Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Seven
...
A vein in Mr. A's temple was throbbing. Agent G couldn't help but stare at it and hoped his face was impassive. Beside him, Agent H barely seemed to notice the giant thing sticking out from their boss' head, but G couldn't stop staring.
"There's no one? Nothing? What about that... there was someone with acid, what was the name?" Mr. A muttered, waving a hand as if he could bring the thought to life with a motion.
"Acrid? They're incarcerated, Mr. A, and haven't been out of the Super Pen in the last 3 years. Camera footage and security guard testimonies show they were in the yard when the attack on Project Family occurred," Agent G stated, glad for something to say to distract himself.
"Family members?"
"None over the age of 21, sir," Agent H replied.
Mr. A frowned at the response. "Who decided on 21? Anyone out of high school is considered an adult."
Agent G and H were both silent, H very obviously glancing at G, and G trying not to fume at being thrown under the proverbial bus.
"I have a report of anyone aged eighteen and over," Agent H said, G feeling like his stomach had dropped out beneath him as H reached into his folder to produce a list.
Not only had H thrown him under the bus, he'd fucking reversed the thing, too. What an asshole.
Mr. A simply nodded and took the list from H, reading it over. "They don't have acid as a - " he started to say, then stopped abruptly on seeing a few names and powers. "Where did you get this list, H?"
"University of Maxville student enrolment list. The ones with an asterisk are enrolled in the Super's course. The powers were all formal requests from Sky High and equivalent schools, so it's above board."
"The Super's enrolment list is classified, even to us; where did you get it?" G burst out, trying to keep his rising temper behind his tongue, but clearly failing if the horns he could feel growing were any indication.
"G, sit down and control yourself. H, where and how did you get the list? Is there anything to trace it to you?"
G focused on his breathing, biting his tongue so he wouldn't say anything else. He didn't want to risk his position in the Super Bureau's hierarchy on top of everything else.
"UM's admissions receptionist is desperate for love and has a habit of leaving their laptop unlocked when working from home. I seduced him and took advantage of the laptop. I memorised the list, so there's no trail, either."
Mr. A's vein temple seemed to go down, and G even had to admit that he was impressed by H's response. Not that he'd admit it aloud, of course.
"Good. Cross-reference this with the search list on file and - "
"Already completed, Mr. A, sir. The ones highlighted have searched for villains in the last two months, and I checked the curriculum to ensure there weren't any assignments relating to them."
Mr. A looked at the list again, turning page after page to finally find one of the highlighted names. "Please tell me it's not just a list of horny little bastards searching for X-rated images of Lustful?"
G snorted softly, while H remained impassive beside him.
"The ones highlighted in pink searched for Lustful, the yellow searched for others," H explained, nodding to the paper again.
"Only three?" Mr. A muttered, flipping back and forth to double-check. "That shouldn't be difficult for the two of you to manage. Pick them up and take them straight to Montana. You have two weeks to plan and execute this; it should be long enough to make them believe they got away with ruining Project A. Ensure you do a better job than the last two you picked up; I want this done quietly and properly, understood? The Lost Boys saw the girl's phone moving after her supposed kidnapping, which has resulted in a lot of issues for our agents in the area."
"Yes, sir."
Thankfully, neither G nor H questioned him about Montana; they were both aware of the Super Bureau facility there, unlike most agents. Agents K and L notwithstanding, of course. Though, to be quite frank, they had done an abysmal job of ensuring the scientists didn't die, and were costing the Super Bureau even more with the need to replace the scientists. Subject 365 had turned six to stone in the past three weeks alone.
G took the offered papers from Mr. A, glancing at the three highlighted names and the powers listed beside them. "If we run into trouble, sir?"
"What trouble are you expecting from three university students that you can't handle, G? I don't have to tell you how to do your job, do I?" Mr. A asked pointedly.
"No, Mr. A. But, sir, their powers - "
"Can be nullified. If you do your job properly," Mr. A said coldly. "Now leave."
It seemed he would have to recalibrate G after all. He would need to do this one last job before that happened though, otherwise he would be too sensitive to complete the task. G could go to Montana after his recalibration, Mr. A decided.
