Authors: R.J. Ross
Someone grabs him around the waist, jerking him to a stop. He looks up, staring blankly at his dad. “He stole my powers,” he says flatly, once what happened sinks in.
“I noticed.”
“Can you land? I need to try a reboot,” Nico says.
“Reboot? This isn’t the first time you’ve used that term,” Superior says, landing and letting go. “How do you do that, if you don’t have any powers?” he asks curiously.
“I don’t know, but I have to try. The military is moving in—if he gets a hold of their weaponry, we’re even more screwed than we already are,” Nico says flatly, sitting on the ground and closing his eyes. “Come on… come on…”
“Should I get Aubrey?” Superior asks.
“Yeah, but not for me. It sounds like Rocco is trying to get Century out before he dies. Now go, I’ve got to focus,” Nico declares, looking angry. “I should have let Shadowman take him out.”
“Where is Shadowman?” Superior asks.
“Herold has him.”
“I see. Then I’ll just be going,” Superior says, flying away and leaving Nico sitting there. For a long moment the technopath does nothing except sit there and close his eyes.
“D—Technico?” Zoe says over his personal com-link. “What should we do?”
“For now stay off all lines,” Nico says. “Without my abilities I can’t tell if he’s hacking in or not. He probably is.”
“I can, but just in case I’ll use my phone, instead,” she says. The world goes silent and he concentrates on the fact that it’s cold. He doesn’t remember the last time he actually felt cold, a little voice whispers. The ground is hard, too, and he’s feeling really STUPID just sitting here hoping something good will happen.
Maybe he should have asked his dad for a television, too.
***
This is taking too long, I think darkly, listening to Century’s rough breathing. Even going sixty miles an hour, it’ll take too long. Zoe is on the other line, arranging something with Marigold—I don’t blame her for leaving me out of this conversation, honestly. Marigold and I don’t exactly get along. I almost jump as I hear a helicopter overhead.
“Hey—um—Century? Kid?” the driver says. “This helicopter is hovering right over our heads—I think they want us to pull over or something.”
“Do it,” I say, feeling a trickle of hope hitting me. The van swerves, pulling to a hard stop, and I head out the back door, praying that it’s from Marigold and not Herold. I step out, holding up both hands and daring to look up. The light isn’t as strong here, but it’s still bright enough to make me wince. “Are you from East Hall?” I yell up to them.
“We are. Are you carrying who we’re looking for?” the man hanging out of the front seat yells back.
“How do I know you aren’t lying?” I demand.
“Because we’re official black suits, as you call us,” he yells back. “We’re just wearing our old gear—we’re retired military.” He tosses a wallet down to me and I grab it, looking at the official card inside. I flip through the rest of the wallet, earning a dark look, and then nod.
“He’s in the back, he’s really frail right now, so you’re going to have to land,” I call up to them. The helicopter lands and they bring out a stretcher to collect Century. “Do you have a healer coming?” I demand. “He’s going to need one.” I hand back the wallet as they load him on the helicopter.
“Yes, sir,” the man old enough to be my dad—well, not MY dad, obviously—says. “You’re coming with us,” he adds pointedly. I look at the van, hesitating.
“If you get fired, call up Central Hall,” I tell him. “Tell them Rocco said to call—no, tell them Nico did. I’m sure he won’t mind.”
“Got it. Thanks, I feel a little heroic now.”
“What’s your name?” I ask.
“Larry,” he says. “Larry Haggerville,” he adds.
“Got it. Thanks, man,” I say, shaking his hand before rushing to the helicopter. I jump into the back, only to lean back in my spot and breathe a little hard. “Man, I hate this feeling,” I mutter, running a hand over my face.
“What happened, exactly?” one of the suits asks, crouching over Century and checking his vitals. “Are you SURE this is Century?”
“That’s Century,” I say. “He’s wearing the uniform, isn’t he? Basically those lights strip supers of their powers,” I explain darkly. “I’m a shadow walker, I can’t even run without getting breathless, now. But the older capes, well…” I motion down to Century with a scowl. “It’s deadly.”
“How did Senator Herold do this?” the driver demands.
“He’s a technopath,” I say. “He’s responsible for all the havoc that’s been going down for the past couple of hours.”
“The biggest anti-super politician in the world IS one?” the driver asks, shocked.
