Camille had been dealing with mixed feelings ever since she’d arrived back in West Pacific. It was exciting to be back on the team, of course, and the ultimate validation of the position she’d taken back in 2007. On the other hand, so much had changed since she’d left. There was a new headquarters building and so many new faces on the team. The only faces that hadn’t changed were Dr. Sterling and Seawolf, who was as irritable and irritating as ever. The new team members were either young and in great shape - Cosmic Kid - or old but unwilling to admit it - Blue Star. Annie had already made a point of telling Camille that she needed to start taking her physical training more seriously. Sure, she had let things slide a little up in Whitehorse, but she resented the implication that she was letting herself go.
The loss of Mr. Awesome hung over everything. He truly had been the father she’d never had. People frequently assumed that Camille had that sort of relationship with Dr. Hodges because she’d been one of the troubled Academy teens. So many of those who had come through the Academy idolized Dr. Hodges. Seawolf was like that; Camille knew that she blamed Camille for somehow coming between her and Dr. Hodges. But nothing could have been farther from the truth. In actuality, it was Dr. Hodges’ relationship with Sarah that had caused all the problems. Camille had been one of the only people to know they were a couple. At the time, Camille was 19 and the whole thing seemed exciting and romantic. Looking back, she realized it had been a publicity disaster waiting to happen. Sarah had been 25 and team leader; Dr. Hodges had been 60 and team president. It was actually kind of creepy. No wonder he had always been paranoid that someone was going to find out.
She was flying out to Dr. Hodges’ house now. During the first team meeting, when Starfish and Annie had sprung on her the idea of helping Matthew plan the team party to welcome Starfish back, she’d been taken aback and actually rather angry. But the more she thought about it, the more she decided it was a great opportunity. She hadn’t had a chance to see Matthew since the funeral and that hadn’t exactly been the right time for catching up. It seemed like a lifetime since the two of them had just hung out. But now that she came to think of it, the two of them never had just hung out. The reason Camille had spent so much time with Matthew and Sarah back in the day was to give them a cover for what had been really going on. In retrospect, she felt kind of used.
Dr. Hodges opened the door, holding a pair of water wings. “I’m thinking of leaving science for party planning,” he deadpanned to Camille. He sounded out of breath and looked shockingly older than he had last month when she’d seen him.
“I wouldn’t turn in your lab coat just yet,” she said with a smile. “Matthew, it’s so good to see you again.”
He gave her an awkward hug and led her into the living room, which was in chaos. Bags of chips, cartons of soda, and pool toys littered the floor and couch. “It’s looking festive,” she said, clearing away a pile of neon diving sticks in order to make room on the couch.
“Oh, it’s a mess,” he said, collapsing into an armchair. “I’m hopeless at this sort of thing.”
Camille laughed. “Don’t worry about it. The two of us could put together a plan to save the city from alien invasion in less time than we’ve got before this party gets started.”
“Honestly, that sounds like more fun. I’m glad you came. Annie should be arriving around 11 to get the grill set up. It’s all her fault anyway. I wanted to have a team dinner, but she said that you’re all a bunch of young people now and I have to get with the times. Give you all an opportunity to hang out, show off, and play around, as she put it.”
“I can’t exactly see Seawolf playing around.”
“Maybe not, but Annie’s right, you know. The team has changed. Cosmic Kid and Gabrielle are both under 30. You and Matteo have children, Blue Star is bringing his granddaughter… ”
“Are you saying I’m not young anymore?” she teased.
Dr. Hodges looked at her fondly. “You’ll always be 19 to me, Camille. I still remember when Sarah first talked about bringing you on the team. I had my doubts - you were so young. But already so talented. You’ve had a hard few years since you left West Pacific, though.” He sighed. “I’m still haunted by what happened. If I had pushed the Board more… ”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, forcing a smile. “2007 feels like a lifetime ago. I’ve moved on. Or more accurately, I’ve come full circle. The ironic thing is that none of the 2007 Governing Board is still in place. So I guess I’ve proved them wrong after all. Remember that woman – what was her name? Nina something. The one who said that my refusal to wear a miniskirt spelled the end of female heroics as we knew it? Well, it appears that pantsuits did not in fact destroy the world.”