"Yes, sir." G decided not to argue and left before Mr. A decided to do something unreasonable like recalibrate him.
...
Honey looked up when she heard a knock at her door, smiling at Sarah. "Hey, everything all right?"
"Fine. I brought Toby and Snow over for dog-sitting. You didn't forget, did you?"
"That you and Jared are going on a second honeymoon-slash-wedding planning holiday to make the mothers' decisions for them? No, definitely not."
The dog-sitting? Perhaps, she thought with an internal wince.
"It's not a second honeymoon, and it's just for the weekend. Shut up," Sarah said, her cheeks red.
"Mm-hmm, I believe you. Now, on your not-second-honeymoon, do me a favour and drop by the Super Museum, would you?"
Sarah pulled a face. "Why?"
"Questioning my talents? Tsk, tsk. I'm kidding, don't look at me like that. Jared's talked to Principal Powers, so he'll know what's going on. What he doesn't know is that the museum's newest curator is his old college friend."
Sarah blinked, then grinned. "The one with the glitter?"
Honey snorted. "Yeah, that's him. Don't spoil the surprise, okay?"
"I won't," she said, then frowned. "Wait, didn't you attend that Council meeting where they voted on the bill and budget and new hires for the public facilities they own? Did you - what am I saying, of course you did. Do I want to know why? No, I don't, actually. Okay, that's me done. Be good, Toby. Snow, don't tease Toby," Sarah said, patting and scritching both dogs, kissing their heads before she waved goodbye to Honey and left.
"Where's my kiss?" Honey called after her, laughing. "Oh, look at you two. C'mere," she cooed, whistling.
Toby and Snowball ran for her eagerly, nudging and licking and jumping and barking happily.
Another knock at her door had Honey looking over, and she smiled. "I was wondering when you'd come to visit. You're okay with the dogs?"
Jewel nodded and entered Honey's room. "Sarah let me in. I locked the door behind me so no random people would come into your house, is that okay? I can unlock it again if you want to become a statistic," she offered, smirking.
Honey snorted so hard her face hurt. "I'll be fine with it locked, thanks. Let me get the collars off these two. They'll find Ari on their own, won't you, babies? Yeah, good. Teach him to stop digging in the garden... Oh, all three of you are going to. Great, bath time just got added to my agenda. Outside, I'm not replacing the bathroom again," she muttered.
Jewel moved aside as Toby and Snowball ran for the door, watching as they headed down the hallway and presumably to the back door that led out to the garden. Turning her attention back to Honey, she frowned when she saw the woman still muttering to herself. "Should I come back later?"
Honey blinked, shook her head. "Shit, sorry. I'm here now. Uh, let me just write a quick text to reschedule something before I forget?"
"Sure," Jewel said with a shrug, moving to sit across from Honey, looking around her home office curiously.
She'd seen the office at the Labyrinth, which was modern with glass and metal, but Honey's home office was industrial with pipes and wooden shelves, and even a sconce lamp on the wall.
"Okay, done. Thanks. Now, you're here about your business idea, yes?"
Trying not to look as surprised as she felt - of course Honey would know about it - Jewel nodded. "Yeah, I want to get it started, but I keep running into problems, and the professionals I contact want to charge me more money than I have to get set up. Not that I'm starting this without any money, of course, but I got the Super Business Grant for fifty thousand over five years, and they're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars in the next thirty days."
Honey shook her head. "Forget about them. Your business plan is brilliant, and they're idiots trying to overcharge because they know you'll be worth millions in a few years, and they want a piece of the action."
Jewel straightened up. "You really think it's brilliant?"
"Of course. I've read several versions of it in different threads, and they're all excellent. Admittedly, there were three possible futures that were better than the others, so I'll give you the choice between them," Honey said, setting three folders in front of Jewel, one blue, one purple, and one purple. "I've organised everything you need: contacts, blueprints, and the perfect store so you can open next week, all within budget. I also included a business plan that will qualify you for a larger grant, and exactly what to say if blackmail is required. It shouldn't be, but it never hurts to be prepared."
"Next week? You know that's two days away?" Jewel asked incredulously.
"Yes, that's what I said. So... The blue folder gets you rich quick - about a year. Red gets you richer slower - about five years. Purple gets you rich in five years and solves the issue you mentioned in your first draft."