“Nico exposed him on television, so he blew everything up, as far as I can tell,” I say. “Can you take me to a hospital near here?” I ask, looking over the world. “It’s that way, about forty miles. I mean, that’s where I left her, at least.”
“Left who?”
“One of the healers I hunted down,” I say, closing my eyes and slowly starting to feel better. We must be near the limits of the light, I think. I know exactly where I am. “If we keep going at this rate, he might not even need a healer,” I say, glancing over at Century. He’s already starting to look stronger. “Good. We’re going to need him.”
The one that had been trying to give him first aid looks shocked. “Wow,” he says. “That’s amazing.”
“Ah… um… you’ll keep all of this to yourself, right?” I say suddenly, realizing just how dangerous it is. “The whole losing powers problem—”
“Oh, that’s not a big surprise,” the driver says. “We’ve been given tours of the Cape Cells.”
“Yeah…” I stop, wondering why I suddenly feel worried. It’s right on the edge of my mind, like there’s a really big problem that we’re overlooking…
But that Mother lady is being guarded by Tatiana and Superior, so she isn’t the problem, right? So… considering all the crap that’s gone on in the past few hours, what ELSE could be wrong?
Instead of worrying about it more, I sit down and stare at one of the most famous heroes as he gets his powers back.
Wait, that means I’ll have MY powers back soon, right? I jerk, looking around the helicopter, and reach for the wall in front of me. My fingertips sink slowly into the shadow. “Just a little bit further,” I tell them. “Once we get to where I can use my abilities, we’ll be good. I can take him to a healer just to make sure he’s back to one hundred percent.”
“I hate to say this, but aren’t you a villain?” the black suit next to me asks. “Technically we shouldn’t trust one of the Hall Leaders to you—”
“He’s one of mine,” Century says, even his voice sounding stronger. “At least, he’s going to be. Aren’t you, Rocco?” he asks, looking at me. His eyes are sharp and clear, and he’s starting to fill out his uniform again, as well. For a while there it draped over him like a shroud on a skeleton.
“If I can keep working for Nico and Zoe on top of it,” I say, much to the shock of the black suits. “Speaking of Nico, has anyone heard from him?” And what about my father? He’s probably dead, or wishing he was by now.
That idea makes me feel a little sick, but I try not to show it.
***
The journey into the White House had been terrifyingly simple, Shadowman thinks as he’s carried along by Herold. All of the alarms are taken out with a wave of a hand, all of the bullets spark against the ball of energy that surrounds them and fall to the ground. “This is why I was never going to vote for you,” he drawls, unable to help himself.
“That hurts me, Shadowman, it really hurts me,” Herold says in a patently false voice. “Your son turned and ran like the coward he is, you know. You should be so proud of him. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“It doesn’t, does it? You’re exactly like your mother—crazy as hell.”
He gets thrown across the room, into the light. Slamming against the wall breaks his spine. He falls limply to the ground. And since his powers are taken, it doesn’t heal. He’s going to be crippled for the last few moments of his life. He should have killed the guy a long time ago, he thinks for the hundredth time. A shadow here, a pulled out heart there, it’s all part of a day’s work—
“Do you want to live?” Herold asks, moving in front of him. “I can save you.”
“What, now you’ve… got a God complex?” Shadowman asks weakly, feeling the edges of his sight start to blur. He’s not a stranger to pain, but he isn’t used to it sticking around this long.
“Do you want to live, or should I start my new career with your death on my hands?” Herold demands. He totally ignores all of the guards that are surrounding them, their guns aimed at his back. “I must admit, this is going to be a lot nastier than I planned—but then again, we all know who writes the history books.”
“Who, nerds with… too much… time on their… hands?” Shadowman tries to quip. The world is starting to go dark for him. He can barely hear Herold’s over-dramatic talk.
“The winners do, Shadowman. The winners always write the history books. I can make this look like a triumphant rescue of a country going under, and no one will ever say differently.” There’s a crazed little smile on his face. “But you know what?” he says, “I can’t let you die just yet.”
“Why?” Shadowman croaks, well on his way to being unconscious
“Because I need you to find Technico, the last thing I want is for him to be out there. He’s a problem, and you’re going to take care of him.”
“Why?” Shadowman asks, again.
