Chapter One Hundred and Eighty

...

The Commander and Jetstream had left their post-fight interview, assured that they'd beaten the villain and done the Right Thing. Jetstream didn't have an ounce of regret for what she'd said about Gemstone. The citizens had a right to know, and if Gemstone decided to hang up her cape (or capeless outfit in this case; it just wasn't done) as a result of one measly statement, then she wasn't cut out to be a Hero in Jetstream's opinion.

By the time Josie landed with Steve in their Secret Sanctum, Craig had outed their secret identities, and all three phones started ringing and receiving text messages. Eyes wide at the unexpected noise and the fact that three reporters had somehow gotten her private number and were battling to be the one answered first, Josie saw the red phone was ringing as well. Upstairs, their landline phone started ringing as well, and Steve looked between his mobile hand in one hand, the red phone in the other, and then up at the ceiling.

Another number appeared on Josie's screen - David Ackerman, the District Attorney and their own lawyer - and she frowned. "David Ackerman is calling me. Something must have happened to that villain after we handed them to the police. They can't do anything to us if the villain was hurt in police custody," she muttered.

"I'll answer the red phone while you deal with David," Steve said.

Already in the process of answering her phone, Josie moved to another area of the Secret Sanctum to try to hear David Ackerman's voice over Steve's loud-voiced conversation with whoever was on the other end of the red phone.

"Oh, good, I'm glad I got to you before the reporters did. They've been calling every known associate of yours and Steve's for the last ten minutes."

"What? Why? If it's about that villain from this morning, then we're not responsible for what's happened to them after turning them in," Josie said firmly.

"No, of course not. It's already a clause in all of your contracts with the Maxville Council. Of course, that's not the point nor the reason for my call. I assume you haven't seen the news yet?"

"Well, no; we just got back home. Steve wanted to put his... trophy away," Josie said, glancing over at the cape that now that she was looking at it closely, was far too similar to her own in colour and composition than she'd realised earlier that day. "What in the name of Captain Stronghold has happened since the fight?"

David Ackerman reminded himself that while Jetstream and the Commander were one of his more prolific clients, they weren't his only clients, and it wouldn't be too much of an overall loss if they fired him. There were plenty of Heroes who wouldn't shoot the messenger, but Jetstream and the Commander definitely weren't those Heroes.

"Well? David, if you're calling, something big has clearly happened. You never call first," Josie added with a sniff of disapproval.

David Ackerman paused for a moment, thinking of the hours of phone logs he had just for the Strongholds alone, most of it dealing with every asinine little thing that Jetstream wanted to sue someone over. "Your secret identity has been revealed, Josie. Not just yours, but also the Commander and Airborne. An imposter landed in the middle of Maxville after your fight this morning, and revealed all of your names, including your Stronghold Real Estate business. It's something you'll probably need to deal with - "

Josie rolled her eyes and cut David off. "Then we'll organise a press release, just like last time. It's not a big deal - " she paused as Steve's loud tone and words registered.

" - understand how important the Super Bureau's support is, Mr. A."

Eyes wide, she indicated for Steve to stop talking; he didn't know what had happened with the imposter and if the Super Bureau was worried, then it probably required more than a press release this time around.

"Oh. Uh. Just one moment, Mr. A. What is it, dear?"

"Give me the phone. Here, you talk to David," she said, holding the phone out.

"Oh. Jetstream would like to talk with you, Mr. A. Yes, of course, here she is," Steve said, switching phones with her. "David, how are you?"

"I apologise, Mr. A. If I'd known you were calling - "

"It's fine, Jetstream. Or should I refer to you as Josie?"

Logically, Josie knew that Mr. A and the Super Bureau already knew her secret identity, but Mr. A saying her name in his cold and emotionless tone sent a shiver down her spine. "J-Jetstream is fine. Thank you, Mr. A. I only just heard about the imposter; I haven't had a chance to see the news myself," she said.

"I expected that to be the case. It's spread too far and fast for us to be able to maintain it like we did with Airborne's video. It looks like a coordinated attack; the imposter made their statement and within minutes, you were both trending online with the video shared by over a million accounts. Your previous interviews have been audibly compared to the voicemail message at Stronghold Real Estate. Someone put a lot of work into this, Jetstream."