Jewel's hand and eyes had been hovering over the blue folder, already curious to know how much, where the store was, everything, but she withdrew her hand at Honey's final words, her gaze snapping up to look at her. "I scrapped that draft. I didn't even show it to Beau. You saw it?"
"I did, sweetie. It's going to be amazing," Honey promised, grinning broadly, even as Jewel took the purple folder and held it to her chest eagerly. "Small confession: the other two folders are empty."
Jewel laughed. "You knew I'd choose purple?"
"I hoped. Now, you start reading while I go hose those dogs down, okay? We'll talk more about it when I'm back. If you can tear yourself away long enough to get some towels, I'd be grateful."
Jewel didn't know if she could promise that, already eager to read every word. "I'll try. Thank you, Honey. I really appreciate this."
"I know. You can thank me with a wedding and engagement ring later, okay?"
Jewel didn't get a chance to question her - who was Honey going to marry? Where were they? Why wasn't she dating them already? - before Honey left. Her curiosity about Honey's future subsided as she realised she held in her hands the future she'd dreamed of since she was a child. Forcing herself to breathe and her hands to stop shaking, Jewel opened the purple folder and started to read.
She had a lot to do to achieve her dreams.
...
"Have fun on your date, Bader. Bring him to meet us soon, won't you?" Barney asked, waving Bader off.
"Mami, you said you'd control him," Bader groaned.
Decima grinned at her son. "I am; you're lucky he didn't stow away in your car. Barnabas, dear, could you get me a drink, please?"
"I know you're distracting me, but I will let you," Barney said, kissing her warmly.
Bader shuddered and left as fast as possible. He sat in the driver's seat of his car for a moment, inhaling and exhaling, and hoping he wouldn't have a panic attack before he'd even left. Or after he left. No panicking was needed at all, in fact. He just needed to breathe, shift, and then hide in a hole somewhere until Quentin forgot about him entirely. He doubted it would take long.
Glancing at his phone as it chimed, Bader unlocked it to read the message he'd received. His heart was in his throat as he wondered why Quentin would be texting him now, less than half an hour before their date. Maybe he'd realised this was a mistake after all and wanted to call the whole thing off?
Quentin: I look forward to seeing you soon for our date, Bader. I will be arriving at the aquarium in fifteen minutes as the bus is stuck in traffic. Drive safely.
Relief flooded through him. Sending a reply that he was on his way, Bader then set his phone aside and breathed a few more times. Shaking out his hands, he settled into his seat properly, started the ignition, and headed to Quentin and their date.
Quentin waited by the aquarium entrance, looking at each car driving past to see if it was Bader arriving. He had received his message thirty-three minutes ago, the aquarium was twenty minutes away from the apartment building Bader lived in, though the traffic added additional time of approximately ten to fifteen minutes depending on his route, red lights, construction, and the car accident the bus had passed.
Two more minutes before he allowed himself to be concerned. He would start by calling Bader's phone, and if he didn't answer, he would try two more times before he started with checking the local news for accidents, car-jacking, or perhaps a super-related incident. Then he would continue by calling hospitals in the surrounding area, followed by -
"Ah, there you are. Hi, Quentin," Bader said with a bright smile, waving as he walked over.
"Hi, you made it here alive."
Bader blinked; Quentin's jaw muscles were so tight he looked like he was going to dislocate something. "Ah, si. I did," he said, feeling stupid even as the words left his mouth.
Should he apologise or just leave already? It didn't seem like Quentin even wanted him there. Silence stretched between them for what felt like an eternity, and Bader had no idea what to do or say.
"I already paid for my entry, and I bought our tickets to the show at 2pm. It's 1pm now, do you want to see anything specific before we go to wait in line?"
"When do we have to wait in line?" Bader asked, looking at the aquarium map Quentin handed to him.
"1:45pm if we want the good seats."
"What makes the seats good?" Bader asked curiously.
"It's a popular show and can get full quickly; I try to sit in the third row so I don't have to look over tall people. The first two rows are usually full of children or parents with prams."
Bader considered Quentin's response, then nodded. "All right. Can we see the rainforest with enough time?" he asked, paying for his ticket and following Quentin through the doors.
