Steel Life (Cape High Series Book 25), page 1
STEEL LIFE
BY
R.J. ROSS
Steel Life
Amazon Edition
Published by Book Candy Publishing
Copyright © 2019 by R. J. Ross
All Rights Reserved
Cover art and design by Leslie Zielinski
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
~Other works by R.J. Ross~
The Winstead Files Series
Courting the Beast * Snow White, Snow White
Seasons of the Fae Series
Raven's Return * Death of a Dryad * Water Wielder
Cape High Series
Super Villain Dad * America's Grandson * Hello Kitty * Don't Know Jack * Daddy's Girl * Aces Wild * Steampunk Time * Fire Hazard * Ditto Ditto * Sunny Daze * Life Light * Guitar Hero * Super Girls * Shadow Boy * Super Villain Grandpa * Mic Drop * Coyote’s Howl * Rocky Road * Rainbow Rush * Rise and Shine * Burn Out * Stringless Puppeteer *America’s Firewall * Mimic You * Steel Life
Cape High Side Stories
Cape High Christmas: A Side Story
Cape High Villainy: A Side Story
Reaper’s Darlin’: A Cape High Side Story
Cape High Kindergarten: A Side Story
Cape High: Days Past
Ringmaster (Toodles)
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER ONE
“Hello, Kansas City.” The voice is a familiar one to the city, and they all look into the sky, even though there are images all over the place. Every digital billboard and television in the city is lit up with Cold Steel’s face. “How do you like this little override thing I stole from my principal, huh?” he asks. “I’m worldwide!”
“City wide, at most,” they hear someone call from off screen.
“Shut up, Nightstep, I’m doin’ my show now,” Cold Steel says. “Don’t bother trying to adjust your television,” he says, only to stop as Nightstep starts laughing. “Hey, a guy’s got to use that line when he gets the chance, you know!” Cold Steel says. By now, most of KC is either laughing or shaking their heads, because, seriously, who else has a villain group like this one? Cold Steel grins at them through the screens, showing off his shiny metal teeth. “I’m here to blackmail you,” he says cheerfully. “I got a list of demands, right here. Give me a sec…” he starts digging through the pockets of his trench coat, and finally pulls out a fast food receipt, flipping it over to look at the back.
“You wrote it on a receipt?” Nightstep asks, coming into view and taking the slip of paper from him. “Seriously?”
“It’s what I had on hand,” Cold Steel says, snatching it back. They both look stunned when the list rips in half. “You ripped my demand list.”
“You’re the one that grabbed it,” Nightstep says. “Maybe we can tape it back together.”
“Does anyone else think that writing it on a receipt is a bit ridiculous?” they hear Maximum say in the background. “Why didn’t you write it in your phone, like a normal person?”
“I was using my phone at the time,” Cold Steel says. “I was watchin’ a video.”
“What video?” both Nightstep and Maximum ask.
“One hundred and one demands you should make when blackmailin’ a city,” Cold Steel says proudly.
They both stare at him as every single watcher starts cracking up. “Dare I ask who made the video?” Maximum asks after a sufficient pause.
“Skystep,” Cold Steel says. “She’s got a whole line of villain how-to videos! I subscribed.”
“The Deadly Darlin’s do videos like that?” Nightstep asks. “I want to subscribe!” He pulls out his phone, looking excited. “You do know that Skystep’s my aunt, right?”
“Did she really get to a hundred and one demands?” Maximum asks, suspiciously.
“Nah, she got distracted around number eight,” Cold Steel says. “But the first eight were pretty good ones! And I HAD mine written down, until Nightstep tore my list.”
“If she only got to eight, why call the video one hundred and—” Maximum starts out, only to stop as they both look at him. “I shouldn’t have asked that, should I?”
“Don’t make her come up here, man,” Nightstep says. “You know she’ll take over Cold Steel’s heist and we’ll be up to our necks in stuffed toys and candy.”
“I’m good with the candy part!” Cold Steel says. “But I have no use for stuffed animals.”
“She can do it in her own territory,” Maximum says, taking the two pieces of the list from them and putting them together. “Here, you can read—” he stops, abruptly, staring at the list. “This is your demand?”
“Yeah, that’s my demand,” Cold Steel says. “What about it?”
“It just seems a bit… redundant,” Maximum says.
“It’s MY demand,” Cold Steel says. “I got a reason for it!”
“Fine, fine, go on, tell the world your demand,” Maximum says, handing the list over. “I want to hear this.”
“Fine,” Cold Steel says. “People of Kansas City! My name is Cold Steel and I demand you bring me all of your old beat up cars, trucks, and anything else metal you can think of. Large appliances are perfectly fine with me. Rusted is fine, heck, I can even work with brittle; just don’t go rippin’ off churches and buildings, I want YOUR stuff. But if I don’t get enough, I’m gonna rip up all the old sewer pipes in the city! This place will be flooded in a day, and it’ll really stink.”
