The Distort Arc: Cape High Books 1-4 (Cape High Series Omnibus)

by R. J. Ross

  I shouldn't have turned away. I know it the second I'm grabbed by the shirt and thrown through the glass of the two doors that lead outside. "Ow," I mutter as I slam into the front of the building across the street.

  "What the--" Derrick yelps. He looks back at the bank as Trent steps out.

  "Look," Trent says, crossing the street. "I think you really need to think--"

  I get to my feet, racing forward and slamming my shoulder into his gut like a football player, sending both of us skidding back as Trent's feet dig into the concrete. There's a helicopter hovering overhead, recording everything. We're going to be on the news tonight for sure.

  "I need that money, Kid," I say as he stops and throws me to the side.

  "Then get a job, you'd be a great waiter," Trent says.

  "I need it now," I say, grabbing him by the uniform. "Otherwise Tony's going to kill him."

  A confused look crosses Trent's face and he glances over at Derrick. "Find another way," he says. "I can't let you rob a bank, it'd break Mom's heart." He grabs me in return, then spins, picking me off of my feet and throwing me into the air, sending me flying. The helicopter barely manages to move out of the way, and I twist, grabbing onto it. I hang there for a moment, thinking.

  "You know, you've got a point," I say, letting go and dropping down to the ground. I leave holes in the concrete where I land. "We're not done, you know," I say, straightening from my crouch. "But for now, I've got something else to do."

  I run over to Derrick, hopping onto the back of his bike. "Go. Now."

  Derrick takes off. "Where are we going now?" he asks over his shoulder.

  "Tony's," I say.

  "But he'll kill you!"

  "How?" I ask bluntly. "Kid Liberty's got a way better chance of doing that then someone like Tony."

  "Good point."

  ***

  "And we're off," Jeanie says cheerfully. "We'll be heading for the next location now. I have to thank you for letting him do this, Nico, he really didn't know what to do," she says over her little earbud communicator. She shifts her little hybrid car into gear and glances over at Aubrey. "Buckle up, honey, we don't want the norms to notice."

  "Okay!" Aubrey says, grabbing the seatbelt and tugging it across her chest. "So he's going to take on the mafia now?" she asks. "Isn't it too early for his debut?"

  "Well, yes, but I get the feeling that Jack is always going to be in situations like this," Jeanie admits as she pulls to a stop at the stoplight. She doesn't even look surprised as the back door opens and Trent, now in civvies, slides in.

  "But he--" Aubrey starts out, watching the motorcycle that's already disappearing over the horizon. "He's just a kid," she says a bit helplessly.

  "So? He would have wound up in this even if he'd still been a norm, y'know?" Trent asks. "You got Nico on the line, right?" he asks his mom.

  "I do! He's already in position for the mobster bust! It's so exciting," Jeanie admits. "Make sure you don't hurt his hair, though, it's probably the most vulnerable part of him and I don't want it ruined!" she adds over her shoulder.

  "Yeah, I gotta admit, it's going to be his selling point," Trent agrees.

  "Wait, isn't he going to beat the mafia?" Aubrey asks.

  "Oh, no, we can't have something like that," Jeanie says. "Nico came up with a great idea! What he's going to do is--"

  ***

  The wrought iron fence that surrounds the massive house looks intimidating. This is the rich part of town, the part where the houses have their own zip codes or something, and you have no clue that a few miles away is a ghetto.

  "I don't think this is a good idea," Derrick says as he pulls to a stop next to the fence.

  "Well it's not like we can pay him back," I mutter, getting off the bike. "But listen, man," I say, moving so I'm standing in front of him. "After this, I'm done, got it? I have real super villain stuff to do--stuff like taking over the world. I'm not your lackey."

  "You're just going to dump me like that?" Derrick demands, kicking down the kickstand and getting off. "Me? The only real friend you got? And don't tell me you're friends with the kids at your new school, man, nobody likes you after two days!"