The aquarium smelled like seawater and plants, and in Bader's opinion, it was the best smell in the world. He felt himself relax at the familiar scent, even if there was an underlying scent of chlorine or other chemicals, it was closer to his home than the urban jungle behind him.
"We can if we walk there quickly. I counted twelve different families coming inside before us, and if they all take the marked path, they'll be bottle-necking around the Otterly Awesome exhibit. We can go through the Amazing Amphibian Habitat - "
"No. Not there. Uh, I... " Bader trailed off, not knowing how to say 'I can't stand to see frogs living behind glass, even if it's for their conservation, especially since I can understand what they're saying and it's never pleasant' without saying those exact words. Quentin didn't know he was a frog shifter, and unlike some of his siblings, Bader had a sense of self-preservation and didn't go telling the whole world about their power.
"Okay. There's two other ways: the Radical Reptile Room or through the Really Cool Reef."
Bader had to wonder who named these things, but he definitely didn't have to wonder which way to take; he'd had a bad experience with a fire-bellied snake when he was younger and had never gotten over the fear of snakes since. "The reef. Thank you."
Quentin nodded once and started to lead the way, his jaw clenched tightly again. Bader wondered if maybe Quentin had wanted to go to the reptile room, and he was upset they wouldn't be going that way. Hoping he hadn't just fucked everything up, Bader hurried to follow after Quentin and tried to think of a way to make it up to him.
They walked in silence, Bader glancing at Quentin and trying to determine what to do or say. Quentin kept his gaze forward, his jaw still clenched, and seemingly determined to get to their destination without a word between them.
Maybe Quentin had decided he didn't like him after all? Maybe he was thinking of a way to tell him that it wasn't going to work, and they'd be better off not seeing each other again? Bader swallowed hard at the thought. He had to find out.
"Uh, Quentin?"
"Yes?"
Bader was going to ask. He was going to open his mouth, ask 'do you want to date me?', and he wouldn't be heartbroken when Quentin said no.
"Did you finish fixing Nigel?" he asked.
Bader was a coward.
"Yes, I did. I assumed he sent everyone a message relaying his freedom yesterday afternoon," Quentin replied.
"Oh, is that what that was? I received a GIF of Mel Gibson in Braveheart, where he's yelling something about freedom," Bader added.
"Ah. Maybe I shouldn't have updated Nigel's messaging capabilities; he only had access to text before," Quentin mused. "Here's the reef. We'll be in the rainforest in three minutes if we don't run into the families coming the other way."
The reef was a clear tunnel that allowed a full 360 degree view of the aquarium's expansive pools and the various animals that lived in them. A school of fish swam overhead, the bright colours catching Bader's eye, and he slowed to a stop to watch as a stingray flapped through the water with ease. He grinned at the sight of another school of fish in an orange-red colour that was similar to his own hair. A pair of yellow seahorses bobbed by, and a striped fish with what looked to be a mohawk and giant sleeves for fins floated past.
An excited scream from the other end of the tunnel made Bader look around, realising that he and Quentin were meant to be going to the rainforest. Quentin was standing nearby, clearly waiting for Bader but his expression had softened and he wasn't clenching his jaw anymore.
Bader smiled at him guiltily. "Lo siento, I got distracted. Can we still make it to the rainforest?" (Sorry. Spanish.)
Quentin nodded. "We might have to climb over prams, but we will make it there."
Hurrying to walk beside Quentin again, Bader wondered if it was too soon to hold his hand. Did Quentin want to hold hands with him? Would his gloves be off-putting? Did he even like being touched?
One pram and five minutes later, they were walking into the rainforest area. Bader felt his shoulders lose tension he hadn't even known existed. He missed the rainforest, he missed his home, and while this wouldn't ever replace them, it was a pleasant reminder. Opening his eyes, he smiled at Quentin, who was watching him again.
"There's more to see, if you want to walk the trail? Or we can go back to the reef, if you'd like?" Quentin offered, his jaw clenched again.
"Are you all right, Quentin?" Bader asked, the words blurted out before he could stop them. He bit his tongue to stop himself from asking if Quentin was still interested in dating him.
