Burn Out

by R. J. Ross

  It comes undone and she hands it to him. He tosses it to me, and I just barely manage to catch it. I’m faking, yeah, but I’m faking having my powers back. I’ve never felt so weak in my life. I snap it on and tap the E.P.B. button, feeling my powers rush back into my body and letting out a sigh of relief.

  “He was busy,” she says. “He didn’t even notice it.”

  “Remind me to update it so that it only comes off by a verbal command, later,” Nico says to me. “Now, what happened to the boy?”

  I go still as I hear sirens go off. I turn, looking at the front gate of the mansion. “They called the cops,” I say to Nico. “If either of us get filmed doing this—”

  “Take me with you, please,” Ms. Mace says a bit desperately.

  “Burnout,” Nico says, tilting his head slightly. I nod, turn off my E.P.B. again, and grab his arm.

  “What about Davis?” I ask.

  “We don’t have time,” he admits grimly before we teleport away, taking Ms. Mace with us. “Of course, I could just turn the cars off before they get there,” he goes on, as I look around curiously. We’re in the middle of a field, and I can see the back of Walter Colleck’s mansion. “But getting in to get the boy back will take knowledge of the house. The blueprints aren’t anywhere on the internet, but that’s not surprising. I doubt he’d let us know that easily.”

  “I’m… I’m free?” Ms. Mace asks, looking around. She sees the mansion a second later. “We’re too close. If he sees me—I need to get rid of my phone, move, set up a new identity, I’ve heard that there’s a super that specializes in cosmetic surgery for our types, no, even that won’t work…”

  “What does he hold over your head?” Nico asks her, his eyes glued to the mansion. “Or are you trying to trick us to get information?”

  “My family has always worked for his,” she says. “His line… created my line.”

  “So?” Nico says, completely ruining the drama of that confession. “Just because his great-granddad did some illegal experiments on your great-granddad doesn’t mean you owe him anything.”

  “If he can create us, he can destroy us, as well,” she says. “He knows how to get rid of our powers. To him, I’m the same as a tool. He put me to work for the SITEC business, and then he forgot about it, but I had to keep working there, because he has spies, everywhere. You’re a hero, you have to save me from him, right?”

  “I think there’s more to this story,” Nico says, “but you’re useful to us right now, so I’m going to pretend I believe it.” He takes to the air, shooting straight up. I find myself staring at Ms. Mace, wondering if I should say something.

  “You have the atomizer,” she says. “You should know what they’ve done.”

  “Our scientists are looking at it,” I say. “Why didn’t you do all that stuff you mentioned, earlier?”

  “What stuff?”

  “The name change, the face change, all that? If you knew he was going to use you like a tool, why didn’t you do something about it? You could have even gone to the Hall. Take your power suppressor off,” I say. She hesitates, and looks up, as if Nico might come back at any moment. He could, so I think she’s just wasting time.

  “I would rather not,” she says.

  “If he’s as smart as I think he is, there’s a tracker in it.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Take it off,” I say.

  “If you insist,” she says with a sigh. She starts unbuttoning her shirt. I raise an eyebrow, wondering if that’s supposed to distract me, and then relax as I see that she’s wearing a strange vest under her clothing. She unzips it, shrugging it off and handing it over. Just as I’m about to take it, Nico drops down. The vest drops to the ground and disappears with a poof. It takes a second for what happened to sink in, and then I lunge for her, rage ripping through me. She had TOTALLY planned on my getting teleported to wherever the vest just went! I slam my fist into her face, and send her flying.

  “Did I miss something?” Nico asks blandly as I follow up, catching her before she hits the ground.

  “You knew that would happen,” I grit out. “You knew it was about to teleport, so where were you going to send me?”

  “I told you…” she says, her face healing in front of my eyes, “I would rather not take it off. You wouldn’t listen. People that don’t listen deserve whatever happens to them!”

  “You knew it would take me, so you were handing it to me,” I accuse her, not about to back down.

  She just stares at me, defiantly. “You were the one stupid enough to think that was the only tracker he has on me,” she says, coldly. I’m beginning to think that the desperation from earlier was just an act.

