Another long-delayed update :P. Apologies if this piece isn't as edited as much as it should be; apparently summer jobs can be just as time consuming as schoolwork.
Chase stood hiding behind a telephone pole, waiting for a police car to drive up the street. He turned on the fistigons as it made a left turn and came into view. It took them long enough, he thought, and rolled his eyes as he noticed the cop car did not come to a full stop at the stop sign. With a mere mental image he shot a bolt of fire into the air. Besides distracting the police, this was also the signal to Nico and Klara to go to phase 2.
Lights emitted from Nico's staff and the gray street turned into a gooey mush which trapped the car just like a bug in roach motel. If Klara was doing her job right, the wall of vines along the street's fences would prevent anyone unwanted from viewing the magic. The two police officers desperately tried to keep the car moving, but the wheels just rotated in place in the mud. Kenyon appeared in the car's front view, and with a gesture and a few magic words the police officers fell deep asleep.
"Quickly," the wizard called. Nico and Chase both ran from their hiding places to the car. Nico smiled at their handiwork; for once Plan A had gone well. She had called the police reporting loud noises in one of the local apartments; something minor but still worthy enough to justify a single patrol car. Then all they had to do was wait. The trickiest part was yet to come, though.
"One of them is a woman," noticed Kenyon. "This changes our plans a little. Nico, you and Chase will be the police officers. I'd go as the prisoner."
"'Prisoner' isn't really the right word," said Chase. "More like 'felon' I guess."
"So Klara will still be backup?" asked Nico.
"Yes," said Kenyon, "in case we fail she'll be our best chance at getting us out of there."
"You mean the man-eating plant idea?" said Chase. "Why can't you just teleport us out of there?"
"I used up my teleportation this morning," answered Kenyon. "Spells like that require advanced preparation. Only magical items such as the Staff of One allow such on-the-fly spell use, but they tend to have their limitations." He produced two small flasks out from his robes. "I prefer more raw methods." After a quick spell to unlock the car, Kenyon stole a strand of hair from each of the police officers and dropped it into each flask. "Should be ready soon. Chase, move their bodies."
"A transformation potion?" exclaimed Nico, "like the polyjuice potion from the HP books? You sure JK Rowling isn't a Guild member."
"She's not, but I can tell you that we get a considerable chunk of her income. Now put these handcuffs on me and drink the potion. It's going to take good acting to pull this off."
"Nico." Nico turned in surprise to see Klara watching them. "Can I talk to you… alone?
Nico waved the other two away as she and Klara moved off the street to the sidekick. The young girl was biting her lip and looking very nervous and troubled. "What is it?" said Nico. Klara still could not answer. "Listen, you're a member of the team so you can tell me anything, okay? Is it about Molly?"
"It… it's everything," Klara burst out. She nervously twirled her hair braids and then continued. "You all have been good to me, but I was never told we would be hiding from police, and running from aliens, and this plan of yours… I don't like using my powers to fight."
"Klara," said Nico, "I understand that all this has sort of been thrust upon you, and I promise that after we free our friends, we'll talk all about it."
"Do you really think we'll free them?" asked Klara.
"You bet I do." The grotesque amount o f optimism made Klara smile. Nico patted her on the back and returned to the police car, hoping that it wasn't just optimism.
"Errrr. EeeeNeeer. I can't get it."
"I know, but keep trying, Molly, Your strength has got to return sometime."
Karolina, Victor and Molly were being held in the station jail cell, a rather uniform room with a small window, reinforced door and a lamp swinging overhead. The three knew they were only waiting to be transferred to a more secure prison in a different building, so Karolina was desperately encouraging Molly to pull off the collar that was inhibiting her powers. Molly pulled and pulled in vain, and was giving Karolina quite the sore neck.
"Kay…" panted Molly, "I can't do it. I'm not feeling so good."
"Maybe you can get this anti-static stuff off," said Victor. "It's like superglued on or something."
"I… I don't…" Molly collapsed on the floor, sweating heavily. "I can't do it. This sucks. I bet the Hulk never loses his strength."
"Molly, come help me," said Victor, who was fingering his forearm with his opposite hand. "Mierda, this used to be easier." Karolina and Molly gave inquisitive looks, so Victor explained. "I'm trying to open my arm. Ultron designed my nanites to eventually become cells, but until then I still have some gears I can pull out. I just need to find a spot that still opens."
"Like this?" Molly grabbed Victor's wrist and twisted his arm.
"Ow, not so hard." But within a second a compartment door on his arm popped open. Inside were reddish, but still mechanical, tendons which pulled like strings whenever Victor moved his fingers. "Alright, now I have an idea, but we need to try to yank something out."
"Man, these are huge," said Chase. "You sure the potion doesn't copy breast implants?"
"Oh god," said Nico. "Let's just quit right now. Karolina and the rest can stay in jail for a couple days. Please."
"Your friends are in a temporary holding cell in the police station," said Kenyon. "We have to rescue them before they are moved to a more secure location. It's not my fault that you two drank the wrong potions."