“Why do you need that junk, anyway?” Nightstep asks.
“I’m buildin’ my secret hide out,” Cold Steel says proudly. “So, like I said, all your junkers are belong to me, got it? Bring them to… ah, here it is,” he says, holding up a hand written address to the camera, “within the next month, or else!”
“Did you just show the world the location of your secret base?” Maximum asks.
“Was I not supposed to?” Cold Steel asks.
“Wait, weren’t there eight demands?” Nightstep asks.
“Nah, I just need metal,” Cold Steel says before the feed cuts out and whatever had been playing resumes. The world goes silent, save for the noises from the screens, and everyone looks around them, appraisingly.
This is the chance to make HISTORY!
***
“And we’re done,” Nico says from where he’s floating with several cameras around him. “Really, though, you could have tossed in a couple more demands.”
“Nah, I need the metal, I don’t need other stuff,” Jack says. “I already cleaned out the junkyard, which should have been enough, but we’ve been hitting it pretty hard lately, with the living metal experiments. I’ve got all those blueprints we put together; I’ve already torn down the old building, too.”
“So you’re sure this will go viral enough to write it off as a graduation gig?” Nico asks. “Because if I don’t see something impressive, I’m going to make you do something else.”
“I gotta have the house,” Jack says, looking a bit sheepish. “Aubrey’s already got the next two years planned out, and then the wedding. If I don’t have the house, she’s gonna give me that look.”
Nico stares at him, and then points out, “And if you’re still in school at the time?”
“Eh, I’ll tear out some of the worst of the pipes, even if I do get enough metal, and have Ace make the mess to terrorize people with,” Jack says. “The wedding takes place this weekend, she’s freaking out over all the details worse than Liz ever will. Think it’ll be just as bad when it’s our turn?”
“Worse,” Nico says before looking over at Rocco and Max. “What are you doing?”
“They’re streaming,” Max says, tapping on his phone. “They’re streaming all over the place, showing themselves getting metal that’s going to be in Cold Steel’s secret base.” He holds up the phone, but Nico has already waved a hand at the wall, bringing up all the various videos. One of them is of a kid who looks barely four years old.
“I’m collecting cans,” the kid says, talking to whoever is holding the camera. He’s picking up cans from a front room area.
“What for?” the one filming asks.
“I’m gonna give them to Cold Steel,” he explains. “I’m gonna help him build his house.”
“But Cold Steel is a bad guy, right?” the one filming prompts.
“But he’s Cold Steel,” the boy says, as if tha t’s the most important part.
Nico waves his hand and brings up another, this time of a teenage girl wheeling a busted up bicycle that’s far too small for her. “So, as most of you have seen, Cold Steel is building his secret base right here in KC,” she says. “And I had this old clunker of a bike in the backyard, but it has my name on it, see? Look, it says ‘Lisa’ right there! And I figure if I give him this, my name will be a part of his secret villain base forever! That’s so epic that I can’t even come up with a word for it, but—but it’s EPIC!”
“She’s trying to get her name on your house,” Rocco says.
“Does she even realize what you do with metal?” Max asks, shaking his head with reluctant amusement.
“I might keep it, just because it’s getting hits,” Jack says. “We need popcorn.”
“You just ate your second lunch, didn’t you?” Nico asks.
“So?”
The door of the classroom opens and Aubrey walks in, a tablet in her hand. “Sign this, please,” she says, shoving it in Jack’s face.
“What is it?” he asks, taking it automatically.
“Just sign it, honey, leave questions for later,” she says. He looks at her for a moment before shrugging and looking at his finger for a long moment. They all watch as the metal pulls back from the tip of his finger, revealing skin. “Whoa, when did you learn to do that?” Rocco asks.
“Can’t do it for long,” Jack says, his teeth gritted as he signs the tablet. The metal that had been bunched up at the base of his knuckle like a ring rushes forward, covering his finger, again. “I gotta keep practicing,” he says, letting out a heavy sigh. “It’s just a lotta work. So… what did I just sign?”
“Oh, nothing important,” she says cheerfully, taking the tablet back and heading out the room. Jack stares after her for a long moment before looking at Nico.
“What did she just make me sign?” he asks.
“Your agreement to be one of Taurus’s groomsmen,” Nico says.
“Wait, what?” Jack says, his jaw dropping down. “Does Taurus know that?”
“You kidding? Liz doesn’t even know,” Nico tells him. “The bridesmaids have already been lined up, it’s just deciding who Taurus’s best man that they’re debating over.”
“I… should really pick mine out,” Jack says.
“Too late, it’ll be Ace,” Max says. “Unless somehow he and Morgan break up before that, then it’s Rocco,” he says.
“At least you’re not on the list,” Jack says, snorting.
“I’m third in line,” Max says. “You’re third in line for mine, as well, but Zoe’s more focused on how to broadcast it to the entire world, as well as certain parts of the universe to push that part of the deal.”
