Overpowered (Powered Trilogy #2) (11 page)

I look him straight in the eyes. “It won’t be me.”

Tension fills the empty space between us. I turn my attention to the dog who I’m starting to think doesn’t even need to relieve himself, but rather just wanted to play in the sand.

“I better get back,” Evan says. “I told Nova I had to pee. She probably thinks I fell in.”

Evan’s living room is empty when I return later with Spark.
And I don’t just mean it’s devoid of people, which it is. He’s been busy cleaning up the mess that was left by the Retriever Squad and because of that, most of his stuff is either gone or packed away. I check the balcony and the kitchen and when they’re empty too, I tell Spark to hang out on Evan’s brand new couch. They’re probably down in Evan’s research labs and I don’t want to risk something injuring the dog if I were to take him with me. I slip into the glass elevator and head down the floors one by one, looking for that shock of messy blonde hair or Nova’s fading black hair pulled back in a long silky ponytail.

My chest aches. I can’t stop thinking about the look on Evan’s face when he told me about his job for Central. I used to think I could trust him with anything. But spending a few weeks in lockdown with someone doesn’t make you know everything about them. It’s not like Evan and I are in love. We like each other but we aren’t Romeo and Juliet. He could snap under the pressure of Central and give them the information they want.
It could happen at any moment.

Chills trace down my spine at the thought of it. Evan’s blood is as good as it gets. And real Heroes, the ones who aren’t like me with my tainted twin genetics...they can’t do any wrong.

An unexpected laugh makes me look up from the floor of the elevator. I press the stop button and step out onto the fourth floor. They don’t even see me, they’re laughing so hard.

Evan’s holding the remote control on his cloud bag, a modified bean bag chair that’s currently hovering off the floor with my sister sitting on it. She giggles and squeals as he yanks the controls to send her flying across the room in one direction and then sharply back across the room a moment later. The pure elation she feels radiates from her in all directions. I don’t think she’s had this much fun in, well, forever.

“Okay, okay,” she squeals with ragged breath. “I’m ready to get down.”

“What’s that?” Evan says. “You want to be thrown into the wall?” His thumb slams on the control button and the cloud bag heads straight toward the wall behind him at full speed. Nova screams. “No
. Evan, No! Please no!”

He’s laughing so hard he almost doesn’t press the stop button in time. When he does, the bag comes to a jolting halt just inches from his own body. Nova’s kinetic energy makes her fly forward, tumbling out of the bag. She throws her arms around Evan’s neck. He lowers her to the ground.

I let out the breath I’d been holding. Power bursts from the chest, angry and jealous and impatient. My sister jumps from the force of my power. She steps away from Evan, clasping her hands behind her back.

“Let’s go,” I say.

“I thought I had to stay.”

I look from her to Evan and back again. “Not anymore. You’re coming with me.”

“I can’t believe how much my life has changed in the last few days.” Nova’s hands slip into the pockets of her tiny zip up jacket as we walk. “I have a family now. And friends. There’s hope now.”

“I don’t feel like having some kind of emotional awakening right now, okay? We have a job to do.”

“Sorry.”

Nova’s hair has faded back to a dull blonde which gives her face a look that can only be described as angelic. Our shared facial features look much more frightening when framed by my dark locks. I wonder if that’s how everyone saw me before my hair darkened; a sweet fragile girl with soft features.

Every set of Super twins in the history of forever has had one good twin and one bad twin. And it isn’t like one person is just better or smarter than the other one--they’re actually good or evil. Scientists have this idea that Supers, who originally derived from
homo sapiens, have genetics that simply can’t split into twins in the way that humans do. Super twins end up with one of them having a one hundred percent good moral compass while the other one has an equally evil one. I disagree with that.

And it’s not just because I’m genetically the bad one.

I was raised by the greatest dad and the most caring brother ever. They took care of me, they nurtured me and taught me the ways of being a Hero. I know I have evil genetics; I can feel them every second of every day. But I am not evil. I choose not to be.

“No, I’m sorry.” I nudge Nova in the shoulder as we walk. “I didn’t mean to be a jerk. I’m just nervous.”

“You’re a Hero. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

I snort and look down at the severe lack of Hero clothing on my body. We’re dressed as regular humans tonight. Nova’s brilliant idea, not mine. I knew that trying to waltz up to the human fight clubs and ask for a vial of their drug as me, Hero Maci Might, wouldn’t go over well. And the other alternative is to bring the situation to Central and let them assign another Hero, one who isn’t probationary and therefore not allowed to deal with villain missions. So instead of charging head first into the situation and demanding that someone give me a vial of that drug, I’m going to try something different.