Nico grimaced as she examined her male face in the vanity mirror. She had of course drunk the potion meant for Chase, and vice versa. It was uncomfortable enough to feel it happen, to be changed down to the smallest anatomical details, but to have to strip and put on the male officer's clothes, to hear a deep voice each time she spoke, and to sit next to a definitively female Chase in the cop car was just appalling.
"This is so wrong," cried Nico. "I'm not even eighteen yet. I'm going to be scarred by this."
"It's not that bad," said Chase, who was driving back to the station. "Think of it as an opportunity to better understand the male mind."
"Oh, the transformation doesn't affect the mind all that much," chimed in Kenyon. "Mostly just the face and the nether regions."
"Nobody talk for the rest of this trip," barked Nico.
Within a few minutes, Chase parked the car in the station parking lot. Nico (or rather the male officer that Nico had turned into) led Kenyon out in handcuffs. "Try to look like a crook, okay?"
"Well, I do have a tattoo."
"You know what I mean."
The three walked briskly into the station. Nico constantly bit her lip, hoping not to get noticed. The three hadn't taken into account that they knew nothing about proper police protocol, like where they were supposed to take Kenyon for instance. At least the other two were playing their parts right.
"I want to call my lawyer," protested Kenyon in an aggressive tone.
"Simmer down," replied Chase in his new, high, female voice.
Upon entering, they brought Kenyon to another officer whose face was behind a glass wall. The man gave a quick, curious glace upward before returning to his paperwork. "What's the charge," he asked.
"Arson," replied Nico. "Set fire to someone's yard. Figure we'll keep him here overnight." Was overnight jail the punishment for arson? Nico tried very hard not to sweat. Luckily, the man seemed disinterested. She supposed that this kind of thing was not unusual for him and over time had gotten pretty boring.
He asked for Kenyon's name and jotted down some things. "Johnny's open for fingerprinting downstairs, so you can begin processing him."
"Right," said Chase," Which way is it again?"
"Down the stairs, door on the third left, same as always."
Thankful for their luck, Nico and Chase exchanged uncomfortable grins as they walked Kenyon down. The stairwell was empty so they were able to talk freely.
"That wasn't so bad," said Chase. "So plan A is…"
"Find K, Victor and Molly. Have Klara spring the distraction. Use magic to sneak them out," mechanically answered Nico.
"And plan B?"
"Find K, Victor and Molly. Have Klara spring the distraction. Fight our way out."
"Plan C?" asked Kenyon.
"Try not to die."
"You are a master strategist." They halted when they reached the bottom of the stairwell. "Any ideas on how to find your friends?"
"We could find a map of this place; find the cell blocks," suggested Nico. "Other than that, don't you have some charms prepared?"
Chase rolled his eyes and sighed… Nico refused to even think 'sexily'. "You guys think too much," he said. He exited the stairwell and accosted the first man he met. "Hey, do you know were those metahumans we caught this morning all being held? We're trying to find them."
The man, a nerdy-looking fellow in a white office shirt, was startled but nonetheless answered, "In the interrogation rooms. South end, second floor… why?"
"Just curious," Chase answered, smiling. He met back up with Nico and Kenyon. "See, most people don't wake up on the lookout for a shapeshifter. He's probably seen this girl around the office a few times, so he had no trouble answering my question."
"Oh, Holland." Holland… James Holland, that's who I'm impersonating, Nico realized.
"Yes?"
"How's the wife."
How's the wife? "Uh… good. You know, she's, uh, recovering."
Nerdy-guy nodded, then quickly walked away. It didn't take long for Nico to register. "Does James Holland have a wife?"
"He's on to us," said Kenyon.
Chase dropped and opened a small sports bag he had been carrying; it contained his fistigons. It also held a walkie-talkie with which to communicate to Klara. "We may have to move to plan B, boss."
"What a surprise." Nico hastily took out a knife a cut into her arm. "When blood is shed, let the staff of one emerge." Thank God the potion didn't affect this, she thought. The staff popped out of her chest right on cue. "Okay. Let's tear this place apart."
Chase brought the walkie-talkie to his lips. "Klara, begin the distraction."
It was a quiet day at the office. No major events warranted attention were reported, so most of the cops on duty could just sit back and worry about finishing their arrest quotas before the month ended. Kerlikowske took a big gulp from his French Vanilla Cappuccino and returned to reviewing next year's budget, in which he had concluded a substantial grant from Michael Blaine's soon-to-be administration, when he heard a metallic rattle. He looked around but it had stopped. He returned to his work but the rattle had started again, louder this time. It was coming from an old baseball trophy he kept in his office. He took the time to observe his Cappuccino and found that the liquid shook in sequence with the rattle. The ground was shaking.
"Sir." An officer had burst into his office. Kerlikowske reminded himself to fix that lock. "You're not going to believe this, but there's a giant plant attacking the station."
"A giant… forget the plant," he shouted, much to the officer's surprise. "Find the Metahumans."