by J Bennett
“Release the hostage vid tonight,” I say, “just after the sun goes down. That’ll put it in the nightly and morning news cycles. Everyone will already be talking about it by morning.” I move to the door.
“Iron,” The Professor calls softly.
I turn to my boss. He gives me a polite smile. “Perhaps you wouldn’t wish to remove yourself from this dwelling in your current wardrobe?”
I look down at my scarlet lab coat, and my fingertips brush the goggles securely placed over my eyes. “Oh, right,” I mumble. With a short huff of a sigh, I unbutton my lab coat and pull the goggles off my face. I’ve already unmasked in front of my fellow henchmen and Ash Anders saw my face in the basement of the Chicago Library. Still, I feel almost naked without my goggles. Sequoia steps up to take my costume from me, and I give him a grateful smile. Beneath my lab coat, I’m only wearing a pale gray tank top and black exercise pants that Sequoia printed on his Anders 3100. This outfit rings in with a zero fashion rating, but it’ll have to do. At least it’s comfy
Ironic. The 3D-printing company Ash Anders’s mother built into a behemoth is the very reason I have clothes on my back. It probably printed the plates I ate my breakfast from and the decorative sconces on the wall.
“Thanks,” I whisper to Sequoia and push through the open doorway. If I had any money in my crypto purse, I’d order a car, but my balance is still in the negative.
My first paycheck is due tomorrow. Too bad it’s the producer’s job to hand them out. I force my mind to the present. Midterms first, then paychecks, then rescuing Leo. Wait, no. Midterms first, then rescuing Leo, then paychecks. Yes, that’s the right order. My legs move. I start with a fast walk then speed up to a trot.
My apartment is only three kilometers from Shield University, but Sequoia’s house is double that distance. Chem starts in 50 minutes, an easy walk from my apartment and a very not-easy run from Sequoia’s house.
The day is cool, and if I weren’t running for my academic life, I might take some time to appreciate the new leaves unfurling from the trees or the bright sun streaming through a cloudless sky, or the fact that radiation levels have been nice and low this entire week.
Instead, I run, sweat, and huff. By the time I make it to the university, my legs and lungs burn.
“Three mins until class starts,” Bob points out helpfully. “Wow, you really sweat a lot. Are you sure you don’t have some sort of glandular condition?”
“Clap it!” I hiss at him. I break out into a full-on sprint, rushing up the slowly churning stairs and skid into the third-floor hallway. My feet pound the tiled floor. Thankfully, the door to the chem classroom slides open when it picks up the signal from my Band. Exactly one minute to spare.
I suck in heaving breaths as I step inside. A trickle of sweat rolls down my back. At my table, Ollie brightens and waves. Seated next to him, Adan gives me a breezy smile.
Chapter 20
Never allow a lull. Add in backstory, build relationships, scheme a little. ~ Tickles the Elf, The Henchman’s Survival Guide
~
“Adan has returned,” Ollie helpfully informs me as I drop like a stone into my seat, still panting from the run.
“Would you look at that,” I manage. And then I do look at that. Adan is glam as ever, his black hair artfully waved, that strong jaw set like he could plow down doors with it.
“Ta,” he says, all breezy. He wears a fitted black t-shirt covered in silver zippers, some strategically unzipped to show tantalizing bits of flesh and chiseled muscle. Zippers, of course, are the new fad of the week. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the first thing Adan looked up when Lysee sprung him from our cell.
“You look a little tired,” Adan says. “Got a lot on your mind?”
“Just the midterm,” I lie. I haven’t thought about the test once in the past week. That doesn’t bode well for my grade. Course, that might be the least of my worries.
Adan knows my identity and now he’s free to crow about it to anyone and everyone. But I know his secret identity, too I remind myself. I stare at him, trying to somehow read his mind. What’s he going to do about it?
Then, with a start, I remember that he has Leo. Here I am thinking about my own rep when the arrogant troll nugget sitting next to me is holding my producer captive.
