by R. J. Ross
"We had to rebuild it, the wiring in this part of the building is sub-par," Nico says.
"Yeah, but they're here already. I need you or Zoe to put them into the system," Max says.
"I'll do it," Zoe says, hooking up the wall computer with a wave of her hand. "I want to meet your family."
"Well that's not going to be awkward, at all," Max says as he heads back out the door. The ones in the room wait for all of five seconds before they burst out laughing.
"So is she out to get him back already?" Sunny asks his dad. "That lasted all of a day."
"Don't ask me," Nico says. "I still don't understand females in general."
***
"So... who all are you bringing in?" Zoe asks as we head down the steps. "Are they okay being left down there? We didn't know you were coming right now--"
"Zoe," I say, "they're fine. Dad's out there with them, along with a mini fleet of black suits. We're bringing in my... mother and her family--that's one husband, norm, and two kids, both norms. In fact, it's an entire family of norms. They should never have been involved in this life."
"She gave birth to you, didn't she? That automatically makes her involved in this," Zoe says, her green eyes narrowing slightly.
"Yeah, well, she's sorry she did," I say. I'm a bit shocked when I feel a rush of anger come off of her.
"Did she say that to you?" she demands.
"Look, that's all in the past--"
"Did she tell you that she regretted giving birth to you?" she demands again, getting in my face.
"Zoe? Remember that we're taking a break?" I ask. "You're acting like an over-protective girlfriend," I tease her, fighting the urge to grin.
"I'm acting like an over-protective friend," she says, heading past me and out of the apartment building. She must be angry, I think, she's changing her footprint pattern so it matches her steps. I follow her, having to dance over my own steps. That makes her look so much cooler than me, I think irritably. She doesn't even seem to notice as she walks up to the group. I slow down to a more leisurely pace, suddenly dying to see what she's about to do.
"Zoe," Dad says, holding out his arms.
"Mastermental," she says, looking irritated for a moment, because he just killed her righteous rage. She still accepts the hug, I note. "I thought you were working this week," she says, pulling back and giving him a smile.
"I was," he says. "Some things came up. What's this about you and Max?" he asks.
"We're... working on it," she says, glancing back at me. "Now's not the time, Double M," she adds silently before turning to the small family standing to the side. The wind is blowing, tugging at her hair and showing off the white part. It's obvious, just looking at her, that she's not exactly normal. They noticed that the moment she stepped out.
"Welcome to Masters' Apartments. There is no reason to worry while staying with us--your neighbors consist of the Liberty family, Firefly and her daughters, Taurus, and the penthouse belongs to my family," she says. "My name is Zoe Rosenthorn-Masters, the daughter of Technico and Lady Rose."
She holds out a hand, as if daring them to take it. John is the first to step up, grinning like a fanboy. "THE Technico?" he asks. "I'm a huge fan--I remember him from when I was a teenager, actually. I'm John Brown. That's my wife, Wendy, my daughter Layne, and my son, Chet," he says, nodding to each in turn. I stare at him for a moment before looking into his thoughts. This is SO cool--I can't believe Wendy got us an entire vacation of this! She must have won some sort of prize! But I thought she hated super heroes...
I choke, looking away to hide my reaction. Someone still hasn't been told, huh? I look up, though, as Zoe steps in front of my mother. "So... is there some sort of relationship between you and Mastermental?" John asks, even though she's moved on. "I mean, I think we were all a bit surprised when you and he... hugged."
"Zoe is my future daughter-in-law," Dad says, "as well as the granddaughter of my past boss. We consider each other family."
The group goes silent, looking at me in surprise. Only Zoe doesn't look over, she just turns bright red.
"Past... boss?" Chet says. "You mean Superior?"
Zoe smiles ever so slightly. "Exactly," she says. "Superior is my Grandpa. Now, if you would please line up, youngest to oldest, I'll be programming you into my security system. This will be temporary, of course. Once you return to your normal life, I don't believe you'll be able to find this place again, much less get in," she says with a pointed look at Dad.
"Very true," he agrees.
