Super Powereds: Year 1 (25 page)

“He’d have to be
really
well connected.”

“Just tell me the name of the other team members,” Alice said, just a twitch too quickly to pass over Nick’s comment nonchalantly.

“We only have their code names, of course,” Nick said. “Even in death the identity of a Hero is protected. If memory serves, though, the other team members were Intra, the one who was killed, as well was Black Hole and Shimmerpath. There was one more, too.”

“We know of two. Is the last one terribly important?” Alice asked.

“Couldn’t hurt,” Nick replied. “Let me think a second. He had something to do with changing the composition of things.”

Alice felt her stomach take a very abrupt and deliberate trip in the southern direction. “You know, Nick, I think we’re fine with just these two-”

“The Alchemist!” Nick declared triumphantly. “The fifth member was a man by the name of The Alchemist. Anyway, after Globe went nuts, the team was disbanded and everyone left alive disappeared from the world of Supers. Think your dad would be able to find them?”

“I’m unfortunately certain of it,” Alice said through gritted teeth. “My father is Charles Adair, but back in his Hero days, he went by the code name of The Alchemist.”

“Ohhh,” Nick said as understanding seemed to dawn on him. “Awkwaaaard.”

41.

"Still no answer," Alice all but swore as she paced the room, snapping her cell phone shut.

"Ain't that always the way? Parents are always calling when you're busy, but the minute you actually need to talk they're nowhere to be found," Nick commented from his sprawled out position on the couch.

"Oh this is just so... so him!" Alice spat out, dropping into a chair with a huff.

"In all fairness to your dad, it's not like he knows you're trying to reach him this hard," Nick said.

"Not that. I mean... well, yes, him being busy and unavailable is classic, too, but I meant the thing with his old teammate. That is just so Daddy," Alice grumbled.

"He makes a habit of helping to kill murderous teammates, huh?"

"Don't be a jackass," Alice snapped. "It's so like him to have this huge part of his life and tell me nothing about it. I mean, I can sort of understand why he might not want to tell me about what happened with Globe: I'm sure that was really traumatic. But I never even knew he belonged to a team. I thought he just got his certification and did a little Hero work to help his career. Now it turns out there's yet another part of his life he didn't bother to share with me. The funniest part about this is that as much I want to feel mad, I can't. I can't because I don't even feel surprised by it anymore." Alice let out a long, slow breath, deflating as it exited her lungs.

"I, um, actually sort of know what you mean," Nick ventured cautiously. "Ms. Pips isn't really big on sharing either."

"I thought your last name was Campbell?" Alice asked.

"It is," Nick confirmed. "It was my parents’ last name. The woman who raised me is named Ms. Pips, though."

"Oh," Alice said simply, grabbing the implication immediately.

"Yeah," Nick said, glossing onward. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Ms. Pips and she loves me. A guy couldn't ask for a better godmother. She's just not the type that gushes anything. Feelings, personal history, dreams; really, any of that crap is kept close to the vest. You know, kind of like your dad, or that's how it seems at least."

"It seems right," Alice agreed. "He's a better dad when he's around, but you don't build a multi-billion dollar lifestyle by having lots of free time to hang out with your defective daughter."

"Defective?"

"Not anymore, I guess. Just still sort of think of myself that way. From ages three to eighteen I was damaged goods. That sort of mindset takes a little time to fade," Alice admitted.

"It really does," Nick concurred. "What about your mom? Is she around more?"

"I never actually met my mom," Alice said softly. "She passed away giving birth to me."

"I'm sorry," Nick said reflexively.

"It's okay. It was a long time ago. Besides, I never met her, so it's hard to miss her," Alice reassured him.

Nick pulled himself to a more upright sitting position on the couch and looked across at Alice. "You're a terrible liar," he said.

"I beg your pardon?" Alice wasn't able to keep the surprise off of her face.

"My parents died in a car accident when I was a few months old. I might have met them, but I have no memory of them at all. I've spent my entire life being raised by Ms. Pips without ever knowing my birth parents. I know too well how easy it is to miss someone you've never met," Nick said.

Alice didn't have a response for that, so instead she fiddled with her phone.

"Going to try your dad again?"