Dr. Hodges nodded. “I’ve lived long enough to know that very few crises actually are. The problem is being able to remember that when you’re in the middle of another one.” He fell quiet and stared across the room at the mantelpiece, which was covered in pictures of Sarah, in and out of costume. Over everything hung a giant photo of the 2002 team. It was eerie that he hadn’t changed anything since she had last been here more than six years ago.
Camille could barely bring herself to think about Mr. Awesome and Jason’s deaths, but she had to say something and she might as well get it over with. “How is Patricia and – I’m sorry, I don’t remember Jason’s wife’s name. She wasn’t at the funeral. How are they doing?”
“Jessica,” he said. “It’s rough of course. Patricia – well, she’s holding in there. At least she still has Abigail and John. She blames me though for not pushing Ben to step back from field work earlier. Jessica is in a lot worse shape. She’s been sick for a while now, you know.”
“Last I heard, she was in remission,” said Camille with a tinge of guilt. After she’d been forced off the team, she’d cut ties with almost everyone. She’d taken out her anger with the Governing Board on her former teammates, which she had to admit had been pretty childish.
Dr. Hodges shook his head. “The treatments were going well as long as she stayed away from Jason. Even when he wasn’t using his powers, he emitted dangerous levels of radiation. It was a very painful situation for everyone involved. Despite all our work, we couldn’t give them a normal life.”
“Where is Jessica now?”
“She’s back with her parents on the reservation in New Mexico. She told me it was a good place to die.” Dr. Hodges glanced back at the mantelpiece and then over at Camille. “You know, I used to think that science could solve all of our problems. And then I learned the hard way that it couldn’t, so I turned to social change. But there are situations that social change can’t fix either. Sometimes, no matter how much you want to fix something, you can’t. So what do you do then?” He stared at her as if he expected her to have the answer.
Camille shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “I guess you just do the best you can to accept the situation as it is.”
“That’s true,” he said thoughtfully. “You can always accept things.” He pointed up at the large picture of the team. “I’ve been trying for years to get the 2002 team inducted in the Super Hall of Fame,” he said with a smile. “That would be something, wouldn’t it? It just seems like it needs to be done.”
Camille wasn’t sure how this related to accepting things, but she nodded anyway. She had guessed that Matthew would seem older, but she hadn’t expected him to have changed this much. He had once told her that every time someone you knew was hurt or died, a little bit of yourself went along with them. Matthew had lost so many people over the years that it was a wonder that there was anything left of him at all.
“So what’s the grand plan for this pool party?” she asked, trying to sound cheerful.
“What? Oh, Annie told me to make it a beer and barbecue event. She’s coming over around 11 to run the grill.”
“Right, you mentioned that. It should be fun.”
“That’s the idea. It took me forever to get everything. I don’t know if I’d ever
been in a party store before. They’re scary places, full of whining children and stressed-out parents. Speaking of parents, how is your mother doing? Do you keep in touch?”
Camille was taken aback. “We patched things up after I left West Pacific. She came up to Chicago to see Meghan; she was back on the wagon then. But it didn’t last long, you know how she is. Last I heard she was down in Texas with someone new. I haven’t talked to her in a while though.” The subject made her uneasy. Last time Camille had been on the team, she’d had to get a restraining order against her mother. Now that her secret identity was gone, she prayed that her mom didn’t show up again, or that if she did, she at least was sober.
Matthew nodded. “You’ve always had an indomitable will to succeed, Camille. Just like Seawolf. I know you two haven’t gotten along the best over the years, but given the instability of your respective childhoods, I’m very proud of how well you both turned out. You’re my great success stories.”