"Wait, does that mean you're dating Maximum?" Layne asks as Zoe brings out her phone. Zoe hesitates, looking at me.
"Well... um... at the moment we're taking a little... break," she says. "He needs to get ready for graduation and I'm setting up a few new schools."
I need to tell her how impossible it is to be married to a mind reader before she makes the same mistake I made, I hear my mother think. Suddenly I wish Zoe could read minds. I wonder how she would react to that comment. She jerks, looking at me with surprise, and I wonder if I didn't--
'You just passed it on to Zoe, Max,' Dad says telepathically. 'You really shouldn't do that.'
"Excuse me," Zoe says, stepping in front of my mom. "Please watch your thoughts around Maximum. You're in a position to hurt him very easily, and I don't like it. Besides, we might be taking a break at the moment but it has nothing to do with his abilities."
"But he's--" Mom starts out.
"I'm a Superior," Zoe says, looking her straight in the eye. "Do you really think that a bit of mind-reading is going to bother me?"
"Zoe," I say, stepping forward and taking her hand. "Mother," I say, looking at my mom, "Zoe is more than equipped to deal with me as her boyfriend. In fact," I add with a little grin, "she terrifies most of the guys I know."
"Mother?" John repeats, looking extremely confused.
"Terrifies?" Zoe repeats, looking at me.
"Rocco told the story about the rocket-resistant glass," I explain before looking at John. "And it looks like you need to have a little talk with your wife," I add. "But for now, the sooner we're inside, the better." Zoe pulls her hand out of mine and starts scanning them all before instructing them on how to use the panel. Soon the entire group is silently heading into the building. Only Chet and Layne giggle a little as they walk on the footprints. By the time the group has made it up the stairs, the door swings open and Nico steps out.
"I have to apologize," he says. "We've gotten the first layer of paint up, but we need to let it dry. I'm going to get Malina for that. You're welcome to go in, but I suggest you don't touch the walls," he says, heading out past them.
"Why Malina?" I ask.
"She can pull out the moisture without ruining the finish," Nico calls back, flying down the steps. "If it's in my apartment building, I want it to look good."
"You didn't use the black suit paint?" I ask, walking in.
"Nico decided to go with a bit of color for this," Trent says, floating casually in the air. "All Blacksuit paint is white or gray. I think he's planning on renting it out after this is over."
"Who to?" Zoe asks, looking around the tan and brown room curiously.
"Well, we've been moving new capes in ever since this started," Sunny says. "I mean, Bombastic and the previous Falconess moved in, right? Of course, Bombastic did most of his work, himself. But I think Dad figures we'll just redo the entire building one apartment at a time and see who wants a place."
"This... this place really IS full of honest-to-God supers?" John asks from behind me. "Because that guy--he's floating."
Trent drops to the ground, making the floor shake slightly. "Whoops," he says.
"Too late, bro, WAY too late," Jack says.
"And that's THE Cold Steel?" John says. "Not just an actor painted that way?"
"Does this look like paint to you?" Jack demands, pulling up his sleeve. "I buffed just this morning."
To all of our surprise, John goes pale, staggering sli
ghtly. "So--so this isn't some sort of... amusement special?" he asks.
"John," Mom says, turning so she's looking him straight in the eye, "this is real life. Maximum is... he's actually my son."
"And--and his dad is--"
"Mastermental," she says, sighing. "I knew you wouldn't take it well."
"Take it well?" he repeats incredulously, getting his color back. "You had a husband and a son before me and you never told me?"
"You knew I was coming out of a bad relationship!"
"I thought it was an abusive boyfriend, or something! Not a marriage to the head of Central Hall!" he says through gritted teeth.
I walk over to Chet and cover his ears with my hands. "This is an argument that is better left to a private place, don't you think?" I say. My little brother pushes my hands away.
"He was going to find out sooner or later, you know?" he says to me.
"So..." John looks at me, and I can literally feel his fear, "THE Maximum is my stepson?"
"Only by blood," I say. "She doesn't count as a mother in any other way, so I can hardly pin the term 'stepdad' on you." I see my mother flinch, but I don't care.
"I'm still your little brother, though, right?" Chet asks me, looking worried.