  "Thanks," I mutter. "That's really encouraging." And he's supposed to be my best friend, right? Man, maybe I really suck at picking guys to hang out with... "Doesn't matter if I got new friends," I go on, giving him a grin. "I'm not out to find friends, anyway. No, I'm going to get myself a dozen lackeys," I decide as I head for the metal fence. I grab two poles and pull them apart, walking through the hole. An alarm goes off, making me wince, and two huge rottweilers rush for me, barking angrily.

  One of the dogs bites onto my arm, only to slide off with a yelp. The other grabs the leg of my jeans. I twitch as I hear the jeans rip and reach down, grabbing his collar. "Get off," I growl, yanking him away from my pants and going on. My leg is exposed thanks to that. I would kick him, but... look... I've ALWAYS wanted a dog. Like, since I was a kid. I like dogs, okay? Maybe after this place is crashed I can steal one of them and take it home.

  What? It'll calm down after losing teeth trying to bite me!

  Well anyway, fence down, dogs down, now there's a few rough looking guys rushing out with guns and shouting at me. I really should have got a bulletproof uniform or something, I think as a round of bullets hit my chest. I liked this shirt, and now it's turned into shreds. There goes a completely decent outfit. The shooters are still shooting, even though it's pretty obvious it's not doing anything except sparking against my skin and bouncing off. (Although it does sting a bit, not going to lie.)

  "Where's Tony?" I demand, grabbing the gun from one of them and crushing it into a ball before grabbing his shirt. "Where is he?"

  "In--inside," the man stammers. "Who are you?"

  "I'm his worst nightmare," I say. Oh man, did I honestly say that? I have GOT to work on my lines. I toss him aside and head through the huge front doors, crashing them as I go. "Hey TONY!" I bellow.

  "WHAT?" Tony demands as he starts down the stairs.

  "I've come to take over," I say, grinning evilly.

  ***

  "Okay," Jeanie says. "We're here. Trent, honey, are you ready?"

  "Almost," Trent says, checking his phone before sliding out of the back of the car. "You shouldn't stick around, people might notice," he adds before disappearing.

  "Why did he even bother riding with us?" Aubrey asks blankly.

  "Oh, we don't want people to know that he knows where Jack is going, of course," Jeanie says. "But he's right about getting away. I think they plan on completely destroying the place."

  "What?" Aubrey yelps.

  "Well it's the easiest way!" Jeanie says as she drives down the street, heading for a nearby gas station. "Your eyesight, how good is it?" she asks as she gets out and goes to pump the gas.

  "It's good," Aubrey says.

  "Can you see from here?"

  "I can see the fence, but I can't see through it."

  "Then we'll have to get higher," Jeanie says, looking around. There's a small group of shops next to the gas station and she nods to it. "Go over there and climb to the ceiling of one of those buildings. You can, can't you?"

  "Sure," Aubrey says, racing away.

  "I'll be there in a minute, sweetie," Jeanie calls after her. "Maybe," she adds, looking with irritation at the slow gas pump.

  ***

  "You can't--" Tony gasps as I hold him in the air by his throat. He wraps his hands around my wrist, but I can tell he's close to fainting.

  "See, originally I was just going to rob a bank and pay you back for Derrick," I tell him conversationally, loosening my hold just slightly so he can get a little air. "But then my brother got in the way, and he's a lot tougher than you are, so I had a great idea. I'll just take care of the debt the old fashioned way." I bring him closer, looking him straight in the eyes, "By taking care of the problem. I mean, Derrick owes you, you threaten to kill him, I threaten to kill YOU and you forgive the debt
! Brilliant, right?"

  I toss him to the side, looking around. "Then I thought, you know, I'd like a place like this. I bet you've even got room for an evil lair! I'm just starting out, y'know?" I say, moving over to stare at one of the paintings. He moves and I turn, flicking one of my small metal balls at him. It slams into the floor next to him so hard it leaves a hole. "Hey, now, I don't want to mess up my new place with your brains," I warn him.

  You know, I could really get to enjoy this bad guy act...

  "So this is where you went," Trent says from the double doors that are still hanging off the hinges.

  "Kid," I say, turning and stepping back once. "Now wait a minute--"

  "I told you, you shouldn't be doing this," Trent says, rushing forward. He slams into me, and we go backwards into the massive stairs in the middle of the room, crashing into them and leaving a gigantic hole in the middle.