Josie swallowed hard. "Were you able to trace anything?"

Mr. A paused briefly. "Our... usual avenue for investigating this kind of attack is unavailable at the moment. For now, the technicians have stated the source generated in various places, which shouldn't be possible even with a superpower. I have agents investigating the known high-level hackers we think could achieve this, but it may not result in a public arrest."

"But, Mr. A, they're besmirching our name and - "

"Your name will recover, just as it has every time before, Jetstream. This isn't the first time, nor will it be the last with your notoriety. While a public arrest is unlikely to occur, that doesn't mean the culprits will escape punishment," Mr. A said firmly, looking at his screen where it listed various supposed sources of the videos from across the world.

If it was a power, then it was exactly the sort of power that could conquer the new and future world that was sprinting faster towards technology than the Industrial Revolution had left the Agricultural Revolution behind. The future wars would be fought online and with technology, not people, and Mr. A planned to prepare, and better yet, to win.

"Are we certain Royal Pain is still in custody?" Josie asked, trying not to sound accusatory.

"Royal Pain was the first person that was checked, and I did that myself. She's been in solitary in the Super Max Penitentiary for the last four days after stabbing Stitches with a plastic shiv."

Josie had been given a tour of the Super Max Penitentiary and knew that solitary was made entirely out of power repressing beams; there was no way Royal Pain could have done this. "Do you have any recommendations for what we should do in light of this exposure, Mr. A?"

"No. That part is up to you. I will let you know when the imposter and online culprits have been found."

"Thank you, Mr. A," Josie said, trailing off as Mr. A ended the call without waiting for her to finish speaking.

"David's working on the paperwork and we can sue the news stations and journalists through the Freedom of Secret Identity Act if they expose any more of our personal details than the imposter revealed. Should I prepare the bunker, dear?" Steve asked, offering her phone back to her.

While it hadn't been made with power repressing beams, Josie felt that the bunker was as stark and oppressive as a cell in the Super Max Penitentiary. She shook her head and took her phone back. "No. We'll need to think about what to do - " Josie trailed off as she considered their options that didn't involve a bunker; a family getaway until all of this died down could be beneficial, and they could afford Hawaii without the stupid Realtor Sales Award anyway.

Josie's phone rang in her hand and she glanced at the screen, wary of reporters in the way she'd hadn't been earlier that morning. Seeing one of her clients instead, Josie answered pleasantly, trying to stay wary in case the journalists had managed to hook their talons into Mrs. Clarke instead.

"Oh, hello, Josie. Or, uh, should I call you Jetstream instead? It is you, isn't it? Just like they said on the news," Mrs. Clarke said, sounding eager and breathless.

Considering Mrs. Clarke had threatened all manner of things after Josie had cancelled her last open house, she was extremely concerned by the sudden shift in attitude. "Are you all right, Mrs. Clarke?"

"Yes, yes, of course! I'm just... I'm a big fan. Of Jetstream and the Commander, I mean. I just... When I heard the news, I could hardly believe it, but then... I couldn't help but think that Jetstream is selling my house!" she said, her voice reaching the same pitch of fannish-squeal that Josie was far too familiar with.

"Oh. Well, in that case. Jetstream and the Commander are more than happy to be assisting you, Mrs. Clarke."

"I knew it! Oh, my Super God! I need to tell all of my friends! I can't believe it, Jetstream and - "

Josie blinked at the excessively loud noise that the elderly woman's voice had become, and then at the sudden silence as Mrs. Clarke ended the call without warning.

"Dear? Is everything all right? Did Mrs. Clarke cancel her contract after all?" Steve asked, confused about Josie referring to Jetstream and the Commander with a citizen.

"No, she didn't. I think we can use this, Steve. It will be good for us. In fact, if we do this right, we might be able to win the Realtor Sales Award, even without that stupid skyscraper."

Steve brightened at the idea of being able to go to Hawaii again, and put his hands on his hips. "What do I need to do?"

...