Quentin looked from Bader to the trees towering above them. "I believe I'm nervous. It's not a feeling I experience often, so I'm not certain. I want this to go right."
Nervous? He hadn't looked nervous before... Bader saw Quentin's jaw clench again, and realised that was what nervousness looked like on Quentin. He had no way of knowing which emotions were displayed on a stranger's face - not everyone looked or handled their emotions the same way, after all - and he had only seen Quentin for a few hours at this point. Quentin had been brave and admitted to his emotions, and Bader could find enough courage to do the same.
"I want this to go right, too. I was worried in my head, I thought you were upset with me."
"Why would I be upset with you? You're here, and you're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"
Bader nodded adamantly. The reef and rainforest were both wonderful; he just needed to get out of his own head.
"That's all I want from our date: to be with you and for you to enjoy yourself," Quentin said, his words firm and decisive.
Bader might be falling in love with him already. He licked his lips - his own nervous habit - and asked, "Can I hold your hand?"
"Okay," Quentin said, as if the answer was as simple as that.
Maybe it was, Bader thought, taking Quentin's offered hand in his own and walking with him along the rainforest trail.
...
Thana never bothered with makeup. She didn't have time to waste or the money to spend, especially with Damien and Diablo getting stronger every day and hungrier as their metabolisms worked faster with their growing powers. Today, however, Thana found an old tube of lipstick in her bag and decided to wear it. It took two tries to get it right, but she finally deemed it as acceptable and headed to work.
She was usually diligent and focused, often missing meals or getting dragged away by colleagues to eat. Today, however, Thana kept looking at her phone to check the time and for any text messages. She almost jumped out of her skin when Beth tapped her on the shoulder.
"You don't have any official guests coming, so I'm guessing the makeup and constant phone checking is for someone you like?" Beth asked with a grin more befitting her evil twin.
Thana's cheeks burned red. "Is it that obvious?"
"Yes, it really is. Don't worry, I was the same way the first time Max visited; I couldn't sit still all morning. Now, what time are they meant to be here? I'll have one of my minions scout for you," Beth offered.
"Eleven. Aleph's bringing his sister, Eos. It's just some blood samples for a personal project. Honey said it was okay to work on personal projects as long as we got the rest of our work done," Thana said in a rush.
"Oh, believe me, I know. I've been working on a truth serum for my sister all morning," Beth said with a grin. "Anything you want to share or is it private?"
Thana swallowed hard. She'd only told Aleph and his siblings about her sons' powers because they'd been right there to see it; no one else knew. "Um, it's private."
"Okay. Minions!" Beth called.
Several interns rushed over immediately, eyes wide and eager to please.
"I need one of you on door duty, another on a coffee run, and a third on doughnuts. I'll clear everyone else out of the lab when they get here so you'll have privacy," Beth added with a wink that made Thana blush bright.
"Who are we looking out for?"
"What's your coffee order, Dr. Sutton?"
"Any allergies or preferences?"
Thana answered the best she could - thankfully, she already knew Aleph's coffee order, and he'd complained about Eos' sweet tooth and chocolate addiction so she hoped a hot chocolate wouldn't be refused - and watched as the three interns ran off to do Beth's bidding. "Is there a trick to getting them to behave like that? I've never had interns do that."
Beth grinned. "That's what hypnotism's for. Not to mention buying them lunch every so often. Honey pays well, but interns are still in a world of debt, and food gets you loyalty."
Thana hadn't organised interns for her position yet and decided to talk to Honey about it sooner rather than later.
A sharp whistle from the door had her looking over, the intern making a complicated hand signal that Thana interpreted as they're here.
Excited to see Aleph - and his blood, of course - Thana busied herself with tidying last minute things on her desk. The coffee mug really should have gone in the dishwasher, there were remnants of croissant crumbs from her breakfast, had she brushed her teeth? Did she have food stuck in them? Damn, it was too late now.
Beth smiled at Thana's flustering and stilled her with a hand on her forearm gently. "You'll be all right, just breathe. He won't even notice. Do you have a mirror? Okay, then smile for me. Nothing in your teeth, your lipstick is still good, and you'll be fine."
