the night of the last Los Angeles show, Lex had gone backstage to grab some gear to take out to the van when she spotted Kate and Jack in a dark back corner kissing. She looked away as she felt her cheeks heat up, but couldn’t help smiling for her friend. Still, Lex couldn’t stop herself from saying something to Kate as she stood beside her friend in the club a while later, watching the stage as End of the Road offloaded their gear.

  “So, I guess you and Jack are an item now?” she asked, smiling at Kate.

  Kate raised an eyebrow at her, moving away a step. “You don’t approve?” she asked, her voice soft.

  Lex shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not up to me to tell you what to do,” Lex said, turning to look at her friend. “I’m just…well, you know how things are for us.”

  Kate looked grim for a moment, then smiled. “Believe me, I know. I’ve told him that this isn’t a serious thing, and he agreed to it. I didn’t want to give him any false ideas because…well, I know how it is.”

  The two of them looked back out at the stage for a moment, then Lex glanced back at her friend. “I figured you’d probably say something like that. Excellent choice, by the way.”

  Kate returned Lex’s look with a sly smile. “I agree. I’m surprised you didn’t hook up with him when you were here earlier.”

  Lex shrugged and glanced away. “I feel like I’ve kind of lost my taste for it after my fiancé, but really I guess it’s just because all of this has been on my mind that I haven’t even considered it, you know? Maybe I’ll get used to it someday and find someone else.”

  “You’d better,” Kate replied, smiling at her friend again. “I’m going to find someone for you if you don’t.”

  They moved on the next day, heading north first, then planning to go south again after hitting San Francisco and its suburbs. They followed a route along the inside of the state and stopped at a number of the larger cities along the way, usually playing a couple of places in the area before moving on. They also played at a number of smaller towns as well. On the way back down the state, they planned to hug the coast and hit some different towns.

  Riss had brought their digital video camera on the road, which Casey had been using to document some of their songs at the shows, and used her cell phone to get still shots. Riss then updated their web page daily with links to new videos, new photos, and the dates of their next shows. When the other bands found out, they asked her to do the same for them as well, which Riss took on with a smile. Lex didn’t know if the website updates or the emails Riss had been sending out to their fans in the area of a show had been doing the trick, or maybe the advertising in the venues the bands played in, but each place seemed more packed than the last.

  Lex thought everyone in the bands seemed to be enjoying the tour. They had been checking in together late in the mornings over coffee or tea in the suite that most of Alexander’s Army would stay in. Everyone would hang out around the kitchenette while Casey or whoever else felt like it cooked, and they’d discuss the tour to date.

  “I don’t think we’ve ever sold so many CDs,” Jack mentioned one morning, shaking his head as he sipped a cup of coffee. “I guess it’s because there’s so many people at the shows. You guys really know how to bring everyone out. And, thanks for helping us with the website stuff, Riss. All three of us aren’t really all that technological.”

  Riss inclined her head to the side, but Lex noticed her friend wearing her almost invisible smile. “No problem, really. It’s just as easy to update a couple of sites once I’m into it.”

  “Well,” Laura said with a glance at Lex, perched on a stool, and Casey, who stood next to her, “I think the numbers probably have something to do with it, but you’ve got to have something for people to hear when they get there, too. There’s something about the show you Alexander’s Army guys put on. Even though I’ve seen you play a bunch of times now, I don’t ever get tired of it. You make it seem new every time. And the way you sing, Lex,” she finished, looking straight at her, “you take my breath away.”

  Lex looked down in her tea cup and took a deep breath. “You know, you’re one to talk,” Lex answered when she felt safe to look up again. “You’ve got a beautiful voice yourself.”

  Laura’s soaring soprano was something Lex had always admired, and the way the tiny woman could hold a note almost forever. Smiling in response to Lex’s comment, Laura continued, “Thanks. But that’s not exactly what I mean. There’s something about the way you sing that really draws me in. I feel like I’m experiencing it instead of just listening to it.”

  Lex laughed and ducked her head, trying to hide her blazing cheeks. Laura laughed in response and Lex felt happy when the conversation moved to other topics. It brought to mind her concern about being exposed, however, since every person who heard of them became an additional chance that one of them might be identified, in her opinion. Her main concern had begun to be that their popular exposure might bring them to the attention of someone who could figure out what she was doing.

  It built to the point where her sleep had become restless, and then the dreams began. Lex noted that when she felt stressed she’d have dreams like being lost in the middle of some sort of bureaucratic maze and unable to get out because she didn’t have the right paperwork. The new dream sliced through her normal dream cycle, however. It would fade away to darkness in her dream world, and then a pair of eyes would open slightly above her. No matter where she moved in the darkness, she still seemed to be in front of those eyes, and eventually she noted that there was movement in them. The irises were an unusual reddi
sh-brown color, and those eyes appeared to be searching for her but not yet finding her. Since she couldn’t move out of range, however, Lex knew the game would end in a matter of time.

  She awoke with a gasp one night at a crawling feeling of terror from the searching eyes, which seemed to be coming ever closer in the darkness. Lex sat up in bed, only to meet Riss’ eyes. The other woman sat in a chair beside a small lamp on a table across the room, working on her laptop. She watched Lex for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.

  “So, what’s been bothering you?” she asked, then just waited, gazing at Lex, unmoving.

  Lex shook her head, trying to clear it of sleep, then grabbed her robe and put it on as she crossed the room to talk to Riss. She sat on the floor with her back against one of the table legs as she tried to assemble her scattered thoughts. “I’m just worried we’re getting too visible, Riss. I keep feeling like someone’s bound to recognize us if we keep getting more popular, and that my idea that we become a touring band was a bad one.”

  Riss raised an eyebrow, cocking her head to one side before responding. “I don’t think I’d say your idea’s bad. It’s gotten us out of the house and made us some money. I admit the jury is out on the extra exposure, but I should tell you that the team they’ve sent after us is in the area.”

  She gestured for Lex to sit at the table. Once Lex had, she took in a sharp breath at the sight of Riss’ picture staring at her from the laptop screen. After a moment of study, Lex realized the picture had been attached to a Wanted poster.

  “Not exactly what I wanted to see the last time I had to send a package,” Riss added, one side of her mouth turning up as she glanced at Lex out of the corner of her eye.

  Lex nodded, but stopped as she scrutinized the picture more closely. “You look…different in this picture.”

  “Yes, I noticed that, too. I think it’s the one they took when I started at the agency. In my defense, thought, the ones of you, Casey, and Kate look even more different when compared to you now.”