Ry licked his lips nervously, looking at Layla and Warren. The bruises on both had faded, but he could still imagine them superimposed over their faces and bodies. Weirdly enough, that gave him the courage to step forward to Mr. Medulla and offer the proposition. They were willing to get hurt, to be bruised, or even die, just to make the world a better place and not ruled by the Strongholds. The least he could do was ask an adult to be on their side.

"Are you all right, Ryuu?" Medulla asked, frowning when he saw how nervous Ry was.

Ryuu nodded and smiled. "Fine, Mr. Medulla. I was wondering if you'd like to join us?"

Medulla narrowed his eyes. "I suspect you don't mean for lunch?"

Ryuu shook his head. "No, sir. Not quite."

"You can join us for lunch, too, Mr. M!" Craig called.

Adam clamped a hand around his mouth. "Lick me and you'll be eating acid, dude."

"Rude," was Craig's muffled response.

Medulla looked at the group of... children. Dear god, they weren't even old enough to vote yet. They were teenagers, some of them still with the maturity of grade schoolers, and yet... He knew Eliza was fond of several of them, and Beth had enjoyed conversations with a few, and Super God help him, he even had a begrudging respect for more than one himself. Not that he'd be telling them that, of course...

"What exactly are you asking from me? I won't say yes or no right now, but I will consider it, once I know more," he said, telling himself he was curious and nothing more.

Ry grinned. "Really, sir? That's awesome. Layla, Warren, you're up."

Medulla looked from Ryuu to Layla and Warren, then shook his head. "Later. We have company," he said, seeing a red, white, and blue clad teenager flying over.

...

Will had meant to stay in the cafeteria, he really had, but Ry had kicked his ass in Save the Citizen and everyone in the school was whispering about him. Well, maybe not everyone, but Larry definitely was. He couldn't stay in that claustrophobic space for one more second, so he'd flown out of the cafeteria without a word or even stopping to get lunch. No matter what his mother thought about his usual exits, he was not sulking!

Walking helped him clear his head and think about the fight logically, even though the memory of flying back without an ounce of control still sent a shudder through his body. He rubbed his goosebump-covered arms and tried to think of the fight again.

What had gone wrong? Why had Ry hurt him? He still couldn't believe Ry had done that to him; he'd done nothing to Ry to deserve it! Will clenched his jaw as he remembered Ry's gleeful expression as he'd flown right into the broken lamp post. Ry had been happy that he'd been hurt?! He didn't get why. All he'd done was look out for Ry and try to woo him. It wasn't like he was a greedy freak like Craig and trying to date more than one person at once. He'd dump Magenta as soon as Ry said yes, of course. But Ry had still hurt him and looked pleased about it, and Will didn't know how to feel about that.

Actually, yes he did. He felt angry.

Seeing a flash of red from the corner of his eye, Will looked over and saw Layla and Warren and their friends, including Ry. Gritting his teeth, Will flew in their direction without really knowing what he was going to say or do. He practically heard his mother's voice, telling him that a Hero was always Calm and Professional, especially when demanding an explanation from a villain; villains would always brag and give the Hero time to come up with a winning plan. It didn't really make a lot of sense in this context, but he would be a Hero, just like he'd been born to be. Will stopped and landed in the same breath, stepping forward so he'd be closer to Ry, and almost tripped over his own feet for the second time that day when he realised Mr. Medulla was standing there with them.

"Mr. Medulla? What are you doing here?" Will asked, frowning.

Medulla wanted to join them right then and there if it meant not dealing with Heroes and their egos ever again.

"I'm trying to get Mad Science tutoring, not that it's any of your business. What are you doing here, Stronghold?" Warren asked, crossing his arms over his shoulder.

"I... uh, I wanted to talk to Ry, one Hero to another," Will said, hands on his hips.

Craig laughed, muffling the sound behind both hands. Ry rolled his eyes and turned to face Will, holding his hands behind his back. He made sure his face was the epitome of calm, even as he slipped a bobby pin off the cuff of his shirt and started to create a long thin sword behind his back without Will noticing.

Medulla, on the other hand, saw the sword being created and tried to keep his face impassive despite his mounting curiosity. That same wave of revulsion he'd felt just that morning about the Stronghold heir returned in force, and he made a decision he hoped he wouldn't regret.