Thana felt a rush of relief and squeezed Beth's hand in thanks, just as the intern opened the door for Aleph and Eos. Thana's heart thumped at the sight of him, jeans and a shirt wrapping up a very fine body that - oh god - she'd touched extensively when they'd made out only thirteen hours ago. Was it normal that her hands ached to touch him again?
"Hi there. You must be Aleph and Eos. I'm Beth, Thana's colleague. I specialise in super immunology, which I promise is more interesting than it sounds," she said with a laugh.
"Beth is a colleague and friend," Thana corrected, smiling.
"Nice to meet you," Eos said, nudging Aleph so he'd respond since he hadn't stopped looking at Thana since they'd walked in.
"Uh, yeah. Nice to meet you," Aleph said quickly, tearing his gaze away from Thana reluctantly.
Beth grinned. "I'm sure it is. Let me get that report off you later, okay?"
"Thanks, Beth."
"No problem at all. Ah, there's the coffee and doughnuts now. Thank you, interns. Now, everyone: there's a staff meeting in the Ada Lovelace Room!" she called loudly, several people looking annoyed at the interruption to their work. "Catering is supplied, of course."
The room was empty in a minute flat and Beth grinned while Eos and Aleph stared.
"How?" Aleph asked, looking around to ensure everyone really had left.
"Scientists remember being hungry grad students; they'll do anything for free food. Since you're working on a personal project, you don't have to attend the meeting, Thana. We'll be back in an hour," Beth said over her shoulder.
"Thank you."
There was a long moment of silence as Thana and Aleph looked at each other. Eos rolled her eyes and grabbed the chocolate doughnut from under her brother's nose.
"Oh. How about we do the blood samples first and then have the food? When was the last time you ate?" Thana asked curiously, opening her bag to bring out several sealed packages to put the sterilised needle syringes together.
"We had breakfast around 7am. I told you to check if it was a fasting blood test, numbnuts," Eos said, setting the doughnut aside reluctantly.
"Did we need to fast?" Aleph asked, wincing.
"It's all right. I can compare this one to a fasting sample, if you don't mind donating some blood a second time?"
Eos shrugged. "Fine by me."
Aleph very determinedly did not look at the long-ass needle Thana was putting together with an expert hand. "S-sure."
"Great, thank you both again for this. You have no idea how difficult it is to find willing blood donors for this sort of thing."
"How did you get blood before?" Eos asked curiously.
"I paid interns extra if they donated blood every month. They were okay with it, for the most part."
Aleph smelled the heavenly scent of coffee and cake, finally realised there were baked goodies on the table, and looked at Thana's desk. Right where the needle was sitting.
That was going in his arm?! The tube was huge! How long would it take to fill that? Would he be sitting here all day with a giant ass needle in his arm?! He felt weak at the thought and it was only the thought of impressing Thana - and eating the doughnut - that kept him upright.
"All right. I'm ready, if you are?" Eos asked Thana, taking off her jacket to show her bare arms, and sitting on Thana's desk chair.
"Great! Let me just get the twister."
"The what?" Aleph asked, his mouth dry.
"Oh, it's just the rope to cut off circulation so I can find your veins properly. Die and Dame call it the twister," Thana said distractedly, pulling it out of her bag and setting alcohol wipes next to Eos as well.
Aleph watched as Thana fitted the twister around Eos's arm, his sister pumping her fist as instructed to get the veins to show properly. Thana picked up the needle and inserted it carefully. She had years of practice with two squirming children and knew how to make it as painless as possible.
Eos was impressed; she barely felt the sting. Looking at her brother, Eos raised an eyebrow at him. "You're next, Al."
Aleph watched as blood began to fill the tube and promptly fainted.
Thana glanced over in surprise, but made sure not to jerk around suddenly with a needle in Eos' arm. "Is he all right?!"
Eos grinned. "Al's fine. He just hates needles and blood."
"But... Why did he agree to do this, then?" she asked incredulously.
"You really have to ask?"
Thana blushed and focused on drawing out the last of Eos' blood for the sample, pressing a cotton ball onto the tiny hole and covering it with tape. She made short work of disposing of the sharp needle and labelling the tube.
"Nice work; I barely felt a thing."