A crisp pair of dark wash jeans, cheap fake leather jacket, an old pair of Converse sneakers and no Hero eye mask makes me look just like one of the humans. Nova is dressed similarly with jeans and an oversized sweater. I’ve never felt so naked in my life.

We chose the populated streets of New York City to go on what will hopefully be a short scavenger hunt for the drug. I didn’t want to hit up New Orleans or Vegas because of the fear that one of the drug-induced fighters I’ve dealt with earlier might
recognize me sans mask. That’s never happened before in the entire history of Heroes wearing eye masks, but until now, humans were never as strong as us either. I’m not taking any chances.

My BEEPR rings from under the sleeve of my jacket. I slip it off the wrist strap and hold it up to my ear, cell phone style to fit in with the humans. “Please tell me you have something,” I tell Evan in lieu of a hello. Nova and I have been wandering
aimlessly for far too long and haven’t seen a single clue as to where to get the drug. So far, marijuana has been the local drug peddler’s drug of choice.

“
Delancey Street, Manhattan. The police scanner said something about a fight.”

“That’s all?”

“Yup.”

I turn around, pointing Nova toward our new destination. “We’ll check it out. Thanks.”

“Be careful.”

“Sure thing.”

The BEEPR snaps back onto my wrist. It’s a conscious effort to make myself walk slower than a comfortable pace so I can blend in with the humans. Nova does it effortlessly, trailing her fingers along the fabric of a local vendor’s imported wool scarves. We find the fight just as it’s wrapping up, one winner collecting cash from the betting onlookers and one poor pathetic guy sitting impishly on the curb, wiping blood away with the remains of his shirt.

“Next week,” the loser pants. “I’ll take you again.”

The winner, a large man with a stomach lopping over his belt so far he could probably use it as a table says, “Let’s go again right now.”

The other guy shakes his head, spitting out a mouth full of blood. “I ain’t got no more money. Next week. Double or
nothin’.” He grabs his wallet and cell phone from a woman in the crowd and then slinks off into the night. The winner throws up his arms and asks who wants to be next.

I cup my hand over my mouth and whisper, “Think we could find a dealer in this crowd?” Only no one hears my question because Nova is gone. Chasing the subdued vibe of her power, I find her a few yards away and grab her elbow. “What the hell are you doing?”

She points in front of her. “Uh,
duh
.”

The loser of the fight hobbles ahead of us, turning left into a darkened alley. “He’s our man. It’ll be less suspicious to talk to someone away from a crowd.”

“This isn’t your mission,” I hiss, turning back with my fingers digging tightly into her forearm. “Do not leave me again.”

“I didn’t leave,” she snaps, trying to wrench her arm from my grasp. I don’t let go and she doesn’t try to break free again. “I thought you were following me.”

“Oh you did, huh?” We slip back into the crowd of humans. I lean closer. “Here’s another rule: stop thinking.”

Anger pours out of her but she doesn’t say another word. Her arms fold across her chest and she stares straight ahead, watching the next fight as if she has money bet on the outcome and she’s currently losing.

Maybe her idea of talking to that guy would have been beneficial in finding some of this new drug. But I am so sick of her ideas. I am the Hero here. Not her. I smile at the two teenage guys standing next to us. “This is crazy,” I say, biting my bottom lip with a look that pinpoints me as a normal American teenager with a slight wild side. “Have you seen these fights before?”

“Tons,” the guy closest to me says. His friend holds up his left arm which is covered from fingers to elbow in a bright red cast. “I can’t wait to try it again.”

My mouth falls open, impressed. “Oh my gosh, did you get that fighting?”

“Yeah
, baby, I did,” he says with a wink. “I won it too.”

His friend rolls his eyes. “Whatever dude. It was a tie.”

“Man, no. I won two thousand bucks off that fight. I’ll be back out there too, as soon as my stupid arm heals.”

“I hope I’m here to see it,” I say, realizing a moment too late that my fake teenager-from-the-movies voice came out way too cheesy to be taken seriously. Nova steps around me. “Our brother really wants to start fighting. He just can’t find a good source…” She presses her fist against her arm, miming injecting herself. “...if you know what I mean.”

It takes a mountain of self-control for me to keep my power levels at bay. Even more so when the guy with the broken arm nods and says, “I got ya, sweetheart. We know just the guy.”

“Really?” Nova says
with wide, flirtatious eyes. “We’d love to meet him.”