  A green light flashes, and we both look over at Nico, who’s checking his phone with a thoughtful expression. “Embedded trackers?” he says. “That’s some nasty mad science.” I bet he didn’t need the phone to notice that, he’s probably checking her stats.

  “I told you, his line created ours,” she says, shrugging out of my hold. “The power suppressor makes it hard to find me, even for him, so he put a tracker in it. The only problem is, the moment I take it off, it teleports. I can’t get it out of the lockdown spot without asking him to open it. The code to get in changes every five minutes. I was PLANNING on having your technopath, here, take out the trackers for me.”

  I’m supposed to feel guilty right now, but I don’t. I don’t like her enough to. “I say we trade her for Davis,” I say to Nico.

  “She’s useful, sure, but I don’t think it’s enough leverage. They’ve taken Davis in an ambulance. I’m betting it was his mother that called them.”

  “So they didn’t call the cops on us?”

  “Oh, the cops came, too,” Nico says, “but they aren’t searching for us. It’s too hard to explain what three supers are doing on his land, especially with all of the things the cops might run into during the search.”

  “Then we just need to go to the ER,” I say. “We can talk to Davis, there. We should bring Jonas with us. He’s got experience with this stuff.”

  “Then let’s get going,” Nico says.

  “Wait!” Ms. Mace says. “You can’t just leave me here. He’s going to find me the moment that he notices the vest went back!”

  Nico looks at him, digs into one of his belts, and pulls out a light bulb. I know exactly what’s going to happen next. “What in the world is that for?” Ms. Mace demands.

  Before she’s fully finished asking, the power blocking gun is complete and he holds it up, shooting her. She staggers slightly, blinking in surprise. “That will keep him from finding you for a bit, since the trackers are running off your super energy,” Nico says. “I suggest you make a run for it.”

  “I—I won’t be able to get far enough,” she says. “He’ll find me. Sooner or later, he always finds me. I need your help.”

  “You just tried to screw over the future South Branch Hall leader,” Nico says. “Do you really think we’ll help you after that?”

  Her jaw drops, and she looks at me, shocked. I stare back at her, crossing my arms over my chest. “You’re kidding, right? She’s a little girl.”

  “She’s Voltdrain’s daughter, and a promising super in her own right. When Century’s ready to retire in some fifty years or so, she’ll be perfect for the job. Burnout, what do you think we should do?” Nico asks me.

  “She’s the one that punched me,” I hear her mutter as I look at Nico.

  “And you—no, we don’t have time for this. We need to get Jonas and get to the ER,” I say. “Let’s take her with us, we can still try to trade her for Davis. If not, well, she DID aid and abet in kidnapping me, so we could punish her somehow, I’m sure.” I would also like to check in on Phoebe, but now’s not the time to mention that. Why do I keep getting stuck dealing with difficult women? It’s giving me a headache.

  “She’s not getting access to the school campus,” I say.

  “She does not need to,” I hear Papa say ove
r the commlink. “Jonas is here, at the orphanage. You can come get him, now, princesa.”

  “Thank you, Papa. How are things there, now?”

  “They have calmed down very nicely,” he says. “I believe that Cheval is in love.”

  “In love?” I ask, startled. “With who?”

  “With the niños,” he says, a hint of a smile in his voice. I listen a bit closely, and hear Cheval in the background, talking about her job as a super villain. “It is a mutual love,” he informs me.

  “I bet it is,” I say, smiling, myself. Just the sound of his voice has calmed me down. “We’re on our way, then, Papa.” I turn to Nico, who’s watching Ms. Mace with a slight frown. “Let’s go,” I tell him.

  “Grab on,” he says. We both grab one of his arms and teleport away.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Voltdrain sits, surrounded by children that had been through far too much, earlier. He has a little girl sitting on his lap, she’s about three. She climbed up there without a word, her teddy bear dangling from one hand, her thumb stuck in her mouth. He reaches up, rubbing her back and remembering Jimena at this age as he continues telling the children a story about before he came to the Hall. Every once in a while he glances over at Cheval, who’s now speaking on the phone with someone. He can hear their conversation, but he knows it’s supposed to be private, so he pretends not to. She’s speaking with her daughter about how Davis was doing in the school.