“Because otherwise I’ll let you die here,” Herold says far too casually, “right in the beautiful entry hall of the White House. Do you know how hard blood stains are to clean up?” he asks. “Do you really want to be remembered as the pathetic villain that died here? That is if I let anyone remember you at all?”
“Senator Herold, we have you surrounded,” someone calls over a megaphone outside. “Come out with your hands up!”
“Do you really think that’ll work on me?” Herold asks, picking Shadowman up again and dragging him back into the protective sphere. The sudden return of Shadowman’s powers has the other man healing rapidly. Herold turns and heads right over the guards still shooting at him, flying out into the light. There are tanks and helicopters and even fighter jets flying overhead. “Oh, how nice of you all to bring me presents,” he says, flying higher and holding out his hands. “I really appreciate it.”
The norms wearing sunglasses watch in horror as two of the tanks start turning their cannons on each other. “I love to start things with a bang,” Herold says. Shadowman can just watch with dawning horror from behind him.
“We’re almost there,” the pilot says over his shoulder. “Your powers should be coming back now, right?” he asks me.
“It might take a little—” I jerk as a hand comes through the wall of the helicopter. I’m a little shocked by the sight of Aunt Skystep joining us—especially as she throws herself into my arms.
“ROCCO!” she says dramatically. “I couldn’t feel you! I was so scared!” she declares, kissing me on the cheek and clinging too tightly for my own good. I gasp a bit, trying to breathe. “I can only barely feel you, now—and—oh,” she says, looking over at Century. She lets go of me and heads to his side, looking far too serious for a moment.
“Hello, Sugar,” Century says weakly. His hand comes up, touching her cheek. “I thought for a bit I’d never see you again.”
She doesn’t move, still staring at him for a moment before shoving his hand away. “What were you thinking, you stupid-head?” she demands, poking him several times. “Stupid-head, stupid-head, stupid-head old geezer!” she declares, until he grabs her hand to stop her. “I couldn’t feel you, either,” she says, surprising me as a tear slowly slides down one cheek.
“I’m sorry,” he says, slowly sitting up and then shocking us all by kissing her—Skye, most of all. The punch would have killed him five seconds earlier, I think as it slams into his face. “I was asking for that,” he says after a second, reaching up and touching his jaw gingerly.
“PERVERTED OLD MAN!” Skye yells, grabbing me and hiding behind me for a second before abruptly moving in front of me, as if she can’t decide who should protect whom. “You stay away from my adorable nephew!” she declares, pointing at him. “You’re a bad influence! You with your sudden—sudden KISSY FACE!”
“I really doubt he’s going to try kissing me, Aunt Skye,” I say, trying not to laugh. I wrap my arms around her waist hugging her from behind. “I’m glad,” I say, leaning my chin on her shoulder, “that you worried about me,” I tell her, noticing the surprised expression on her face from the corner of my eye. “But you shouldn’t punch people right after they almost died and are just happy to see you,” I add, kissing her on the cheek.
She was red earlier, now she’s BRIGHT red. “You! See, you’re already influencing him!” she accuses Century, pointing at him. But we all notice that she doesn’t hit ME. “So where are we going?” she asks, turning in my hold and looking at me expectantly.
“I’m going to take Century to Nico—that’s where we’ll meet up with Aubrey, who’ll heal that broken jaw you just gave him, and make a plan to take down Herold.”
“I’m coming with you,” she declares. “We need Carla, too!”
“Carla?” I ask blankly.
“We’re a team, remember? I’ll go get her!” she says, racing away before I can stop her. Instead I turn and stare at Century.
He gives me a slightly sheepish grin, his amusement clear in his eyes. “Now, son, I see that you two are family, but—”
“Don’t go traumatizing my extremely innocent aunt,” I tell him. “Got it?”
“The look on her face made it totally worth it,” he says shamelessly, grinning evilly. “Had I known, I would have done it years ago!”
“She’s right about you being a bad influence,” I say, groaning loudly. “Come on, let’s get going,” I add, holding out a hand and turning to the biggest shadow in the helicopter. He takes my hand.
***
Steel gray eyes open and Nico lets out a sigh, running a hand over his face. He blinks as he realizes that Aubrey is crouched right in front of him. Superior is standing behind her, but Nico ignores him. “Hey, kid,” he says to Aubrey. “Did you do that?” he asks.
