***
Brendan led Henry up to Vlad’s room. Officer Foster had lingered at the girls’ dorm, so they hadn’t said anything to Lucille or Tina before parting. Henry had a lost look on his face. Attempts at small talk failed. Henry spoke when spoken to, but his answers were short, often just an affirmative grunt.
“You’ll see Lucille soon enough, big guy,” Brendan said. Vlad and Soren seemed especially wary of him, but once Henry found a place to stand he was quickly forgotten.
Brendan told them about Charlotte, leaving nothing out. Vlad’s focus was intense as he hung on every word. Soren just looked scared.
“That’s pretty out there,” Vlad said. “Our best way forward would be to shelve anything she’s told us, as we can’t confirm any of it. We haven’t even begun to understand what we’re observing.”
Brendan agreed. “What makes me nervous is that everything we recorded can be easily taken. We can’t upload it anywhere for safekeeping. And nothing would stop Officer Foster from grabbing us, if that’s what he wanted to do.”
“They don’t know what we have. At least the explanation Charlotte gave provides motive for what the headmaster might be up to. And why swap us out with doubles from their world? And the attack on the school? How does that fit in? It’s all too crazy and a bit paranoid.”
“While I’m not about to make the leap to believing anything she’s said, we do know something odd is happening in the admin building and with the headmaster. And I don’t know how to explain Charlotte just vanishing. She was there one moment and the next, gone.”
“Like magic,” Henry said softly. When they all turned to look at him, he was staring at the darkness outside the window.
“We’ll…put that on the list,” Brendan said.
There was a knock at the door. Vlad motioned for Henry to open it. Charlotte was there, her hoodie pulled up over her head. She slipped inside and closed the door behind her.
“Hi. Sorry about earlier.”
“’Sorry?’” Brendan said. “Where did you go? How did you disappear like that?”
“I slipped out when you weren’t looking.”
He just stared at her, but she didn’t elaborate. “You’re going to have to explain that. You vanished. Did anyone see you come up, or did you turn invisible or just teleport here?”
She shook her head. “I know it’s risky for me to be here. You’ve got a lot to process, and I haven’t given you much to go on for you to trust me. But you mentioned you had cameras in my father’s office. I need to see what you have.”
“Show her.”
Soren played the footage. He looped it a few times and Charlotte studied the screen.
“It’s at that moment he reaches up, and he’s gone,” Brendan said. “Like he touches the air.”
“It’s not air. That’s the machine. You don’t see it because it’s on the other side. With his key, he can turn it on and it opens the door. And now I think I know what the key is.”
She took the tablet and zoomed in on the frozen image of the headmaster. Focused on his hand. “There.” She pointed to the only thing on his hand. His ring.
***
Brendan read and reread the text on his tablet.
“Headmaster’s Office: Please come in at 9 a.m. for interview.”
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. They had ended the previous night’s meeting in Vlad’s room with a promise to meet in the science building lobby at noon break the next day. Brendan had commented that meeting in the dorms or the restaurant was unnecessarily risky and that a new location might be prudent. Charlotte had agreed on the time and location. He felt they had little choice but to trust her to be there. She had once again taken the stairs when she left, Henry walking her all the way down to make sure she didn’t disappear again.
His anxiety dreams were beginning to fade, but the summons from the headmaster didn’t. He showered and dressed and let Tina know where he was heading. She replied back immediately and met him outside the dorm.
“What does he want?” she asked.
“I don’t know.”
They walked together in silence to the crowded admin building, which buzzed with students and faculty members. An announcement had been made that morning and repeated twice that students were to check in with their families, so almost every phone had students waiting to use it. The moratorium on students traveling home alone was still in effect considering the heightened state of emergency facing the country as well as the school’s own recent attack. However, if anyone could arrange to be picked up by a responsible guardian, they would be permitted to leave. Some students suffering from trauma after the attack might need to leave school permanently.
From the faces and voices of his fellow students, few if any seemed particularly traumatized, and Brendan didn’t think many would opt out. The school cared for their needs and security. They had a level of autonomy from their parents. For many, Dutchman Springs Academy was a dream. Who would ever want to give that up?
Tina and Brendan were alone on the elevator ride up to the fifth floor of the admin building.
“It’s weird,” Brendan said. “He must know we’ve been up to something.”
“Yup. Look, if he tries anything, anything at all…”
“I’ll activate the panic button on my decoder ring, and you’ll come to the rescue.”
“Well, no. But I’ll get out and call for help. Send your mom a card that I knew you. ‘Cesar died a hero.’”
“That’s so sweet.”
One girl was waiting on the couch in the outer office, tapping away on a tablet. Brendan felt a measure of relief seeing her there until she got up, handed the tablet to the headmaster’s secretary, and left. The secretary had Tina wait while Brendan was escorted in.
“Good morning, Mr. Garza,” the headmaster said. He was rubbing lotion on his hand. Once it was all rubbed in he took his ring from the desk and slipped it on.