“Thanks,” she said. She could hardly believe that Matthew had just taken credit for her success. Perhaps he was responsible for Seawolf’s career, but if anyone besides herself deserved accolades for her life, it was Mr. Awesome. She had been wild when she’d joined the team and Matthew was too wrapped up in Sarah to notice. It was Awesome who had included Camille in family dinners, Awesome who had sat her down and bluntly said that she was going to lose more than her good reputation if she kept running around. This is why I hate talking about the past.
Matthew, however, appeared to be in a mood to reminisce. “You know I haven’t even asked. How is Jules doing?”
“Great,” said Camille, forcing another smile. There was no need to go into how Jules had reacted when he found out she’d unilaterally decided they were moving back to West Pacific. Matthew and Jules had never gotten along that well anyway.
Dr. Hodges must have been thinking along the same lines because he suddenly said, “I was wrong to object to your marriage. That was far more about me and Sarah than about you.” He sounded pained and Camille tried to cut him off, but he waved his hand for her to stop. “No, it’s important for me to say this. I keep thinking about it and I need to tell you. I should never have gotten involved. You just seemed so young compared to Jules and it reminded me of how inappropriate Sarah’s and my relationship was.”
“You loved each other.”
“Yes, we did,” Dr. Hodges said heavily. “It’s ironic really. I was always worried about being a burden to her in my old age and then she died so young.” Camille was suddenly afraid that he might actually cry.
“It was a terrible tragedy. But it’s been a while now. Have you ever…”
“No,” he said quickly. “I can’t imagine starting over. With all of my emotional baggage, I could fill a storage unit. Seriously, I don’t know how Blue Star has the energy to keep chasing new women.”
Camille laughed. “He does have quite the reputation.”
“That he does. Hopefully he has the sense to stay away from team members, but you should be careful.” Matthew shook his head. “See, I just can’t stop myself. I’m too old to be meddling in other people’s personal lives anymore.”
“You’re not that old,” said Camille, but she could tell he didn’t believe that any more than she did. She grabbed a bag of chips in one hand and an inflatable raft in the other. “We’d better start getting these things out to the patio!” Matthew nodded, but stayed in his armchair, staring at the mantelpiece, as she walked out to the poolside.
By the time Dr. Sterling arrived, Camille was feeling annoyed that Dr. Hodges had apparently decided to drop the entire party in her lap when she was just supposed to be helping out. Dr. Sterling, however, didn’t seem ready to sympathize.
“So, is he in a mood?” Dr. Sterling asked her.
“Dr. Hodges? Oh, well, I suppose you could say that,” Camille said awkwardly. “He got kind of reflective and… ”
“You shouldn’t be talking about the past with him,” Dr. Sterling said sternly.
“He’s the one who started bringing things up!”
“So? He’s old. Old people do that. It’s the responsibility of young people to keep them in the present.” She went to the kitchen door and yelled out, “Dr. H! We need you in here.”
Dr. Hodges walked in slowly. “You don’t need me,” he said, though he looked pleased to have been called. “So, what have you been up to, Annie? I got a message from Blue Star that I could barely make sense of. Something to do with Mr. Darwin and a threat on team members’ families?”
Dr. Sterling waved her hand dismissively. “Just the latest ravings of the local Infinite Circle goon. Nothing for you to worry about – we’ve got everything under control. In fact, this week we should move up to #5 after the debacle in San Diego and the Aloha Team has a tenuous hold on #4. We have a chance to be competitive this year; we just need a few crises to get noticed.”
Dr. Hodges ran his fingers through his thin grey hair. “Haven’t we had enough crises for the year already? Are you and Blue Star getting along alright? He was very upset about that first training exercise and now these threats on family members. It’s important that the team leader and the operations director are on the same page.”
“We’re so much on the same page that he’s reading over my shoulder,” she replied. “Now stop micromanaging and answer the door.”