  "I was going to use those!" I complain, punching him in the face and sending him flying backwards. He slams through the front of the building, leaving a gigantic hole and the threat of the house falling. A second later he comes through the doors again, slamming into me. This time the stairs are wiped out completely as we start brawling. Soon pieces of the ceiling are falling down as the place collapses. Trent, almost as a side thought, grabs the cowering Tony and throws him out of the building.

  "You destroyed my new place!" I complain as I shove off the rubble that tries to bury me. "I was going to keep this one!"

  "Stealing houses will definitely get you grounded, man," Trent says. He's just standing there, looking as if he accomplished a work of great heroism. I'm trying not to laugh over just how righteous he appears.

  "My--my house," Tony whimpers. He looks like he's going to cry.

  I sigh as I look around and step out of the rubble. "Well, crap," I mutter. "I bet he had cable, too. Or maybe satellite. Satellite's not bad."

  "It's time for the Hall to show up," Trent says.

  "Then I'll just be going," I say, walking towards Tony. I stop, looming over him. "You know how this goes, don't you?"

  "Derr--Derrick--"

  "Doesn't owe you a thing," I tell him. "Write it off as a charitable act. Otherwise I'm going to try my hand at remodeling, got it?"

  "There's no house--"

  "Who said that's what I'd remodel?" I ask evilly before I head for the street (glancing around for the dogs but they're nowhere to be seen) and hop on the back of Derrick's bike. "Time to go."

  "But--you just--"

  "Make sure you visit your mom more often," I tell him, reaching around him and gunning the bike. He takes the hint and we drive off.

  ***

  "They totally just destroyed that massive building," Aubrey whispers. She's sitting on the roof of a World Market shop, waiting for Jeanie to show up. It had only taken a few moments to demolish the mansion, and her mind is still spinning over the fact that both had walked away without a scratch. She's so intent on watching the cops come that she doesn't even notice someone landing behind her until she hears a footstep.

  "It's already over," she says, not glancing up. "We should probably call Nico--"

  "Oh, I'd rather not," a woman says. Aubrey glances up, not recognizing the voice, and stares at the tall woman with glowing eyes.

  "Who--" she starts out. It's getting hot, she notices as she tries to get to her feet. The woman grabs her arms before she manages to get up.

  "I need you, little healer," the woman says, hauling her into her arms. "Distort needs you."

  The world snaps around them.

  Then they're no longer there.

  ***

  "You're crazy," Derrick says as he pulls to a stop outside of the junkyard. "Totally insane!" I ignore him, getting off the back of his motorcycle and heading for the entrance. "Jack!" he yells.

  "You know," I say, turning on him. "I almost died. And I don't remember anyone ever mentioning that you came by to check on me, man. It's only when I was useful again that you even bothered to show up. I wanted to try, I really did, but now I know exactly what'll happen if I keep hanging out with you. You and me? We're not friends. Not anymore." I walk away.

  "Look," he says right as I'm about gone. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't... I wasn't trying to use you."

  "You can keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better," I tell him coldly. "But we both know better."

  I step into the junkyard, only to stop as Nico appears in front of me. "Nice job," he says briskly, "but we've got a bigger problem, now."

  "What's that?"

  "Someone's got Aubrey."

  "What?"

  "While Jeanie was pumping gas someone caught Aubrey. Jeanie, Ken, and half of the Hall are out looking for her now. We need to get you back to school now."

  "Aubrey's my girlfriend," I say. "I'm not going to just sit around while you look for her! I'm going with you."

  "You can't fly, you're barely used to your powers, and you've had a long day already," Nico says. "More than likely some norm caught her thinking she would make a good ransom, since it was in the ritzy part of town. If anything, she'll be back on her own."

  "You don't believe that," I say.

  "I'd like to. But regardless, she's one of the most important kids we've got. That means everyone free from our branch of the Hall is out looking for her. We don't need you getting cornered by the cops right now, we've got nobody that can bail you out."