"Only if you want to be," I say, giving in far too easily. I like Chet. "It's a pretty dangerous job, so I won't blame you if you turn it down," I add. I look up as Nico and Malina come in, forcing myself to calm down. I'm picking up on their emotions and it turns my stomach. I focus and bring up my wall, blocking all of it out. Why is it down in the first place?
I think I blame it on Zoe. Yeah, I'll blame it on Zoe. She'll never know. That and she's almost bristling with emotions. In fact, I realize as I look at her, she's sparking a bit in reality, too. "Zoe," I say, "you might want to step outside for a bit."
She storms out the door, her hair flipping in that way she has that says she is NOT pleased. I let out a sigh and turn to Malina, holding out a fist. "S'up, Raindrop?"
She gives me a worried look, barely touching her knuckles to mine. "Is everything okay, Max?" she asks.
"Yeah, well, no, but it'll be over soon enough. Malina, let me introduce you to my little half brother and sister," I say, placing a hand on her shoulder and motioning to the two. "That's Layne, she's thirteen, and Chet, who's ten."
"It's nice to meet you," Malina says, holding out a hand. My siblings hesitate for all of a second before accepting her handshake.
"How come you introduced her and not us?" Jack demands.
"Because Raindrop is awesome and you're scary looking," I tell him, "and a prat."
"I'm not scary looking!" Sunny protests.
"Okay, okay, line up," I say, waving them over. To my surprise, Emily and Aubrey stick their heads in the door.
"We want to meet your siblings!" Emily says, heading in. Before I can reply, the rest of the apartment is heading in, uninvited. It's a bustling, party-like atmosphere within seconds. It allows me to ignore the fact that my mother looks as if the world's turned over and she's barely clinging on.
***
*Belladonna Springs*
"Daddy?" Phoebe says as she gets to the hotel room. Belladonna Springs is a pretty little town, she reluctantly has to admit, but it's not Hollywood. She expects to find her father holed up in the room--and she gets it, she thinks as she steps into the condo. The sound of screaming comes from the television and she smells popcorn. "Daddy, have you been in here all day?" she asks, sighing.
"Hush, Precious, we're getting to the best part," Massteria says, waving a hand at her without even glancing back. "He's about to kill the last one standing."
"How is that the best part?" she asks as she walks over to the couch, dropping down next to him. "That's when the psychopath gets taken down, every time. If it wasn't for the fact that ninety percent of the movie is good, I wouldn't be acting in them."
"Oh, but it IS," he says, "because the villain always manages to come back in the next movie."
"I don't know," she starts out, only to jump slightly as someone knocks on the door. "Why don't I go get that?" she says, not expecting, or getting, a reply. She opens the door, looks blankly at the man standing there with a huge tray of food and then looks back into the room. "Honey? Did you order room service?" she calls to her dad. He waves a hand and she takes the tray from the man. "Thank you," she says before slamming the door shut in his face.
"But--my tip--" the man says. She pretends not to have heard him.
"Honey?" her father repeats with a hint of amusement.
"I'm convincing the world that I'm dating Maximum, remember?" she says, wheeling the tray over to the couch. "Speaking of which, I went to see him, today."
"And?"
"And he... he's amazing. Daddy, I want him. Sure he's a little younger than I am, but I can't be picky. That--that doesn't ruin your plans, does it? We can still take him out of commission--"
"Whatever my precious daughter wants," Massteria says, giving her a little smile, "my precious daughter gets."
She lets out a squeal, clapping her hands like a child. "Oh thank you, Daddy!" she says, throwing herself into his arms. "You're the best."
"So... how did you decide this?" he asks.
"I used my powers," she says, daringly. "And he sent Dragon slamming into the ground before he kicked me out. It was amazing, Daddy--he's so powerful!"
He gives her a strange look. "You have powers?"
She feels the smile she usually tries to keep hidden when she's not working stretch across her face. It's a spitting image of his.