It was Matteo and his twins, who were already in bathing suits and raced through the kitchen out to the pool. “Dr. Hodges, thank you for inviting us, it’s great to see you again Dr. Sterling,” breathed Angela in hot pursuit. Matteo strolled in shortly thereafter with Matthew and made the formal apologies. “Sorry for all the commotion,” he said. “The kids have been dying to go swimming; they were up at six this morning. We couldn’t hold ‘em off any longer.”
“Of course, great enthusiasm,” said Dr. Hodges. “Camille, where did you put the water toys…” he trailed off as a wet twin dashed back through the kitchen, holding an inner tube.
“Hey, no running in the house!” called Matteo, ineffectually as far as Camille could tell. He smiled affably at his children. “They’re like fish, really. Amazing. Not that they have any special powers or anything,” he quickly added. “Figurative fish, that’s all.”
“How old are they?” Camille asked.
“Nine,” said Matteo. “You have a little girl, right? Is she coming?”
“Yes, Meghan’s six. My husband is bringing her.” Camille wondered whether she should call Jules to make sure he was on his way, but decided against it. Things were tense enough between them at the moment as it was; he would think she was nagging.
“It’s strange,” Dr. Hodges was saying. “I remember when a diagnosis of mutancy in a child was a cause for panic and nowadays it seems like parents are disappointed if their children are - what do people call it now? Unevolved? Mundane?”
“It’s a compliment to the work of the Institute,” Dr. Sterling said. “The treatments and therapies you pioneered over the last 20 years have revolutionized life for mutants. Look, there’s someone else here. Come on, Dr. H., go get the door.”
Dr. Hodges smiled and headed out as Matteo joined his family by the poolside. Camille looked at Annie. “Do you always take care of him like this?”
“Who, Dr. H? I don’t take care of him, just help out now and again. He’s a brilliant mind, but a bit scattered, like all the best scientists.”
Camille shook her head. It wasn’t that simple. Dr. Hodges was obviously slipping into the past and Annie had taken it upon herself to prop him up. Camille wondered if Annie would expect her to contribute in some way. She felt dread at the idea and then a surge of guilt. People got old. She shouldn’t hold that against Dr. Hodges. He didn’t have any living family that she knew of; his whole life had been spent for WPL, the Institute, the Academy, and the team. If they didn’t take care of him, who would?
Her musing was interrupted by the arrival of Cosmic Kid, who seemed to have perfected the sheepishly handsome l
ook. “Hi Camille, where should I put this?” He held out a platter with a bowl of chili surrounded by a heaping pile of corn chips. “It’s my world-famous Cosmic Chili Blast.”
Camille laughed. “So that’s what they’re always talking about! And here I thought that the Cosmic Blast was a mutant power.”
“It is if you eat enough,” Cosmic Kid said with a smile that faded as Dr. Sterling walked up and reached her hand out for the bowl.
Cosmic Kid handed the food over reluctantly. “You’re not planning on poisoning it, are you?” he asked her.
Dr. Sterling gave a thin smile. “Even I know the difference between a pool party and a training exercise,” she said as she took the platter out to the patio.
The twins ran back through the kitchen, pursued by their father. “Wow – kids,” said Cosmic Kid.
“Yeah, those are mine,” said Matteo proudly. “Heh there, stop dripping all over the floor!” he called and continued after them.
“Don’t let training get to you,” Camille told Cosmic Kid. “You can’t take Annie personally.”
“I’m not the one making it personal!” he exclaimed. “The thing is that…”
He was interrupted by a running blur as Meghan dashed into the kitchen and flung herself at Camille’s knees. “Mommy!”
Dr. Hodges entered with Jules, who was giving his condolences about the attack on the team. Dr. Hodges had started to look sad and withdrawn again and Camille knew what Annie would want her to do: divert.
“Cosmic Kid, I don’t think I’ve introduced you to my husband, Jules Franklyn. Jules, this is Cosmic Kid.”
“Call me Patrick,” said Cosmic Kid, shaking hands first with Jules and then with Meghan, who regarded him seriously from beside Camille’s leg.
West Pacific Supers: Rising Tide Page 20