  The little girl on his lap looks up at him, finally pulling her thumb out to speak. “You’re Voltdrain,” she says.

  “Sí, chiquita, that is who I am,” he tells her.

  She looks quite satisfied with that answer and leans her head against his chest. The group had calmed down quickly after Maximum showed up, and honestly, they could leave at any time, except Jonas is still working hard, not to help Phoebe, Phoebe had been taken away by Maximum, but to help the children.

  “Mijo,” Voltdrain says to the boy, not raising his voice even though they’re a room width apart, “Burnout is coming to collect you.”

  Jonas looks over, a frustrated expression on his face. “There are still so many—” he starts out, only to sigh. “Got it, I’ll do what I can.”

  “Al—Voltdrain do you know where Skystep has gotten to?” Cheval asks as she finishes her call and comes over. “I haven’t seen her since Maximum came.”

  “She does not like it here,” Voltdrain says, still rubbing the girl’s back. She’s sound asleep, already. “I cannot blame her. We should get going, as well.”

  “I know,” Cheval says, placing a hand on his shoulder and smiling a bit sadly down at the sleeping child. “I need to speak with you and Century, once we get the chance.”

  Voltdrain nods, knowing what the problem is. He looks up as the front door of the large building opens and his daughter walks in. There’s something off about her power levels, he realizes, his eyes narrowing slightly. She meets his eyes, shaking her head.

  “Jo—” she stops, glancing at Nico for a second before saying, “Lifeline, we need your help.”

  “Lifeline?” Jonas repeats. She shrugs, motioning him to follow. “I guess it’s as stupid as any other healer name,” he mutters, making Cheval laugh.

  “Papa, Cheval, gracias,” Burnout says, shooting them a slight smile that doesn’t reach her eyes before grabbing Jonas and flying away.

  “Voltdrain?” Voltdrain hears Nico say from outside. “Can I ask a favor before I go?” Voltdrain gently places the little girl on the couch next to him and stands, heading out the door. He stops at the sight of Nico pushing a woman towards him. “Can you keep an eye on this one?”

  “That is… Ms. Mace?” Voltdrain asks.

  “She’s a teleporter. Thanks,” Nico says, not giving Voltdrain the chance to agree before flying off after Jimmi. Voltdrain looks at the super, checking her power levels before sighing. Nico could have at least offered him the choice of jobs, he thinks as he takes the woman’s arm. She’s probably the one that kidnapped Jimmi, he thinks. It would be smart to put a collar on her as soon as they get to the Hall.

  ****

  *Colleck’s Mansion*

  Richard had told the scientists to take an early lunch, because Walter was gone. Of course, that’s not the reason he’d done it, but all that matters to him is that most of them had left. The rest are somewhere reading their comic books over paper bag lunches. In front of Richard, the half-finished machine is laid out on the ground next to the anti-gravity machine that the boy had tossed together without noticing. Richard barely looks at either of them, and doesn’t even glance at the security cameras as he keeps tapping on his computer. After ten minutes of “boring,” he hacks into the security system and sets up a loop. Once he’s certain that it’s working, he heads for the anti-gravity machine, picking it up and tapping on various parts. Nothing happens. He puts it down, again, figuring it must be one of those super-only tools that the other scientists have been talking about. He turns his attention to the machine that only vaguely resembles his grand masterpiece. There are only a few pieces left. The boy had almost had it finished. Yes, there is some resentment in his thoughts, but it’s forgotten quickly. It’s here. The thing he’d dreamed about for all those years is within his grasp.