"I will assist you," Medulla said, looking at Layla and Warren.

"Thank you, Mr. Medulla," Layla said, smiling brightly.

Will frowned at the unexpected comment from Medulla. "I thought you didn't tutor students?"

"It is up to my discretion, Mr. Stronghold," he countered, this close to snapping and throwing something from his lab coat at the idiot.

Maybe something that would stop him talking, he mused, trying to determine what might work to achieve that end. If he used the acidic one, it might cause too much damage, and even Eliza would have a difficult time defending his actions in court. Though, she did like a challenge, and Beth would want a report on how the acidic composition changed against the Stronghold's invulnerable super-strength.

"Can we talk now, Ry?" Will asked impatiently.

"My name is Ryuu," he replied, for what felt like the thousandth time. "And you can say whatever you want to say in front of my friends."

Will clenched his jaw, the anger in him building at yet another rejection from Ry. He couldn't even talk to him in private now?!

"Well?"

"Why'd you hit me?"

"What? When?" Ry exclaimed.

He didn't even want to be this close to the idiot and Stronghold was accusing him of hitting him?!

"In Save the Citizen. You hit me! You were smiling, too, don't try to lie! I know when you're lying; I've watched you and - "

"You've watched me? That's so damn creepy; do you not hear yourself?" Ry asked, trying not to shudder or puke, his stomach rolling.

"You won't talk to me or acknowledge me! I just want to be your friend, not like these losers!"

"What the fuck? 'Scuse the language, Mr. Medulla," Zach said.

Maxwell wished he'd had the foresight to record this; he would probably need it to help prove Will's words for any consequences to adhere. He looked over to Zach at his apology and saw Ethan beside him, holding up his phone, and obviously recording the whole thing.

"Oh, shut up, Zach. You know the sidekick track is for losers; even Maj said that," Will snapped, not even glancing at his ex-friend. "Ry isn't a loser like the rest of you - "

"Wow, so you're rude and you can't fight? You're just ticking all the boxes there, aren't ya?" Craig sneered.

"At least I'm not a greedy freak like you! You... you sexual deviant!"

"Hey! Fuck off, Stronghold. You're not wanted here," Corvin snapped. "Sorry for swearing, Mr. Medulla."

"Just leave me and my friends alone, Stronghold," Ry said, stepping back even as Will reached out to him.

"I just want to talk!" Will snapped, reaching out for Ry to bring him close and make him see sense. "I can help you find your real parents! We can fly to China right now and start looking!"

If he could kiss Ry properly, he'd make him see. It always worked in movies: the man wanted to talk to a girl, the girl protested even though she really wanted him, and he grabbed her and kissed her, and they'd start dating. He could do that now, if he could just grab Ry! They were meant to be together!

"I don't want to talk to you or go anywhere with you! Get it through your head and leave me alone!" Ry said and stepped back again, his eyes wide with fear.

Will's anger, which had been building and boiling in his blood ever since he landed in front of this group of losers, burst out like a volcano. "Fine! I don't want to talk to a freak like you anyway! You can't even deal with the fact you're not a girl when you're obviously a girl! You're sick in the head and all of these people are fucking you up by going along with this... this... lie! It's disgusting and you're disgusting, and - "

Warren stepped forward before someone did something stupid and killed Will. He was tempted to do something stupid himself, but reminded himself yet again, that Will could fly and dropping him off the edge of the school wouldn't achieve anything. Layla had plans for him and Magenta, and he had to live for that to happen. Unfortunately.

"Apologise, Stronghold. Now."

Ry dropped the bobby pin and turned away when Warren stepped in front of him. His whole body was trembling and he tried to keep it together, his breath shaking in his chest. He couldn't let Will see him cry since he'd probably try to use it as an excuse to comfort him or some bullshit. The thought was so revolting that Ry tasted bile in the back of his throat and struggled not to throw up.

"Ry. Can I hug you?" Layla asked, her hand on his branded shoulder and letting through a pulse of warmth and love and acceptance, underpinned by the pure fucking rage of every single one of his friends.