"Doesn't seem like much point to it," Alice replied. "I guess we might as well go back to me nagging and you slacking off."

"Do we have to? I thought we were bonding there for a moment," Nick whined.

"We were, which is why I'm nipping it in the bud," Alice countered. She picked up one of her books and tossed another at Nick. To her credit, she didn't aim too directly for his head, which might have been taken as a sign of fondness.

"Ouch!" Nick yelped.

Then again, maybe not.

* * *

“How did I never realize you two were suitemates?” Vince asked as he plugged in the movie and rejoined Sasha and Jill on their couch.

“I do spend a lot of time downstairs training,” Jill said, handing a bowl of popcorn to Sasha so it was accessible to everyone on the couch.

“Still seems odd. Then again, I still don’t know who shares a room with you, so I guess I can’t be that surprised,” Vince noted.

“My roommate is a girl named Amber. She has an older boyfriend who lives off campus, so she spends most of her free time with him,” Jill answered. “It’s nice, actually, a bit like having a single room.”

“Wait, so the other girl, Amber, is she like us?”

“Of course, Vince; they almost always room Supers together,” Jill giggled. Vince had been surprised by her bubbly nature when they’d actually gotten to talk after her and Sasha’s fight. She’d been so cold and hard when in combat; but then again, the same could be said for Sasha. More than anything he was glad the two girls had been able to shake hands and continue on with their apparent friendship after the bout had been decided. He wondered how many other Supers were able to maintain such amiable relationships after challenges. His suspicion was very few.

“Okay, it’s set up,” Will called from behind the television.

“Sweet,” Sasha said. “And you’re sure this won’t fry our TV, right?”

“93 percent sure,” Will answered as he emerged from the tangled depths of the mythical land known as “Behind the TV.”

“That still seems like a pretty significant margin of error,” Sasha said.

“Relax; if my brother designed it, it won’t blow anything up. Unless it’s supposed to blow something up. Anyway, the point is, even if it doesn’t work, it won’t be destructive. He’s religious about using safeguards,” Jill assured Sasha.

“What do you mean ‘even if it doesn’t work’?” Will asked as he plunked down in a chair next to the couch.

“Nobody bats a thousand, little brother.”

“We’re twins,” Will pointed out.

“Yes, but I’m older by two minutes,” Jill replied, sticking out her tongue.

“Stupid sister rushing out the birth canal,” Will grumbled. “So, what cinematic masterpiece are we using to test my new device?”

“
Flesh Reaper 4: Hell’s Reaping
,” Vince told him.

There was a beat of silence before Will’s strangled voice managed to eke out one lone word: “
Really?
”

“Hey, it’s like a week and a half before Halloween, the video store was pretty heavily favoring the horror section. I did the best I could,” Vince defended.

“You understand what I built, right? It’s a three dimensional immersion device. We’re not just talking about pictures standing off the screen, we’re talking about being in the center of the film. We’re talking about seeing the landscape of it in every direction, of sitting on this couch underwater, or in space, or on Mount Fuji. We’re going to be utterly visually submerged in this world, and the world you chose for that is
Flesh Reaper 3
?” Will asked.

“
Flesh Reaper 4
,” Vince corrected him. “Besides, it’ll be fun to have something a little scary. All I’m doing for the real Halloween is going to some party that Alice found.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Jill said.

“Maybe not. I don’t know, I’ve never to been to one of these before. Apparently it’s hosted by one of the local frats, but everyone is welcome. You just have to be in costume and pay the five-buck entry charge,” Vince said with a shrug.

“Are you going?” Jill asked Sasha.

“Already working on my costume,” Sasha said with a naughty smirk.

“You two are more than welcome,” Vince said. “Again, I don’t know if it will be worth the five bucks, but if you’ve got nothing else to do it might be fun.”

“We will certainly keep that in mind,” Will said. “At any rate, I think it’s time to put my new invention through a test drive.”

“Woo!” Sasha yelled.

“Do it!” Vince joined in.

“Um, go bro?” Jill said less enthusiastically.