“Alice, perhaps you wouldn’t feel so worried about the midterms if you’d studied with me,” Ollie says. He wears red suspenders over a rainbow shirt. I’m sure some K-pop phenom pulled off that look spectacularly in his latest music vid, but it’s not doing Ollie any favors. “You said you would contact me, but I never received a communication from you. Is your Band functioning properly?”
Adan’s mouth drops open in feigned shock. “She blew you off?” he asks Ollie. “Alice, that’s not very kind.”
My neck begins to burn. “I uh, I was busy with, uh, personal matters. I’m sorry, Ollie. I should have…”
At that moment our Bands hum and switch over to test mode.
“The test is beginning,” the human teaching assistant says as he strolls past our table. He holds his hands behind his back, long fingers tapping. “No speaking please, and do not attempt to look at your tablemate’s screen.”
Wouldn’t help anyway. The university made each of us download their special testing software on our Bands. The holo-screen projecting from my Band looks clear only when I stare at it head-on. A person looking sideways at it would see only a blurry mess. Not that anyone would be lobotomy enough to copy my answers.
On my screen, Professor Hersherwitz gallops toward me and then stands on his hind hooves. “Alice, it’s been a pleasure exploring the cosmos big and small with you these past weeks,” he says. His shape changes, turning round and sponge-like. “Let’s see what you’ve absorbed.” The spongy blue unicorn morphs into a million tiny atoms. “Shining luck!” they cheer and then zip off the screen in a roiling blue cloud. I get the feeling I already used every drop of my luck during the heist in Chicago.
When the first question pops up, my suspicions are confirmed. The test is a nightmare. The questions seem to fly out of my head as soon as I read them. The answers are nowhere to be found in my puny brain. There are rumors that some Captains of Industry are grafting data interfaces right into their gray matter. I wistfully wonder how much it costs.
On screen, little electrons zip around the nucleus of two different atoms. I need to figure out what type of chemical bond they have. Instead, I feel Adan next to me, his very presence stealing away my focus even though he’s currently frowning at his own screen.
I move to a different question. I’m given a pile of electrons, neutrons, and protons and must construct the three isotopes of hydrogen. My brain feels so fuzzy. I move one proton to the middle of the screen with my forefinger and leave it hanging there, alone and unprotected.
Like Leo. I see his face in my mind, his pale brown eyes staring mournfully at me. I picture his wavy brown hair, the nose that’s a little too pointed, and the mole just under his left eye. Worry nibbles holes into my stomach.
Do I actually miss Leo? A producer? A person whose job it is to twist us like towels until all our fears, faults, and weaknesses bleed out for the lens?
Yes. I do miss him and I’m afraid for him, and that makes me angry. I don’t want to like Leo. Hell, I can’t afford to since he’s technically my boss, but I need to know why his eyes are so troubled, why the only thing hanging on his wall is a blurry pic of half-starved children from Tanzania.
As the timer in the corner of my screen counts down, I rush through the last questions of the test. Adan scowls, his hands flapping as he rearranges something on his screen. On his other side, I notice Ollie fidgeting and drumming on the table with his fingertips. He must already be done with the test. I really should have studied with him.
“Time’s up,” Professor Hersherwitz says, his blue horse face suddenly filling my screen. “Your knowledge is just radiant.” A sun rises behind him, lighting up the screen. �
��We will tabulate your score and post it to your account this evening. Until then, don’t stew too much on your grade!” He morphs into a beaker filled with a bubbling compound.
They could grade the test instantly, but the administrators don’t want students exploding into puddles of tears or burning anger on campus.
“Good job, everyone,” the teaching assistant says and flicks back his artfully cut black bangs, which immediately fall over his eyes again. “If anyone has questions about the test, please feel free to ping me during my office hours.”
I wonder if anyone will actually take him up on his offer. As soon as our grades are posted, we’ll be able to go back through the test and get a full explanation of each answer. It’s built into every testing software the university uses.
Next to me, Adan sits back in his chair, an easy smile on his face. I wonder how he did. It’s not like he could have studied in his cell, and he’s been out less than a day.
“You look nervous,” he tells me. “Didn’t do so well?”