“No, your powers came back on their own,” she says, glancing over to the right where the lights are only faintly visible. “What happened? How did he do that?”
“He went big,” Nico says, dryly. “And he set himself up with protection—somehow he found a way to negate a power negating wave. He must have been planning THIS for a long time, too. I really hate that guy,” he mutters, getting to his feet. “Have you heard from Zoe?” he asks.
“She was getting Rocco a helicopter to get Century out of there,” Aubrey says. “Nico, if Century was in there and his powers were taken—”
“There’s a good chance he didn’t make it,” Nico finishes for her. “On the other hand, if any of the other politicians were capes in disguise, they’re probably gone as well.”
“Nico!” she says, only slightly shocked.
“The last thing I want is to have two Herolds to deal with,” he says darkly, not about to apologize. “I screwed up,” he admits a second later, staring at the sight of his downfall. “Both of us did. We gave him time to monologue. Never give them time to monologue, Aubrey. It’s the stupidest thing you can do.”
“I thought it was part of the job,” she says. “Jack actually has to write his out and memorize them.”
“That’s the play villain—they can monologue all they want. It’s when you’re dealing with a real villain that you should just finish them off,” Nico says. “You’re supposed to be going to Century—”
“As soon as they exit the light, Rocco will bring him through the shadows,” she says. “He’s going to bring Century to you, so Grandpa and I just came here. Nico, all of this—could you have done this?”
“In some cases we don’t ask ‘could you,’” Superior says, placing a hand on her shoulder, “We ask ‘would you.’”
Nico gives him a dry look. “I’ve stopped
you
from going after the White House before,” he points out.
“That was extenuating circumstances,” Superior says. “The man that wanted to kill your mother was in there. This man, he didn’t even try to break his mother free when he found her.”
“No, he just executed a plan that’s been in the making for a very long time,” Nico says, frowning thoughtfully. “Maybe BECAUSE she was out of the way?” he asks, his eyes lighting up. “The little mama’s boy didn’t want to share, I bet. Doris said she was with him when he put her under—I bet she’s been there all his life, overseeing his every move. That almost makes me thankful you ignored us as kids, old man, because who knows how crazy I’d be if you were like that?”
Superior just stares at him, not saying a word to that. Instead he turns, looking for the nearest shadow, waiting for the shadow boy to bring Century.
“He’s kept his powers inside there,” Nico says. “That means he’s found a way to cancel out the canceling power waves—and the only ones I know that can do that are you and that ‘Mother’ lady,” he says, digging through his small cache of pieces and putting together a power negator. “Block this,” he tells his father, shooting him. Superior blocks it. “Now keep that up,” Nico says, clapping his hands together and pulling them apart. A hologram appears between his hands. “Okay, I think I know how he did it,” he says after a moment. “I’m going to need some tools,” he says, racing away.
A second later, a hand comes out of the shadow Superior is watching.
***
“You’ve brought him?” Aubrey asks me as I step into the light. I tug Century through the portal, breathing a little heavily as I do. My powers are back, sure, but I feel like I just ran a mile. I haven’t felt this weak since I was thirteen and just coming into them.
“Hello, Darlin’,” Century says, growing more like himself by the second. “I do apologize if I stink—someone forgot to mention that it was part of the travel plan,” he adds, looking at me pointedly.
“Sorry if I was in a hurry,” I drawl, having grown used to the stench a long time ago. “He’s getting better quickly, but it was still hit and miss for a bit there. Can you check him? And where’s Nico?” I ask, looking around curiously. “Shouldn’t he be dealing with this problem?”
“He got distracted,” Superior says dryly. “He’s making a power negation blocker, or something along those lines.”
“Why aren’t you going in there, Grandpa?” Aubrey asks as she races to Century’s side and grabs his hands. “You could stop all of this, couldn’t you?”
“I could, but I stupidly made a promise,” Superior says. “Besides, this is no longer my job—it’s my son’s.”
Century looks at him silently for a long moment. And then Aubrey asks the question both of us have been waiting for. “Who cracked your jaw?”
“Skye,” Century and I say in unison.
“Do I want to know why?” she asks after a long moment of shock.
“Nope,” I say. “You definitely don’t, especially if you claim her as family.”