They look at each other. “Do I get to at least choose—”
“Not likely,” Max says.
“I figured,” Jack says, shaking his head. “Think I could talk her into eloping?” he asks as they all start out the door.
“Even if you do, you’ve seen how Liz’s attempt is turning out,” Max says. “You should get going; you’ve got metal being delivered even as we speak.”
“You readin’ peoples’ minds?” Jack asks.
“No, I just know how people work around here,” Max says with a shrug. “You’re going to get so many names and logos that it’ll be ridiculous. This is their big chance.”
“Maybe I should make a wall out of them,” Jack says.
“You’re pretty easy going about this, aren’t you?” Rocco asks.
“It’s a cheap way to get housing materials,” Jack says with a shrug.
“I get the feeling you’re not taking this graduation gig very seriously,” Nico says.
“I’ll give them a month,” Jack says. “That gives me plenty of time to get materials and for Max to get in touch with the water department, to arrange for the new pipes I’ll be putting in.”
“You need to email me which ones you want to do,” Max says.
“I’ll take a look while I’m heading over to the site,” Jack says. He looks at Max, a little grin pulling at his lips. “Third in line, huh?”
“We both know we like Ace and Rocco better,” Max says.
“Ain’t that a fact,” Jack agrees. “But what about Sunny? Shouldn’t he be on your list, since he’s Zoe’s twin?”
“Sunny’s going to be gone by the time our wedding comes around, and Zoe doesn’t want to drag him or Adanna away from their work for that long.”
“You guys are crazy,” Rocco says. “You haven’t even graduated and you’re already planning out your weddings.”
“Zoe has the next ten years scheduled, including her college classes. She’s already started doing online work,” Max says, bringing up a hologram. “Oh… huh,” he says. “We have protesters sitting outside your new place.”
“Have what?” Jack asks.
“They don’t want a super villain near their schools and churches, apparently,” Max says. “Good luck with that,” he adds, patting Jack on the shoulder and walking away.
“Max!” Jack yells after him, only to get a wave goodbye. “Max, you jerk! You are OFF the list!” He looks at Rocco.
“I don’t wanna wear a tux,” Rocco says, only to groan as Jack’s hand drops down on his shoulder. “You’re going to make me come along, aren’t you?”
“You have to ask?” Jack replies.
“It wasn’t actually a question,” Rocco admits as Jack drags him through the school and across the campus. “You do realize I’m pretty useless as backup, don’t you? Why not get Ace?”
“Because Ace is on a date, and Aubrey would kill me if I ruined it,” Jack says. “Just try an’ look dark and mysterious, or something’, man.” He pauses, looking at Rocco for a long moment before pulling Rocco’s hoodie up and over his head. “That’s a little better.”
“What happens if they get the law involved?” Rocco asks as he heads out the entrance. “Also, where’s your board? We’re flying, right?”
“We’re taking the Shadowlands,” Jack says. “I got a board there, if I need it.”
“But it’s your house,” Rocco says. “Should we plan this out? What are you doing?” he asks as Jack starts patting down his pockets again.
“It’s a copy of the deed,” Jack explains, pulling out a piece of paper. “If they’re on my land, I plan on bringing in the law,” he adds with an evil grin.
Rocco stares at him, shocked. “You’re going to have the cops… drag them off your land for trespassing?” he asks, when his patently shocked expression just makes Jack grin even wider.
“What else should I do? You’ve been through the secret base legalities class just like I have,” he says.
“Yeah, but I didn’t expect you to actually listen,” Rocco admits.
“I pay enough attention, I got a wife and a kid to plan for, you know that.”
“You’ve got a kid?” Rocco asks.
“He came back from the future,” Jack explains. “He’s dating Zoe and Max’s girl.”
“That… is a terrifying image,” Rocco says as he heads for a shadow. He grabs Jack’s hand and hauls him in, no longer protesting this job. It seems interesting enough, actually. Seeing a professional super villain calling in the cops— “This might be the thing that goes viral, you know!” he says, excitedly. “Cold Steel calls in police to drag off protesters!”
“Yeah, yeah, very funny. I guess I could just have their car alarms all go off, instead.”
“Can you do that?”
“Never tried,” Jack admits. “It’ll be interesting to find out!” They step out of the shadows, and he’s not surprised to find himself face to face with a small group of people waving signs on his future front yard. They abruptly stop chanting, staring back at him with defiant fear. They’re a bunch of middle aged ladies and a couple of kids, he thinks as he looks at them. They look a lot like the people that go to his dad’s church, and bring him cookies on a regular basis.
He groans, running a hand over his face and looking at Rocco. “We aren’t calling the cops,” he mutters before walking forward.
A few years back, things would have been different, he thinks as he pulls out his phone. A few years back he would have been getting in their faces for this. Now, well… these are his future neighbors, right?