"Thanks. What should we do about Aleph? I don't think I can lift him on my own."
"I say you stick him while he's down," Eos said with a cackle.
Thana shook her head. "It would probably jar him awake and I'd rather not break a needle."
Eos took a photo of her elder brother to send to the rest of their siblings - all of them, not just the ones in their quintet - and shrugged at Thana's response. "All right. I'm going to eat 'til he wakes up. Don't worry, it shouldn't take long. He's a big boy with an appetite," she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively and taking a large bite of her doughnut.
Thana figured that Eos was right: Aleph would wake up soon, and there was no point in letting the doughnuts get stale or her coffee go cold.
...
Layla finished off her homework for Mr. Bowie, looking between Lionheart's autobiography and her essay one more time before determining it was correct. Slipping it into the envelope, she closed the book and set them both on the bedside table, looking over at Warren. He was asleep, his chest moving with slow and calm breaths, his own homework strewn on the table beside him. She hoped the sleeping part was helping him to recover faster, and Layla swore that his bruises were starting to yellow even as she looked at him.
Ida looked into the room and knocked gently to get Layla's attention and not disturb Warren's sleep. "How are you feeling?"
Layla stretched, then straightened, and tried to determine how her body felt as a result. "Not bad. I think the bruises on my back are finally gone."
"I'll check for myself, if you don't mind," Ida offered.
Layla nodded and slipped her legs over the edge of the bed - much faster than she had the week before - and stood up to turn around for Ida's inspection. She was on the lowest dose of medication at the moment - the super equivalent of paracetamol - and her power was working harder to repair the damage that had been done. Ida's hard work to reset bones and heal their bodies naturally certainly helped, but now their power could do the rest. Warren was still on the stronger dose - a higher level than ibuprofen - but it was still low enough for his power to help. He'd even set his fingertips alight that morning.
"Hmm. That's better than I was expecting. You've got some inflammation where the larger bruises were, but it will go down over the weekend, if you don't overexert yourself again," Ida added, grateful that the dead plants had been removed so Layla wouldn't be tempted to bring them back to life and use even more of her power.
"I won't. I'm resting, and making sure I walk, eat, and stay hydrated."
"Good. Now, how's the studying going? Midterms are coming up soon, aren't they?"
"It's fine. I'm mostly trying to remember the themes in Lionheart's book and how they relate to the dichotomy between Heroes and Hero Support. He's mostly on the fence about it, but a few statements show his sympathy to the treatment of Hero Support. Of course, those written statements hardly matter when he always takes the side of Heroes in public."
Ida smiled. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Layla, but it sounds like you've got it all under control."
"I could go into more detail about Lionheart's interviews, but I think Warren's awake and he's already heard it twice," Layla said, glancing over her shoulder to smile at Warren.
"Oh, good. I can inspect your bruises, too. I'm hoping that green one is at least yellow now," Ida said, turning to Warren and waiting patiently for him to sit up.
"C'mon, Dr. Spattle. I just woke up," Warren groaned.
"Yes, I know. You'll need a faster response rate than this when you're out there fighting."
"I don't plan on being drugged up to my eyeballs while I'm fighting."
"Glad to hear it," Ida said, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, it's turning yellow. That's a relief. Now, can you stand? I'd like to see how your muscles respond to some light stretching. I had PJ send over some physiotherapy exercises. He thinks Curtis hurt his back, but we'll deal with that bridge when we come to it."
"Who's PJ?" Warren asked.
"The physiotherapist at the hospital, of course. Why else would he have physiotherapy exercises?"
"Intense and kinda weird hobby?"
Ida shook her head. "Uh-huh. Now, how is your walking going? Are you improving?" she asked Warren.
"Yes."
"Slowly," Layla said at the same time.
"Hippie."
"Hottie."
Ida looked between them and raised an eyebrow. "Lie to me again and find out what happens."
Warren wondered if he should bring up the Hippocratic Oath, but decided not to risk it. "I'm still not walking as fast as I could be. I did manage three floors though. One was with the anti-grav disc," he added when Layla raised an eyebrow at him pointedly.
"Good to know. See if you can do four laps twice tomorrow, even if two are with the anti-grav disc, okay? You need to stretch your muscles. No one wants bed sores."