“I want to know,” Superior says. “What did you do to my daughter, Charles?”
“Now, Clifford, you have to understand there were extenuating circumstances,” Century says, holding up his hands and grinning slightly. “You see, I thought I was going to die.”
“Not when you did it, you didn’t,” I have to point out.
“I was celebrating the fact I was going to live!” he says. I try not to laugh.
“What did you do to my daughter?” Superior asks again.
“It was just a little kiss!” Century protests, only to rub his jaw at the memory. “But that was definitely not a little slap,” he adds.
“You’re too old for her,” Superior says, but he doesn’t seem nearly as angry, now. In fact a little hint of a smile is pulling at his lips. “She cold-cocked you, huh?”
“And called him a perverted old man!” I offer cheerfully. “You should have seen her—she was trying to hide behind me, and then trying to hide me behind her, saying he’d be a bad influence on me. It was hysterical.”
“Okay,” Nico says, appearing behind me with a strange device in his hand and several household machines floating behind him. “We’re going to want as many of these as we can manage. I brought the parts with me.” He taps his earbud. “Zoe, kiddo, I’m going to need your help. How quickly can you get here?” he asks, only to look at me. “Never mind, I’ll send your transportation to you.”
I nod, only hesitating because I KNOW I have to tell him—or remind him, or something. “My dad is in there,” I say. “I mean, he’s probably dead by now, but if there’s even the chance—”
“You can get him out—as soon as I’ve finished our latest devices,” Nico says. “Now go get my kid.”
“Sir, yes sir,” I say, saluting him cheekily before heading for the nearest shadow again. I pause in front of it and flip so I’m standing on one hand, bouncing a few times in a circle before twisting back to my feet. “Found her!” I say cheerfully.
“Was that really necessary?” Superior asks before I head into the shadow.
“Nope, blame it on your daughter, Uncle Superior,” I say evilly, heading out.
“Uncle?” I hear him say behind me.
The sooner I get Zoe, the sooner we can put all of this behind us and finish cleaning up all of the messes.
***
“I know what you’re thinking,” Herold says, not even looking at the man sharing his supportive bubble. “It’d be easy to kill me right now—or at least easier. It shows on your face. You were telling the truth when you said you don’t understand how politicians can do it. Your bloodlust is rather obvious. Let me guess, was it something to do with how your only son deserted you?” he asks. “Your little boy, the apple of your eye—”
“It’s got nothing to do with him,” Shadowman says. “I barely know the kid. The only reason I even have to claim him is because he has my abilities. I just feel like killing you,” he says, his fingers pressing against Herold’s back.
“If you do that, this bubble will disappear,” Herold says. “You’ll die with me—a pointless death to a meaningless life. Fitting, don’t you think? But I don’t think you’ll do it,” he goes on as he turns on him. “I think you’re too selfish to give up your life for anyone.” He reaches forward, grabbing Shadowman by the shirt. “You and I could work very well together if you would just get over this stupid vendetta you’ve built up in your mind. I need you, Shadowman, and more importantly, you need me.”
“I don’t need you—”
“Of course you do,” Herold says. “You’re a leech, a sponge, a clinger-on. You rely on people paying you for your services. It doesn’t matter what services they want, as long as you get paid for it, you’ll do it, won’t you? I’ve been around for a very long time, Shadowman. There are men all over just like you. Men that will sell their own mothers for whatever it is they want.” He motions with his free hand, “And as of now, I’m the richest man in the free world,” he says.
He wants to kill him, Shadowman thinks, but Herold is right about one thing—he really doesn’t feel like dying. It’s become an addiction, life. Long past the time most get bored of it, he’s still finding new ways to live it. And besides, if he dies, he’s pretty sure it’s going to get very hot, very fast. “You have a point,” he says instead. “We can do more working together, and all that. What, exactly, are you hiring me for?”
“I thought you’d say that,” he says. “I want you to find out if Technico is still alive. If he is, you’re going to kill him for me. If you do it, I’ll pay you handsomely. If you don’t, well, we both know what will happen to you.”
Shadowman doesn’t even blink. “Sounds like a plan,” he says.
***
“You’ve been a lot of help, Carla,” the dispatcher says as the girl finally takes a break. “Whatever Hall gets you is going to be very lucky.”