The first guy nods with a dreamy smile on his face as he’s probably, most definitely, fallen into Nova’s charming allure. “I can show you--” he begins, only to be kicked in the shin by his friend. “We’ll be just a second,” the friend says. We smile politely as they step away from the scene. They whisper to each other, but I hear every word.

“Dude. We can’t be bringing chicks to the harbor. We’re lucky they sell to us. They don’t even trust us that much.”

“But they’re hot.”

“They’re not
that
hot.”

“Maybe we could sell to them. Make a profit.”

“That’s a good idea. You still got that double?”

“Yep.”

The first guy calls out for us and motions for us to join them. “I’ll do the talking,” I whisper.

He leads us down the alley, just far enough away from society for a normal person to know better. I’m far from
concerned about the distance. Nova looks a little unsure. That alone is satisfying enough for me to call this a good day.

Our new friend leans against a brick wall, motioning for us to get closer. He reaches his hand into his pocket and keeps it there. “I’ve got one shot of
Strike. Hundred bucks and it’s yours. But you gotta buy it now.”

“Strike?”

He nods. “You can’t possibly want anything else. This is the good stuff. The fighting stuff.”

“A hundred bucks, huh?” I glance at Nova. “Do you have any cash?” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a handful of dollar bills, our change from a fast food purchase earlier. From the way she holds the cash in her fist, they won’t know it’s only a few dollars.

“Let me see it first,” I say. “I want to know I’m getting the real deal.” Everything about this situation sounds like a hokey drug deal on some silly television show. But they aren’t really drug dealers and we’re not really drug users, so I guess it is pretty hokey.

He sighs and pulls out his hand, showing me a metallic vial that I instantly
recognize as Felix’s work. “Give him the money,” I say, nodding to Nova.

She drops the wadded up bills into his hand and I snatch the vial from his other hand quicker than he has time to notice. Nova’s power feels antsy. If he has time to count the money then we’ll have some explaining to do.

I clutch the vial to my chest and nod toward my sister. “Go!” We dash away, our legs carrying us through the darkest parts of New York City before the rookie drug dealers will have a chance to realize what happened.

We run full speed
, exhilarated with our successful heist, until we’re safely on the other side of the KAPOW entrance.

My reflection stares back at me in the shiny surface of Bonnie Bloom’s mahogany desk. When I was summoned here by Hero alarm a few moments ago, I expected to see Crimson, Nyx and my brother again, brought here for an update on our missing Supers. So far I’m the only one in the room.

Bonnie’s floral perfume wafts over me. “Hello, Maci.” Her voice is like sunshine. I relax a bit. I can’t be in trouble if she greets me with a voice like a sweet kindergarten teacher.

“How can I assist you?” I ask when it’s obvious she’s not going to question my regular clothing in lieu of a Hero suit.

She walks around her desk and sits in her fluffy leather chair, motioning for me to sit as well. “You’ve been chosen for another mission.” She leans forward, cupping her hand around her mouth like she’s telling me a secret, despite the concrete walls and door that would block out the sound of her voice even if she yelled. “If I’m being honest with you, the elders wanted someone more experienced to take over this mission but I fought for you. I think this would be a really great opportunity for you and it deals solely with humans, so...” She clasps her hands together. “It’s perfect for you!”

“I’m happy to help. Sorry we haven’t found any of the missing Supers yet.”

“Everyone’s impressed with your progress on that. I’m sure you guys will find all of them safe and sound in no time.” She smiles and I wonder if she truly means that. No, I decide. Everything about Bonnie has to be some kind of act. No one is that truly happy and enthusiastic and upbeat about everything all the time.

Bonni
e doesn’t flip open a holograph like she did on my last visit to her office. She just takes a deep breath and lets it out in this
gee-golly this really sucks
kind of way. “This will be hard to hear, but I’ll just be straight with you, Maci. Humans are dying. There’s this new street game popping up in various cities. Humans get together and place bets and they…” She shakes her head as if she just can’t believe it.

“Fight?” I supply the last word for her.

“Yes. If only it were just fighting, Maci. It’s much worse than that. People are dying.”

“I can see why. They’re beating the shit out of themselves. Nov--um, my dad and I think they might be using some kind of drug when they fight.” I suck in a deep breath to quell my nerves. I almost said her name out loud. What an idiot.

Bonnie doesn’t pick up on it. “That’s interesting. Our files suspect the fighting is just a new human trend, like ‘planking’ or ‘selfies’. But if drugs are involved, well that’s a much bigger problem.” She swivels in her chair, focusing on her computer screen. Her fingers fly across the glass keyboard while I wait patiently for more instructions.