"Yes, Dr. Spattle."
"I'll walk with him, Dr. Spattle," Layla promised.
"Good. Now, let's see your chest, Warren. Hopefully those fist-shaped bruises are going down."
"I can breathe properly today, so I think so."
"I still want to see it," Ida prompted.
Warren lifted his shirt, glancing down to see the bruise for himself. The middle was still an ugly purple colour, but the outside was starting to yellow and fade. Ida gently inspected and pressed Warren's bruises to ensure they were healing properly. He winced at the sharp pain and hoped she didn't notice.
"I can grow some arnica for the bruising," Layla offered.
"No, you're meant to be resting your powers. I'll get cuffs if I have to," Ida threatened.
Over Ida's shoulder, Warren saw Layla grin and cover her mouth, her eyes twinkling with mirth. He grinned back at her and dared a wink while Ida was preoccupied with his bruises.
Ida stilled as she realised what she'd said, frowned, and shook her head. "Oh, shut up, both of you."
...
Magenta was bored. Will was patrolling Westville without her since she hadn't been given permission to leave during school times, and no one was returning her text messages. Layla was sick with the super flu; Wendy was doing work experience with the Weather and Environmental Trends, though after that whole thing in the cafeteria with Will, she'd been cold and Magenta didn't know how to bridge that gap or even if she wanted to; and Jewel was busy with university, though she was sure the older girl was still messaging Craig every day.
Maybe Craig and Grant were taking up the rest of her time with sex? How did sex work with two guys, anyway? Wrinkling her nose at the thought and firmly ignoring the lustful feeling in her belly, Magenta forced her thoughts to something else. Homework, food, uh... maybe she could make something for Layla to help her get better? Her Mami's spicy broth helped her sinuses the last time she'd been sick with the super flu. Well, she'd been able to taste it, at least, which was sorta the same thing.
"Mami? Can we make broth for Layla? She's sick with the super flu," Magenta called out.
"Don't scream across the house!"
Magenta rolled her eyes and stood up. Before she could get far, her phone started ringing, and she smiled on seeing Will's name. "Hey, Will."
"Maj - home? I found - Green Spades," Will's words were cut off; he was flying while calling her again, and from the sound of it, he was flying fast.
"Yes, I'm home. You found what?"
"Green - gang - Suite Quartet. Looking for - bag - before Larry. I'll - there in three - get ready," Will said, the line going dead in her ear.
Magenta didn't know if he meant three seconds or minutes, but she didn't have a second to think. Ducking low, she tugged her suit out and changed quickly, standing up as her bedroom window opened, Airborne hovering there with his hands on his hips.
"Ready, Shifter?"
"Ready, Airborne," Shifter replied firmly, shifting to a guinea pig.
Airborne scooped her up and tucked Shifter against his chest, barely letting her get comfortable beneath his suit before he flew out of her window again.
"Magenta? You called?" Mrs. Yolanda asked, knocking on her daughter's door before opening it a second later.
Frowning on seeing her bedroom door open and the room empty, Mrs. Yolanda clenched her jaw on realising that her daughter had left the house without her permission, even though she was grounded and had promised to tell her before leaving if there was an emergency. Taking out her phone, Mrs. Yolanda muttered under her breath and called her daughter's number. A flash of light caught her attention and she saw that Magenta had left her phone on her bed, a second promise broken.
"What's wrong, Mami? Why're you and Maj screaming at each other?" Cyan asked, scratching his long hair and yawning widely, white teeth on display.
"She's gone out with that boyfriend of hers and left her phone."
Cyan frowned. "But she promised - "
"Si, I know. Her father will talk to her when she comes home since she doesn't listen to her mother," Mrs. Yolanda said firmly, turning on her heel and walking out of Magenta's room, but not before Cyan saw tears in her eyes.
Cyan forced himself to breathe and stop whiskers from growing at the anger building in his chest. That asshole boyfriend of Magenta's had clearly manipulated her to leave with him, and now he'd made his mother cry! He was going to kick Will's ass; he'd probably end up with a broken foot, but it would totally be worth it.
...
End of the hundred and sixty-seventh chapter.
Thanks for reading; I hope you liked it!