Their rage burned away his tears, settled his stomach, but Ry didn't trust his voice and just nodded. Layla wrapped her arms around him, and Ry buried his head against her neck, wishing he was anywhere but there.

"You don't scare me, Warren; I'm stronger than you! And you should be looking out for your girlfriend," Will sneered, nodding to where Layla was hugging Ry. "Or are you sexual deviants like Craig, too? It's obviously contagious since Pad is doing the same."

Lorcan and Kiara jumped off Pat's shoulders and reformed, Pat holding them back reluctantly. A slew of Spanish insults came from both siblings, anger laced in every word, even if Will didn't understand the words themselves.

"That's enough!" Medulla snapped. "Everyone go to Principal Powers' office this instant!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Craig quipped, teleporting the whole group so Will couldn't try to escape.

Medulla's stomach heaved at the unexpected travel, but he was fairly sure his own rage kept the contents of his stomach where they were meant to be. Knocking on Linda's door, Medulla added that it was him and it was urgent.

Linda opened the door, blinking in surprise at the small crowd. Oh, no. What had happened now? she thought, seeing the expressions on their faces, Ry crying against Layla's shoulder, and Maxwell looking like he was ready to explode the Mad Science laboratory on purpose this time. Linda was glad she'd had a double-shot espresso that morning. It looked like she was going to need all the energy she could get.

...

Ethan had known that Will would do something of monumental stupidity, but he hadn't honestly expected this. He almost regretted recording the video live for the group chat when he realised that both Connor and Honey were online and watching.

Connor was at the Sanctuary, exercising in the gym and watching as Baby and Champ sparred in the ring. Even after fifteen years, Champ still had a hard time beating Baby, and Baby made a point of sparring with him whenever they got together like this, just to prove he could still kick Champ's ass.

Connor had stopped to have a drink of water and check on Victor, who was on the treadmill and walking at a small incline today, feeling so very proud of his boyfriend's progress. As Eliza and her team of lawyers had been the ones to take on the mess that had occurred that morning with Jetstream and Gemstone, Victor had asked to spend the day with Connor. He'd asked Connor to keep him away from any news channels so he wouldn't be tempted to sue Jetstream for everything the Stronghold family possessed for insulting and demeaning Craig in the way she had, and Connor was intent on doing whatever he could to keep Victor sane and distracted for the day.

Connor was tempted to take Victor up to the room they'd had sex in last time, both as a way to distract Victor and to give him the sort of love that he clearly needed after such an awful morning. As he decided to tease Victor and suggest exactly that, Connor was distracted as his phone dinged with an alert, the noise bright and cheerful in his ears thanks to the headphones Ry had bought him for Father's Day. (His taste in music did not suck, thank you very much, Ry!)

Ethan is streaming live! Swipe to watch.

Curious as to why Ethan would be streaming a live video during school hours, Connor swiped to watch, and grabbed Victor's walking cane as he headed over to him.

"Darling, time to - " Connor stopped short as he heard the abuse coming from the video, looking down to his phone to see what the actual fuck was happening.

Ry looked on the verge of tears as Will fucking Stronghold verbally abused him and his friends, demanding over and over to talk, even as he reached out to physically grab Ry.

"Connor?" Victor's voice came seemingly out of nowhere, and Connor refocused on the world around him to find that he'd accidentally turned Victor's walking stick into a machine gun.

It took a second for Connor to focus and retract his power, the walking stick in two pieces in his hands a moment later. "Sorry about your cane, darling."

"I don't give a fuck about that. What the hell happened?" Victor asked, taking Connor's offered phone, just as Will started yelling about Ry being a freak.

Connor clenched his jaw and pulled the headphones out, turning up the volume so Will's screaming voice could be heard throughout the gym.

Baby stopped taunting Champ, Buddy let the skipping rope fall from his hands, Sport grabbed the weight from Ex before he squished himself, Killer and Kid turned the security cameras towards them, everyone looking at Connor and listening to the abuse.

A comment appeared on Ethan's video recording and he glanced away from Will and Ry to see Connor's message.

Connor: We'll be there in 5.

We? Ethan wondered, right as Craig teleported them all to the corridor outside of Principal Powers' office.

...

