Nick was dreaming.

He was standing in a field of poppies that rippled like water every time the warm breeze touched them. The sun shone down upon his back, and he looked into the haze to see the figure of Violet Parr running towards him.

Nick started his own run, closing the gap before scooping her up in his arms and holding her closely. Then, he stopped, thinking something amiss in his fantasy.

'Poppy field?' He asked himself, dropping Violet to the ground with a wail. 'I know this dream- ARGH!'

A red biplane flew low overhead with a screaming buzz-saw noise. A white aircraft decorated with the emblem of the old Royal Flying Corps followed it.

The scene blurred then exploded before Nick's eyes, and suddenly he was in that same British plane soaring above the field below. He squeezed off a burst of machine-gun fire at the German bird but the attack went too far to the left. He jerked on the control-column, correcting his flight path to intercept the red ace, but before he could engage again he lost the enemy in a dense cloud-bank that appeared from nowhere – from Nick's imagination.

He flung the Sopwith Camel left and right in the water vapour, but could find no trace of the German he had been tailing. Up ahead the cloud thinned and Nick saw a flash of red. He gunned the engine and shot out of the cloud aiming straight at the Germane another. By the time he realised that his target was making at him as he was at it, it was too late for evasive manoeuvres. He would never forget the face of the enemy pilot before their aircraft smashed headlong into one another with a shatter and fiery explosion.

Violet…

---

Atomic Parks Suburban Housing,

Metroville,

USA, 9/12/1975, 3:00 am

Nick opened his eyes and the dark living room swam into focus. He was laying flat on his back, arms crossed, with his head up at ninety degrees to rest of his body, resting against what he could only assume was the sofa.

'Oh, crumbs…' His neck twinged and he noticed a small downward pressure on his crown. 'What am I doing here again?' Reaching up he touched the top of his head and felt a warm hand shaped object. It was, indeed, a hand. Petite, with no fingernails and little mass. He followed the wrist and found the hand connected to a thin arm. He stopped and rolled out of his position, getting to his feet stiffly. 'Ah, Miss Parr…' Nick lifted her hand from where it dangled and placed it on her chest, which rose and fell gently. She moaned and turned over in her sleep.

Nick realised that he must have fallen asleep in his super-suit and sniffed under an arm 'Battery-acid, not terribly pleasant.' He started for the bathroom whilst removing his mask.

Nick stripped his suit off and bunged it into the dirty-clothes basket. Fearing that a shower would awaken his father or Violet, he contented himself with a strip-wash and threw back on the trousers from the previous day; adding a plain purple turtle-neck and simple white slippers to complete the outfit.

Stopping for a minute to admire Violet's sleeping form, Nick fixed himself a cocoa and collected a folder filled with technical drawings and specifications for the ray-gun as well as numerous other experimental super-weapons. He sat back in the chair that he had previously moved and relaxed.

The drink drained away into Nick's stomach over time, and he perused his documents with interest. Here and there, he adjusted a measurement or changed a formula, glad of this time to sort his files out. Periodically, he checked over the folder to see if Violet was still all right. One hour grew into two, and so on, and eventually Nick felt his eyelids growing heavy once again. Just as he was about to lapse into his dreams, a small cough shook him to life.

'You look strange when you concentrate.'

Nick looked over to see Violet sitting up with her arms around her knees. He let the folder drop to his lap and crossed his arms. 'You look strange when you sleep.' Violet smiled for second, then groaned in pain. 'You still don't look too good, I must admit. Where do you hurt?'

Violet pointed to her knee and the small of her back. 'But really, I ache all over…'

'That would be the fall.' Nick whispered.

'It's really sore here.' She passed her hand a good couple of centimetres over the back of her neck. 'It feels like I've been burnt.'

'Well…' Said Nick, standing up. 'That would most likely be where you were electrocuted.' He grabbed a first-aid kit from the wall and knelt down behind Violet. 'I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen.'

'Neither did I.' Added Violet, wincing as Nick gently rolled down the neck of her suit to reveal the damage. 'And to think that I guessed you were a regular school-yard hero.'

'Heh.' Nick squeezed some cold saline onto the burn and dabbed at the wound with some sterile cloth. 'You're quick; I'll give you that. You're also lucky, I could have killed you…'

'So, you really are Electroboy?' Violet grumbled through clenched teeth.

'Sure am…' Nick finished applying some gauze padding but left the suit collar rolled down. He closed the medi-kit and put it back on the wall. 'A superhero, I always told myself, an elite British superhero.'

Violet smiled again then wrapped the blankets tighter around herself. 'And your dad is-?'

'The mysterious Stuntman?' Nick finished her sentence and sat back down. She stared at him with intense azure eyes. 'Yeah. I assume it was for that info that you were tailing us earlier on?'

Violet nodded. 'Seeing as you're a super, I don't suppose it would be any harm to tell you. My family are-'

'All supers?' Said Nick, closing his folder up.'

'I wish you would stop that.' Violet whined. 'It's really annoying. But yes, all of them.'

Nick grinned. 'Proven genetic fact.' He thought of something. 'I met your mother a while ago, when we first arrived.'

Violet nodded. 'She seemed to know your name last night at dinner.'

'I was raised in conversation?'

'Tony…' Muttered Violet, and then looked away to finish that particular line of talk.

'Ah.' Nick reached across and flicked the blanket to cover Violet's feet. 'You know, in the morning my dad will want to know everything about you and your family.'

'I guessed as much.' Violet sighed. 'But, there's no harm telling you – I mean, you're supers too.'

'Your secrets safe with us.' Nick yawned. 'When I told my dad that your surname was Parr he seemed to be thinking of taking you somewhere tomorrow, getting you back to where you belong.'

'The airfield?' Asked Violet.

'Maybe, yeah. Sounds right. Why?'

'If this had gone to plan, I would be meeting my mom there at ten in the morning, today. She works the weekends there.' Violet shivered. 'I feel cold.'

'I'm not surprised. The shock of the injury, and the heating doesn't come on yet.' Nick scratched his nose and gestured to the corridor. 'I'll sleep on the sofa- sorry, couch – I'll sleep on the couch for the rest of the night. Go and get into my bed, the winter sheets are on and it should be warmer.'

Violet seemed concerned about the whole idea. 'Um…'

'Oh please!' Nick exclaimed. 'The sheets were changed the day before yesterday, don't spite yourself and go get warm. You still aren't well.'

'All right, fine! I hate it when people are concerned for me…' She giggled and Nick helped her up. 'I'll sleep in your darn room, on one condition.'

'That is?'

'You make me one of those cocoas, it smelt delicious.'