  "The cops--"

  "You just attempted to rob a bank, remember?" Summer says, stepping into view. "Jack, I understand how you feel, but we need to get you out of the limelight right now. Trust Jeanie, she'll find Aubrey." She walks over, holding out her hand to Nico and taking the keys. "Please?"

  I want to go out and find Aubrey. It's my fault she was even out in a position where she could get grabbed or lost or whatever. But arguing just takes more time away from finding her. "If you haven't found her soon," I say to Nico, "I'm going to."

  "I know. But don't worry. We'll find her." And he's gone, flying out of sight and leaving me with Summer.

  "I'm so sorry," she says, wrapping her arms around me. I just stand there, not hugging her back. I really, really wish Aubrey and I hadn't been fighting before this happened.

  ***

  "There's not a camera on the roof of the building," Ken says over the communicator. He's standing on top of the World Market building, looking for signs of a struggle. He steps forward, staring at the ground. "But there is one thing," he admits. "Nico, I think you're going to need to see this."

  "What is it?" Nico asks.

  "Two female footprints burnt into the concrete. High heels."

  "What size?" he asks.

  "Do I look like I know? Think they're smaller than Jeanie's."

  "Thank you for saying just how big my feet are, honey," Jeanie drawls.

  "I didn't--well, either way, who would get hot enough to burn their footprint into concrete? It's not deep--"

  Nico lets out a curse. "It's probably Star Born," he says grimly. "She distorts space and creates a black hole to travel--it gets really hot, and I can only assume she does, too. The only other flame powered supers that come to mind are male."

  "What? Why would she want Aubrey?" Jeanie asks.

  "Why wouldn't she? Aubrey's the only healer type alive that I've heard of, she's a valuable commodity. The problem is," Nico says darkly, "ever since they moved buildings they haven't set up shop enough for me to pick up on the electrical fluctuations. Trust me, I've got a computer dedicated to it twenty four seven. We're going to have to do this the old fashioned way."

  "I just hope they don't take her powers," Ken says darkly, still crouching down next to the prints. "What are we going to tell Jack?"

  "Nothing. Not yet, anyway. Star Born and Distort are the reason he's what he is now. Last thing we want to do is tell him his girlfriend got captured by them. Spread out, everyone, we're going to find her by nightfall."

  Ken takes to the air, looking at
the footprints for a second longer. "How far can she travel by the black hole?" he asks.

  "I... honestly have no idea," Nico admits. "But I can try and do the math. There's got to be a limitation to it, especially if Summer's right about her."

  "What did Summer think?" Jeanie asks.

  "That Star Born was created, not born."

  ***

  Summer flips off the radio, but it's too late. I wonder if Nico even realizes that he left his car radio tuned into their comlink, or whatever they call it. Wait, never mind, now's not the time to be thinking about that.

  Star Born has my girlfriend. I stare forward blindly, thinking of the woman that had screwed up my body so much that I can't walk down a street without people getting blinded. She has Aubrey. My first girlfriend, my freaking savior, even. Without Aubrey I definitely wouldn't be sitting here right now. And Star Born has her.

  There is no way I'm going to just sit in the apartment, waiting for them to bring her home, I decide. "Jack--honey, I know what you're thinking," Summer starts out.

  "They had you, too," I say, barely moving my lips. I'm trying not to roar, and it's not easy. "You know what they do to kids like Aubrey."

  "Norms. I don't think they'll--"

  "What do you think they'll do to her?" I ask, turning to look at her finally. "Will they experiment on her? Take her abilities and make little freaks out of them like they did with you and me? How can you just calmly drive us back to the apartment knowing what they are? She's my GIRLFRIEND!" I bellow. The car jerks to a halt, almost sending me forward.

  "And how are you going to fight them?" she asks. "The official supers are having a hard time even finding them. All you would do is draw attention to yourself--"

  "Maybe I should," I say, reaching for the door handle. "Maybe drawing attention to myself is exactly what I should do."

  "What?"

  "Listen," I tell her as I get out. "I know the streets they work on. I know the druggies and the bums and the--the others that live there. I grew up on them. Someone might talk to me that won't talk to the professional heroes."