Josie glanced at her phone distractedly as the Commander posed for new Stronghold Real Estate photos.

Principal Powers calling...

Frowning at the caller ID, she briefly considered that perhaps Principal Powers was calling because of Airborne's reveal and the likely journalists that would be calling Sky High to speak with the heir of Captain Stronghold, the Commander, and - of course - Jetstream herself. Knowing that Principal Powers would probably be upset about that whole thing, she inhaled, smiled, and answered. "Good morning, Principal Powers. How are you?"

"I've been better, Josie. Your son has violated several school rules, including receiving his third and final strike in our anti-bullying initiative. As such, he is being expelled, and you or your husband need to escort him from the premises. Also, there's paperwork to deal with."

The Commander's eyes widened as Josie let out a small scream.

"What?!"

"Are you all right, dear? What happened?" Steve asked, seeing that Josie wasn't on the red phone.

"I'll be there to deal with this shortly," Josie said firmly, ending the call before turning to her husband. "Something's come up at the school; I need to go get Will. It might be a few hours, depending on whether I need to get David Ackerman involved or not. Can you keep going with the new promotional photos?" she asked.

"Of course. Do you need my help at the school?" the Commander asked, hands on his hips.

"No, no, dear. The photos are important. I'll be back as soon as possible," Josie said, kissing his cheek. She winced at the lipstick stain she left behind, cleaned it with her thumb, then smiled brightly again. "There you are. Take care, and when this is done, I'll organise dinner on the way home."

"Pizza from Rome?" Steve asked hopefully.

Josie patted his cheek. "We'll see," she said, then flew out of the Secret Sanctum as fast as possible to avoid the fans and journalists that were gathered outside their home. Circling a few times to ensure she wasn't being followed or watched by fan, journalist, or villain, Josie flew up higher into the atmosphere and to Sky High.

In the Secret Sanctum, Steve looked at the cameras showing the small horde of people outside their home. There were no villains there - yet - but it was only a matter of time, he was sure of it. Prepping the bunker was probably more important than the photos, and if the issue at the school really was going to take a few hours, he could get the photos done, too.

Now, he just needed to find a way to sneak out of the Secret Sanctum without alerting anyone outside. He would have to put on a disguise since photos of his alter-ego wearing glasses were out there and far too well-known by now, Steve surmised, heading over to the closet with their old disguises that probably hadn't been used in years. Steve just hoped they still fit.

...

Mrs. Morton sat in the waiting area as Principal Powers verbally decimated Will Stronghold. Ellie had to admit she was enjoying it a little too much, and couldn't sit in the room at the same time as the rest of them because she kept smiling. Not to mention, they could barely fit: as well as all of the children involved, Connor had brought along Victor and seven of his very large and muscled friends. One of whom included Sport, and she'd been stuck in a limo with him and George often enough to know how much room they required when they were in protective mode. Paid protective mode was entirely different to personal protective mode, and she wondered how long the Stronghold boy would live if Sport used his power on him.

Linda had stared as she looked up at them (and up and up) and Ellie had sent Honey a thank you text just for that expression alone. Honey had been in a takeover meeting with her when Ethan's video had begun and since they were all in the Sanctuary building, Ellie had volunteered to bring Connor and Victor up to Sky High in Erin, her AI flying limousine. Thankfully, the limo included extra leg room for the extra seven men, even with 'personal protection mode' activated in each and every one. Honey had stayed behind to keep an eye on the security monitors, though she'd promised nothing would happen while they were gone.

" - disgusting behaviour and you obviously didn't learn a thing from your suspension or detention!"

Ellie heard a whoosh of air and looked over as Jetstream stopped in the doorway, dressed to the nines in her super alter ego uniform. "Going all out there, aren't ya?"

Jetstream looked at her in surprise. "Mrs. Morton? What are you doing here? It's parents only."

"Aye, and your son insulted my boy. You'll be hearing from my lawyers once this is all over. Again," Ellie said with a cheerful grin.

Josie swallowed hard. "Fine. I'll deal with them after I've cleared up this misunderstanding. Can I get past now?"

"Ah, you remembered the super restraining order? Shame," Ellie muttered, not quite under her breath, even as she stood and walked towards the hallway.