  He picks up one of the remaining pieces, looking at it thoughtfully before examining the machine. He places it where he thinks it should go, hooking up some of the dangling wires to it. He grabs the next piece and repeats the process. Soon, he’s certain that he’s finished it. Of course, if it’s set up to be super-only, he’ll need a different power source…

  He turns, looking at the canister of glowing energy that they’d collected from the girl. His expression of joy is almost blinding as he walks over with the atomic converter, but he doesn’t touch the canister just yet. Instead, he places the converter down next to the canister and grabs the anti-gravity device, bringing it over, as well. He gets to work, hooking all three objects together as well as he can with makeshift techniques. If he can float while he’s using the machine, he’s as good as a super, right? He’s as powerful as Skystep—no, more powerful, because he has something she doesn’t, he has his grand intellect!

  With a smile that he can’t stop, he flips the switch of the atomic converter.

  The explosion rips through the building.

  ***

  *The ER*

  “You’re going to be fine, Davis,” Walter tells the boy as the doctors wheel him to the back. “I’ll make sure of that.”

  The boy looks at him, but he can tell he isn’t really seeing him. “There’s so… much…” he hears Davis mutter in awe. “It’s…”

  “Do you know if the boy ate or drank anything?” the nurse asks him.

  “Nothing unusual,” Lydia answers as Walter’s mind rushes, trying to come up with an antivenom that he can create in this building. He’ll have to break into one of their labs, but that’s not a difficult thing. He has a sample of the venom that he’d barely managed to grab before leaving. He needs to make sure the norms don’t give the boy something that might exacerbate the problem.

  Almost as if on cue, his phone rings. He pulls it out of his pocket, stepping back so the rest of the group can go on as he sees the strange message on his phone. He taps on it, and then taps again, bringing up the cameras he’d set up around the area. Once he’s certain that it’s not a prank, he chases after Lydia, grabbing her hand. “Darling, I need to leave,” he says.

  “What? How can you leave now? Davis is going to—”

  “Our home just exploded,” he says, not having the time to lie.

  “Oh—oh, no. Richard!” she says, turning to run out of the building. He pulls her to a stop.

  “Someone needs to stay with Davis,” he says. “I’ll… I’ll see what I can do about your brother.”

  She nods, but she’s pale and shaky, even more than she’d been earlier. He kisses her quickly before heading for the door. Inside, he’s full of rage. The Hall had dared to do somethin
g this bold? No, he thinks a second later, this isn’t their M.O. This was a villain. The Hall is probably still up to its eyeballs in red tape trying to get the boy back. Of course that’s a waste of effort if Davis dies, but he’s not going to dwell on that. He’s had children that don’t work out, before. Of course, this one has more promise than the others had…

  He heads straight past an albino teen, not even noticing the boy as his mind focuses on more important things. He wonders if everything was destroyed. That canister of energy will be difficult, but not impossible to replace, the rest of the venom, on the other hand, is going to be a pain in the neck. And he hadn’t even gotten the chance to look at his son’s little anti-gravity toy, or the atomic converter!

  Oh, and there were probably some scientists in there. His brother-in-law was there, as well, wasn’t he? Such a shame.

  ***

  “Something just happened,” Nico says, grabbing my arm before I land to chase after Jonas. “Look, Walter’s running. Does he strike you as the running type?”

  “Can he fly?” I ask, turning to watch the man. I’d been so intent on the trip to save Davis that I hadn’t even noticed the man. That says a lot, doesn’t it? I really need to work on my observation skills.

  “Doubt it,” Nico says. “We need to see what’s gotten him like that.” He starts tapping on the air. After a second, he claps his hands together and pulls them apart, creating a hologram. A “just in” sort of news report is showing the charred remains of a building and several fire trucks and cops heading for it.

  “At the moment they believe it might have been a fuel line that exploded, but we’re…” the anchorman is saying as the footage plays in the background.

  “His place just blew up,” Nico says, a bit incredulously.

  “It wasn’t the Hall!” I say.

  “Of course it wasn’t!” he says, giving me an irritated look. “We would never do something like that. There were norms in there.”

  “How big was the explosion? Do you think they survived? Oh... all of our evidence against him was there, too, wasn’t it?” I say, my heart sinking further and further. “Without that evidence we’re going to have more trouble getting Davis back, aren’t we?” I look at the hospital, wanting to see how things are going, but knowing that Jonas will take care of it. “We need to go there. We need to see if there’s anyone that can be saved, right?”