Brendan braced himself for the cold blast of air, but the room was comfortable like the rest of the admin building. He took a seat. The headmaster came around the giant desk and offered a hand. He half expected a shock when they shook hands. Brendan couldn’t help but watch the headmaster’s hand with the ring, wondering if it truly was some sort of key to another world as Charlotte had said, or if she was sending them on some blind feint as she pursued whatever goals she held close to her chest.
“You’ll be pleased to hear that you’ll be able to call home this morning. It appears that some of the phone infrastructure is coming back as expected. I’d imagine internet will soon follow, perhaps in another day or two. How have you been coping?”
“I’m happy I’ll get to talk to my mom. Not having the internet isn’t the end of the world.”
“No, it isn’t, is it? We can’t underestimate our own ingenuity in coming up with distractions to keep our minds busy.”
“I’m fine. I’ve done as you’ve asked and have kept out of trouble. You can even check with Officer Foster. We talked last night. Henry and I have been getting along.”
The headmaster twisted his ring and nodded. Brendan had seen him do that before, but now it filled him with nervous unease. He didn’t see anything happen in the room. No doorway of light or swirling black hole appeared.
“Classwork going well?”
“I’ve been keeping up. All assignments turned in on time. I believe all my grades have met my academic goals and those required by the terms of my scholarship.”
“Generous terms. I do have to commend you, as you could just phone it in and enjoy your schooling at a much more leisurely pace. And how is your association with the other students?”
“Um, I don’t know if this is what you mean, but I have friends. I haven’t felt angry towards anyone, if you’re referring to my record.”
The headmaster waved away Brendan’s last comment. “That’s excellent. This is such a special school, dear to me. All of our students are dear to me. And what about Charlotte?”
“Who?” He felt a rock in his gut.
“She’s a special girl, Charlotte. Bright, so bright, well beyond her years.”
“Oh, her. I haven’t…we haven’t seen each other since security talked to us about her coming to my room. I apologized for that, and I’m sorry it happened. I said I would let you know if I saw her around. If she’s dangerous, she should be caught.”
“Dangerous? Oh, not exactly. No need to be melodramatic. But she is crafty, and so are you. I suspect you aren’t telling me everything. I believe we still don’t trust each other enough for you to do that. It would be an overreach on my part to use our academic relationship to curry your favor in this regard. But asking for your cooperation isn’t working either.”
“Look, I don’t know what you—”
The headmaster raised a hand for Brendan to be silent. He then pulled his phone from his pocket and turned it on. He tapped the screen and smiled. As he turned the phone in Brendan’s direction, a video played.
Brendan saw his father handcuffed to a large pipe.
He wasn’t in costume, nor in a hospital gown. His mouth hung open, and he had several dark splotches on his face that appeared to be bruises. Both hands were secured above his head. Several valves and smaller sections of plumbing were visible, along with a fire extinguisher and a mop leaning against a wall. It looked like he was in a basement. Someone stepped in the camera’s shot and poked at his father’s face.
Brendan felt some relief when his father weakly recoiled. At least he was alive.
Brendan pushed up from the chair and reached for the headmaster’s phone. The headmaster shoved him back.
“Charlotte is a special girl,” the headmaster said. “You are somehow the key to drawing her out but aren’t willing to assist in locating her. Do you and she have some sort of emotional attachment? Whatever the case, I need her, and you’ve forced my hand in taking this unfortunate step in insisting on your cooperation.”
“Where is he?”
“As you can see, he’s safe, if uncomfortable. I assure you he’ll be treated well. But his release is conditional on your bringing Charlotte here to me.”
Brendan thought frantically. How had the headmaster even managed this? His father had been in a New York City hospital. Brendan didn’t even know how to get to him. And if travel was hampered because of the outages, what other resources did the headmaster possess to be able to kidnap someone and bring him across the country to California?
He spotted a few items on the shelves that could be used as weapons. But just seeing his father helpless froze him with fear. The ring caught his eye. Taking it from him would prove difficult. The headmaster was bigger than he was.
“What do you say, Mr. Garza?”
“Why are you involving me? I’m just a kid. I don’t know where she goes or where she is right now. She just shows up. And she seems to just disappear. You have security. You can call the police. Tell them to search for her. Why did you have to do this?”
“Because I’m running out of patience and time. I don’t have the luxury of taking other steps. If this isn’t enough motivation, I know where your mother lives. And most of the rest of your rather extended family. But must we do this? Charlotte has decided you’re trustworthy enough to approach for help. I promise I won’t hurt her or you. But I need you to bring her to the security office. And it must be tonight.”
21. Overt Operations
He was numb when he left the headmaster’s office. He barely noticed Tina talking to him. He hurried to the elevator and collided with several faculty members as they tried to get out.
Inside, Tina shook him by the shoulder. “What the hell happened?”
“He’s got my dad.”
“What? The headmaster? What do you mean? Your dad is here?”