***
It seems like forever before I manage to slip out of the apartments. Zoe never came back in, so I check upstairs before heading out. We need to talk again, it seems, which is a bit ironic. I mean, isn't a break a sign of NOT wanting to talk? Hell if I know, actually, I've never had a girlfriend before. I take to the air as soon as I'm out of the laser wall and open my mind. It's not hard to find her, really. I know her mind signature like I know my own. It's beautiful from a distance. It's only when I get closer that I find it a bit hard to follow. If we are going to wind up married, I think as I head for her, I'm going to have to learn binary and how to read blueprints at a glance, just to keep from getting a headache. I'm already starting to.
She's standing on the roof of the Hall, tapping her foot impatiently. She's at least got a mask on, I think as I see several norms taking pictures of her. "Zoe?" I say, making her look up. "Not the best place to throw a temper tantrum, honey," I say a bit dryly. I'm pretty sure we're being filmed right now. I'm in uniform, at the place where my "greatest enemies" congregate. This isn't a good idea.
She looks down at the norms and waves a hand, causing several of them to curse and tap on the screens of their phones. "I'm waiting for Mastermental. I've only been here for a minute," she says. "He's supposed to be back here by now, though, right?"
"You can catch him later," I say, holding out my hand to her.
"But I wanted to--" She gives up and sighs, taking the hand I'm holding out. "Fine. WE need to talk, too," she declares as I tug her along. "You're going too slow," she complains, speeding up. I let out a surprised laugh before chasing after her. The story of this is going to be all over the Internet before morning, but I don't care. In fact, I'm rather looking forward to it. It might kill all those rumors about me dating Phoebe Woods.
She pulls to a stop in Kansas, over a very familiar looking forest. "Here," she says, landing on her brother's land. "This will work."
I drop down next to her, watching her curiously as she starts to pace. She shoves her hair angrily before turning on me. "I don't agree with violence," she tells me. "No one has the right to hurt someone else, and I promise I never will. Those silly little shows that the supers do, that's another topic entirely--that's sparring. No one is deliberately trying to HURT the other."
"I know," I say, sitting down on the ground to enjoy the show.
"But your mother made me SO MAD!" she declares, sparki
ng dangerously. "I wanted to yell at her, Max! And I don't even have the right to right now because I'm not your girlfriend! It's so frustrating!" She stomps her foot and leaves a foot deep impression. She pulls her foot out of the hole without even noticing it. "How can she be so--so mean and petty about Double M?" she demands. "Double M is one of the most amazing, sweetest men I've ever known!"
"I have to admit that you're a bit biased on that subject," I have to point out, "more than a bit. I mean, seriously, I'm seeing a definite bias there--"
"Oh be quiet," she says, waving me off. "I know his faults. I'm still fighting to get into the other Halls--he's a bit possessive, you know. And sure he's a know-it-all, so are you! But he probably did everything he could to try and make her happy and she just--ARGH!" she says, throwing her hands in the air.
"How would you feel if someone knew every thought you ever had?" I have to ask.
"You know most of them," she says, blowing it off. "It's irritating sometimes, sure, but it's not like I think anything I wouldn't tell you if you asked me!"
"Why did you really want to take a break, Zoe?" I ask.
She gives me a dirty look. "Because I want you to live up to your full potential and I--I'm afraid I might be..." she takes a deep breath, "I honestly don't want to hold you back. I mean, you're going to be a graduate and I'm just a little high schooler," she says, giving me a look that's supposed to make her look like "just a little high schooler." It fails, especially when the wind tugs her hair, showing the white undercoat. She's growing up in leaps and bounds.
"If anything, I'm worried I'll be able to keep up with you," I hear myself say.
"What?"
"Just like you told my mother, you're a Superior, Zoe. You're growing so fast that I'm afraid I'll look away and you'll have surpassed me," I say. "I just happen to love that challenge, at the same time."
"Wh--what?" she says, seemingly stuck on that word.
"I love you," I say, starting to grin, "but you're also the one I consider my biggest rival. I saw your dad fly at top speed once--I spent weeks training to try and reach that speed. I'm still not quite there, but I'm faster than I was. I figure there will be that aspect to our relationship, as well. Either you'll chasing me or I'll be chasing you, probably both."