Jetstream flew back, only some of it intentional. Disappointed that she hadn't moved fast enough to knock her off her feet entirely, Ellie stepped into the hallway so Josie could enter the waiting area and knock on Linda's door.

"Oh, good, you've arrived. Please step inside as Josie rather than Jetstream; your super alter ego will not help you today," Linda said, her voice as cold as a comet's tail.

Josie changed so fast she missed a button and her hair was a mess. She quickly buttoned her shirt properly and fixed her hair, then stepped into the office, feeling like she was sixteen and caught making out with someone behind the bleachers all over again.

"You doing all right in there, Pat?" Ellie asked in a low whisper, stepping forward and almost knocking Josie off her feet as the restraining order activated. She could see Ry standing on one side of the room, his father's arm curled around his shoulders and both of them surrounded by the security guards who were glaring at the other side of the room where Will presumably stood.

"Fine, Ma. We'll deal with him after this is sorted," Pat added quietly.

"Good lad."

"Mrs. Morton, if you can close the door, I can continue," Linda said, barely keeping her temper in check so it wasn't misdirected to the wrong parent.

"'Course. Apologies," Ellie said, stepping back and closing the door reluctantly.

...

Ry didn't care if anyone judged him, and practically threw himself against Connor's chest when his Papa finally arrived. He squeezed his eyes shut as Connor hugged him tight, murmuring words of comfort and concern against his hair.

"I've got you. Breathe with me," Connor murmured, Ry listening to his heart beating a steady rhythm and counting softly, breathing in and out in sync.

"What on earth happened here?" Victor asked, holding Buddy's offered arm without his cane.

A cacophony of noise came from the gathered teenagers, everyone trying to tell their own version of events.

"I recorded it," Ethan said when there were fewer people talking, his voice loud enough to project over the others.

"What?" Will asked, eyes wide.

"I recorded the whole thing. Ohio law states it is legal for conversations to be recorded so long as one party is aware and consents," Ethan said, unlocking his phone and handing it over to Principal Powers.

"I knew you were recording and consented," Ryuu said firmly despite his body trembling.

Principal Powers glanced at Maxwell, who was still glaring at Will, and hadn't actually told her what was going on yet. She had no doubt that it would be bad, especially as Maxwell preferred to issue detentions or deal with the students on his own, rather than involve her as Principal of Sky High.

"Can everyone please stay silent while I watch this?" she asked, doubting they'd last long. She'd spent the last five minutes trying to calm the group of students down so they'd stop yelling and briefly wondered if there was such a thing as noise repressing beams.

"We'll be quiet, Principal Powers," Layla said, holding Warren's hand on one side and Ry's on the other, even with his father still hugging him close.

Feeling apprehensive, Linda pressed play. The whole thing didn't take long to play - hardly four minutes - but by the end, Linda didn't know if she felt more disgusted or angry. Her body felt like it was shimmering despite the power repressing beams, and she stood up to berate Will for his words and actions, words spilling out of her, every single one tinged with her emotions.

"This is disgusting behaviour and you obviously didn't learn a thing from your suspension or detention!" Principal Powers snapped, finally taking a breath and glancing around the room.

Everyone, from the sophomores to the looming adults, had gone pale and completely silent. Linda fixed her shirt and sat down, having a long drink of water to ease her throat. She silently promised herself that she wouldn't lose her composure like that again. Calling Josie and ensuring she would arrive soon, Linda looked over each of the students while they waited. Will looked sullen and angry, but certainly not remorseful.

There was a knock at the door and Pat opened it when Linda nodded for him to do so. She'd called Josie to come as this was Will's third strike - the only thing Maxwell had said on entering her office - and was expecting to expel him. Her lips thinned when she saw Jetstream standing at her door rather than Josie.

"Oh, good, you've arrived. Please step inside as Josie rather than Jetstream; your super alter ego will not help you today," Linda snapped.

Well, that promise didn't last long, she thought to herself.

Josie blanched, changed twice in three seconds, and stepped into her office.

...

End of the hundred and eightieth chapter.

Thanks for reading; I hope you liked it!