“Shine has spun off!” Ollie blurts out. The kid is fit to explode. His pale blue eyes are wide and both hands tap complex rhythms on the table. “And The Professor has attempted a heist in Chicago, clearly outside the boundaries of Big Little City. Technically, he is not the first villain to ever conduct a crime outside the city limits. The Map Collector once buried Shooting Star’s golden staff four kilometers over the border, but that was not located in another township.
“It was a bold move if you ask me,” I say.
“Bold or desperate?” Adan asks.
“But the repercussions could be enormous,” Ollie says. “How will the City Council respond? Who will have jurisdiction over their crime?”
“What happens if they get caught?” Adan asks, that stupid smile on his face again. “I hear Chicago’s working on some new and improved drooly camps.”
“Well, The Professor’s henchmen are clever,” I stammer. “Who says they’ll get caught? After all, Iron did manage to kidnap Shine.”
Adan sucks in a breath. “He was tricked.”
Ollie nods. “Iron pretended to be injured and Shine tried to help her. She wasn’t wearing her goggles, so he didn’t know she was a henchman.”
Thankfully Leo had blurred my face for the ep. What a drooling mistake to forget to slip on my goggles.
“Plus, Shine escaped,” Adan says. “So clearly he outwitted The Professor.”
“Shine had help,” I point out. “He would have never gotten out on his own.”
“Exactly, yes, we must discuss Dreamer,” Ollie jumps in. He leans over the table, forcing Shine to sit back in his seat. “Who is she? What are her capabilities? Does she know any martial arts fighting styles? Does she use any weapons?”
I feel a smug smile of my own dawning on my lips. I happen to know the answers to all those questions.
Capabilities: Recycling and reprinting her entire wardrobe each month
Martial arts specialties: None
Weapons: Batting her eyelashes, hugs, and spewing outrageous optimism.
“I’m sure she’s eminently qualified and will make an excellent sidekick for Shine,” I say. “That is, assuming he gets sponsored. I’m sure Beacon won’t stand in his way after he stabbed her in the back.”
“Perhaps Shine has his own resources,” Adan murmurs. “Like any great hero, he has a plan, I’m sure.”
Ollie’s head twists back and forth as we speak. “Certainly, certainly. Shine must contend with the fact that Beacon will not be pleased with his behavior. There is much to discuss. My fellowship and I have been updating the wikis as fast as we can, but there is still much to do. Perhaps you two would like to assist?”
I stare at Ollie. Wiki? Fellowship? Doesn’t he know we have a hostage vid to send out tonight?
No, he doesn’t, I remind myself. “I, uh, I have another midterm today and I have to study for two tomorrow,” I murmur.
“Same here,” Adan says quickly. “I need to study.”
“Then tomorrow, after our classes.” Ollie looks at us.
Adan grimaces but then his face smooths. Even without a cam drone in the room, he still knows how to tame his expression. “Let me get back to you on that,” he says to Ollie. “Alice, I have a question about the test, maybe I can walk you to your next class?”
My fake smile matches his. “Yeah, Ollie, I think I might need some downtime after all this studying. Let’s raincheck our hero chat date. Plus, you know I don’t like capes anyway. Just a pompous bunch of asses in my opinion.”
Ollie frowns. “They keep our city safe,” he says. “But alright, I will follow up with you both this afternoon. We shouldn’t wait too long to discuss this. Things are changing very quickly.” He shakes his head, stands, and walks out of the room.
How right you are, I think.
Adan watches him go. “He’s an interesting character.”
“He’s the only one of us who isn’t a character,” I point out. I look around. Most of the other students have already filtered out of the room. A few linger, probs discussing the test, but they’re far enough away to be out of earshot. Even so, I keep my voice low.
“Kidnapping our producer was a dirty move. Production staff is off limits.”
Adan’s smile grows sharp. “One dirty trick deserves another, and there are no limits now. Not after what Shadow did. The ante is upped. You nabbed the Mayor of Chicago.”
I jerk to my feet and turn my face away so he won’t get the satisfaction of seeing my shock. How the hell did he know that?