“Ladies and gentleman, I present to you an entirely new way to watch movies, a way that is closer to living them than merely observing the pictures pass before your eyes,” Will said, firing up the remote. “Years from now, when everyone is using these devices, tonight will be a historic night, the night when the first lucky viewers were given the privilege of experiencing a new level of glory in the film...
Flesh Reaper
.” Will’s steam died off noticeably when he got to the movie title.

“
Flesh Reaper 4
,” Vince corrected.

42.

A week and change later found the male Melbrook residents, along with a few additions, gathering in the common room for one last wardrobe check before venturing off into the haunted night.

“Okay, pilgrims, y’all about ready to getting on the trail?” The questions came from a cowboy standing toward the center of the room. He wore faded jeans, a white linen shirt, and a brown duster along with a matching cowboy hat. Slung low across his waist was a pair of gun belts with a plastic six-shooter tucked into each side. He had a three-day scruff on his face and casual posture, adding a sense of realism to the costume. The whole thing was marred, though, by the presence of a pair of black sunglasses across his eyes.

“Seriously, Nick?” Vince said, adjusted his chainmail. Vince was dressed as a knight, complete with plastic sword, plastic chainmail, and a plastic helmet, all spray-painted grey to look like metal. The effect was not altogether successful. “If you’re going to all the trouble of using an accent would it be so bad to take off the glasses?”

“Yes,” Nick said quickly. “Plus, they add to the effect. Pardner.”

“It does add a touch of dashing,” Will commented from his seat on the couch. Will was wearing a tailored black tuxedo, complimented with an array of hi-tech gadgets tucked away within its folds and pockets, for his costume of a spy.

“I don’t think anyone will notice,” Roy tossed in, flexing his pecks. Roy was dressed as what one could only assume was either some sort of ancient gladiator or a male escort that catered to a very specific fetish. He wore little more than an expanded loin cloth and sandals, leaving the rest of muscled body intentionally exposed. At present he was oiling up his chest before moving on to the arms.

Vince bit back a remark that wanted to snake out. Roy was still an annoying cock-bag, but he had toned it down tremendously since his fight with Chad. They rarely saw him anymore; he was almost always training when he was in control of the body. When he was around, though, he seemed to make a genuine effort not to verbally abuse those around him directly. Indirectly it still seemed a free-for-all, but progress was progress.

“What’s taking the girls so long?” Alex asked. He was standing near the hallway, wearing a white tunic with black pants underneath a brown robe. A familiar tubular metal device was fashioned to his hip, and anyone who wasn’t utterly ignorant of classic sci-fi cinema was able to recognize his costume in a heartbeat.

“Is that a real question?” Roy asked. “I mean, you have met women at some point in your life, right?”

“I’m sure they just want everything to look perfect,” Vince cut in. “I know Sasha spent a lot of time on her costume, and I’m sure the others did as well.”

“That we did,” Mary said as the door to the girls’ side opened and the women began trickling out from their lounge. Mary was dressed as a gypsy, wearing long flowing garments, a scarf, and rings of coins that jingled when she walked. After her was Alice, who sported a nun’s habit and dress, though it fit her form in ways the sisterhood would surely not have approved of, given that there was a slit up the side and bottom of it was not even near her knees.

“Wow, someone jumped whole hog onto the slutty train,” Nick observed when Alice came into his field of vision.

Alice merely gave a shrug. “It is Halloween, after all.”

“True, why a nun though? Pardner,” Nick asked.

“It’s kind of an inside joke. Think about it for a while,” Alice replied.

“I sincerely hope my sister showed a touch more prudence in selecting her ensemble,” Will commented.

“Not that it’s any of your business, little brother, but I think I walked a nice line,” Jill said as she emerged through the door. Jill was decked out in what appeared to be a torn orange prisoner’s jumpsuit. While select parts of it were shredded or removed to create an aesthetical appeal given Jill’s slender frame, it was definitely more conservative than Alice’s, while not being quite as covering as Mary’s.

Sasha came out last, wearing a jumpsuit as well. Hers was in one piece, and unlike Jill’s it was definitely sewn to fit her figure. In fact, a phrase like “skin-tight” would not have found itself out of place in describing her ensemble. It was decorated with checkered flags and logos of various products. Aside from that her hair was flared out as though the wind had been blowing through it and she sported a pair of aviator sunglasses across her face.