Brendan could only shake his head. He fought off tears. Brendan Garza, son of Drone King. Big Crybaby. Life achievement unlocked. She was asking more questions, but his mind buzzed. He didn’t hear her and ignored everyone in his way as he returned to his dorm. When Tina tried to get into the elevator with him, he stopped her. He shook his head.
“Leave me alone,” he said.
Inside his room he got out his backpack filled with electronics gear. He would cut school that day. If he had to risk winding up a pod person like Paul or Poser, it would be worth it if it meant getting a shot at stopping Sperry Appleton.
***
It wasn’t the first drone he had ever built, nor the best. The basics of the remote-control units were simple enough. His new drone had four rotors, a motor, a frame with a small circuit board, and an old smartphone with a preloaded operating program that would allow control via a dedicated remote or a phone. He also added a tiny arm with a grabber at the end. Even if it all worked perfectly, he knew he’d need what his mother would call a bucket of luck.
The drone received a quick test. He had it fly a rectangle above his bed, with hard stops and steady hovers. It flew true but was surprisingly loud. How his father got his to run so silently was beyond him.
Brendan tried not to think about the obvious issues, and wondered if he was wasting his time. Even if the drone was silent, he could accomplish little by flying the thing into the headmaster’s office, assuming an open window could be found. The grabber didn’t have much strength, and the blades weren’t strong enough to chop off the headmaster’s ring finger. He considered flammables, some kind of weapon, or even a grenade, and realized he had access to none of these things.
He landed the drone and considered it. Almost kicked it in frustration. Dad’s life is on the line, and I’m playing with toys. But where could he find Charlotte? He could wander about campus and call her name. Or trust that she was going to show up at their meeting in the science building. He had another ninety minutes.
The dorms were quiet, unsurprising considering the time of day. Many students were phoning home and the rest were in class. He went to the east dorm and took the stairs up to the roof where he could get the best view of the admin building.
He launched the drone, sending it through the air over to the admin building. The headmaster’s office had no windows open, and the sliding door to the balcony was also closed. He scouted around, observing the exterior spaces for anything useful. With a few simple commands, he landed the drone on the balcony and cut the engines. He put in headphones. Through his tablet, he could listen and watch as long as the drone was in range. From outside and at such a low angle, there was nothing to see, and the microphone heard only white noise, a combination of building sounds, voices, and the breeze.
He barely noticed when Tina sat down next him. Eventually he pulled the headphones off.
“I followed you when you left your dorm to come here. Is it true what you said?”
He nodded. “I don’t know what to do.” His throat tightened and the tears came again. She took him into her arms as he sobbed. He told her about the headmaster and then everything about his father. The sense of relief was like a weight off his chest, but at the same time he knew he was putting her in danger. She held on to him even after he ran out of words.
They sat in silence until finally she said, “I can’t believe your dad is a supervillain.”
“It’s nuts, isn’t it?”
She nodded and checked the time on her phone. “We should go and meet the others.”
***
All of them, including Charlotte, were in the science building lobby, sitting under the stairs on massive modern-art benches. Charlotte kept to the shadows and warily watched all passing teachers. The others were grouped together with their faces in their tablets.
“About time,” Lucille said. “I actually texted you.”
“I had my tablet switched off,” Brendan said.
“What’s the plan?” Vlad asked.
Brendan got them all huddled around Charlotte.
“There’s been a new development,” he said. “The headmaster called me in. It started as a check-up interview. Then he showed me a vide
o of my father handcuffed in some basement. He wants me to tell him where Charlotte is.” He paused to catch his breath. “I’ve never told anyone about this except for my counselor. My father’s Myron Reece, the Drone King.”
He had their attention.
“I’ve had an interesting childhood, to say the least. The last thing I heard, my father was in the hospital after his last supers fight where he got shot. With the internet and phones out, I haven’t heard anything about him since before the explosion in New York.”
Lucille broke the silence. “Does this mean your dad is in on this?”
“Do you ever stop and think about what you’re saying?” Tina asked.
“Think about it,” Lucille said. “Why else would Drone King be captured anywhere close to here? He and the headmaster could be working together, and like all villains they betrayed each other.”
Before Tina could get past Vlad and launch herself at Lucille, Brendan raised a hand for her to back off.
“Lucille might be right,” he said. “It’s possible they’re together. I don’t pretend to know what’s going on. I know my dad got me into this school, something my mom would never be able to afford in a hundred years. My dad’s a thief, and he puts on a costume to fight supers. The truth is I don’t know what their relationship is. But I’m going after the headmaster anyway, and it looks like it could get me either arrested or killed. You’ve all said that you’re involved, but it’s time to rethink that. Just being seen with me or Charlotte is going to get you in trouble and maybe hurt. It could mean he goes after your family.”
They all looked at one another. No one moved.
“Okay. Since you’re all staying put, then I’m asking for your help. We need to figure out where my dad is being kept. Also, we need to relieve the headmaster of his ring.”
The Supervillain High Boxed Set: Books One - Three of the Supervillain High Series Page 17