“Did Leo tell you?” I ask. It stings to think he would have given away such a crucial plot point of our show to our enemy.
“I saw it on his screen when we picked him up, just after Lysee sprung me,” Adan admits. “He had earbuds in, recording your ep. He didn’t even hear us coming.”
I’d wondered why he hadn’t managed to get off a call for help.
“Tatiana Wentworth confirmed it,” Adan adds.
I turn to face him. “She agreed to sponsor your spinoff?”
A flicker of worry crosses his face but then it’s gone, shoved behind his casual mask. “She’s considering it. When I rescue Ash Anders, she’ll be begging to fund me.”
“So you’re going to rescue Ash Anders are you?” I try to sound teasing but inside my stomach knots.
Adan laughs. I can’t tell if it’s fake or real and I wonder if even he knows. “It was a gutsy move,” he admits. “Risky as hell, but what a reward. Every gossip Stream is already gushing about the heist and they don’t even know you have Anders. What do you think the president’s going to do when she finds out? That is, if she doesn’t already know.”
I swallow. I’ve thought about Sage Anders of course, but she’s such an inscrutable figure. I have no idea how she’s going to respond. Hopefully, Ash will keep his mother from sending the Navy SEALs after us, though I wonder if he’s even told her about our little scheme. Those two aren’t exactly on chummy terms, and the reason Ash agreed to this whole thing in the first place was to beat her in the next election.
If she rescues him that would look great for her re-election campaign, I realize with horror. I glance toward the windows, wondering if some sniper is gazing at me through a scope somewhere off in the distance.
“You’re right,” I admit to Adan. “We were desperate. Tatianna was pissed that I captured you. She was going to swipe us. We had to do something iconic.”
“Well, you did.” There’s warmth in Adan’s voice.
“I was so terrified,” I whisper. I don’t know why I’m admitting this weakness to him. Adan nods and his green eyes almost seem kind. This thing between us is so strange. We’re enemies but we understand each other. I despise him but I trust him. He’s selfish and vain, but then there was that vid of him with the two younger girls—his sisters. He’s fake and real at the same time.
“We need to come to an understanding,” Adan says.
I nod. The last students trickle out of
the classroom. I have 20 mins until my next class. Plenty of time for a high stakes poker match I feel utterly unequal to.
“We both know each others’ identity. Either one of us could destroy the prospects of the other.” Adan starts.
“But then they would condemn themselves,” I finish his thought. “Mutually assured destruction.”
Adan props an elbow on the table. “I propose that we both swear not to unmask the other or use our knowledge against the other.”
I let out a breath. “Deal.”
We stare at each other.
“How’d you do on the test?” he finally asks.
“Bombed it. You?”
“Same.”
He laughs. So do I.
“Is Leo safe?” I try to be casual about the question but Adan isn’t laughing anymore. One eyebrow arches.
“Yes. Safe and secure.”
“What do you want for him?”
Adan doesn’t answer the question. He doesn’t have to.
“Ash Anders,” I say.
“We can do a hostage trade.”
I’m already shaking my head. “The Professor will never go for that. Ash Anders is too valuable. He wants to use him to flush out Beacon.”
“The Professor won’t have a show if he can’t put out an ep,” Adan says. He leans back casually in his chair.
“We have a contingency plan,” I say and try to sound convincing. Gold’s ideas are a sad patchwork at best. Our viewers would be majorly disappointed if we can’t deliver great vid of our kidnapping heist. There’s something else to consider. If we can’t give Ash Anders the heroic escape he was promised, he won’t hesitate to toss each of us into a drooly camp for years.
“Why are you even going after Beacon?” Adan asks. “I already told you, she’s on her last days. Convince The Professor to set up a rivalry with me. We could be epic foes.”
I glare at him. “Beacon made you. It sounds like you don’t even care that she’s being forced out.”
That slaps the smile right off Adan’s face. He presses his lips together and his voice is rough when he speaks. “Of course I care. I owe her a lot. But this is the Fame Game. She’s the one who taught me how to play it. We all get swiped in the end, even the masters.”