34 Cape High Fire Spin, page 3
part #1 of Cape High Series
The podium catches on fire a second later with a quick bump of my finger, and I look at it blankly. It blazes for a moment before I finally look at the black suit again. “Yeah, I’m definitely going to have to pay for this one.”
His shoulders shake visibly, and he turns away completely. I’m actually tempted to smile right now, but I hide it easily. Okay, yeah, this isn’t a terrible way to interact with people. “Ah, can I get a fire extinguisher over here?” I ask.
“Fire Hazard… can’t you put it out?” another black suit asks, in a very patient tone.
“Oh, right, yeah, that’s an option, isn’t it?” I say. I light my arm up, shoving it into the fire and then turning the fire off. The fire goes out and the wood falls into pieces, collapsing pathetically on the stage.
The sound of laughter bursts out over the speakers. I look up, seeing Jack laughing so hard that he almost falls off of his surfboard. “That—that—“ he says, only to laugh even harder. “You call that a HERO?” he says. “Looks like this will be the easiest job I’ve ever had—well, since the LAST time I ran into you!”
“Cold Steel,” I say. “You’re interrupting my speech.”
“WHAT speech?” he says. “No, wait, go on, I want to see you burn down the stage.” As he says that, the audience starts shouting and pointing as tiny little scrap metal golems start rushing through their legs. “Besides, I ain’t picked out what I’m gonna take!” he adds before flying towards the rest of the theme park area. I light up, launching into the air, and the stage I’d been on lights up dramatically—until the black suits put it out with fire extinguishers. The crowd is either squealing or cheering as they try to avoid getting tripped by the golems. Jack is laughing maniacally overhead, pulling off the perfect super villain look.
“Ah, yeah, that one looks good!” he says, pointing at one of the older rides. It’s actually based on Ken’s FATHER, and just ret-conned with Ken’s designs.
“That’s a tribute to your own family, isn’t it? Why would you—“ I start out, only to jerk with a hint of drama as the little robot golems race towards the ride, starting to disassemble it. I hear familiar voices screaming from the ride, and I race for it, getting to work getting my classmates off of the ride. It’s nice and dramatic—except a few of them are really trying hard not to laugh as I haul their entire cart off of the ride instead of picking them up one by one.
The group still on there starts screaming as the robots reach them, and I do the pose I’ve been trained to do, looking panicked.
“Cue for Hy-bo,” comes over my earring, and a blur rushes past me, heading for the last cart as planned. Carla grabs the last group off of the cart just before it goes flying off the rails. She shoos the two (Freddy and Lance) away and poses. The screens of the park light up with her picture, and she loses her serious expression to grin and wave at the screen.
“HYPERSONIC RAINBOW!” I hear several little kids scream in excitement.
“I’ve come to help you, Fire Hazard!” Carla says, her voice carrying over the speakers. “Cold Steel, you should get a time out!” she lectures him, pointing at the villain.
“What’s the matter, little Hy-bo?” Jack asks. “I’m just recycling, you know!”
She looks adorably flustered by this comment. “Well, recycling is very important and it’s good for the environment, but this is NOT recycling!” she says, waving dramatically at the… empty lot.
All of the metal of the ride is now being hauled away by the metal golems, hauled down paths created by the black suits among the crowds. I fly over the area they’re racing through and hold out a flaming finger, saying, “Pew.” A tiny fireball shoots out, hitting the first golem in the back. It lights up on fire, dropping its part of the metal and getting ran over by the others. Soon I’m raining down fire bullets, taking out the machines—until Jack rushes me, slamming into my side and hauling me through the sky.
We break out in our fight as Carla starts running around, trying to take out all of the robots before they leave the theme park. This isn’t the first time I’ve fought with Jack, so we fall into our usual routine, making sure it’s plenty flashy—including the usual exploding bullet trick we came up with a while back. That goes on for a few minutes before he seems to realize what Carla’s doing.
He turns, holding out his arm towards the robots, and I slam him to the ground to keep him from “stopping her.”
It’s about this time that I realize that there are more in the audience than I’d planned. I catch sight of Century and Voltdrain sitting at a table with Flint, but that’s not the surprise—it’s the two men just standing in the shadows, watching me with judgmental expressions, their arms crossed over their chests.
“So that’s the punk?” I hear one say. He’s a thin man with short, curly black hair, dressed a lot like a twenties’ journalist, complete with suspenders and dress shoes.
“She wants to bring him in for the princess’s training,” the other says. He’s a tall guy wearing a patchwork leather trenchcoat that hides the rest of his clothing, save for a hint of black pants and rugged boots. He’s got a pair of tiny shades on that don’t exactly hide his glowing eyes.
Before I can hear anymore, though, Jack’s fist slams into my face so hard that I go flying back and into the side of a building.
“Ah, sorry, man, I didn’t expect you to not notice,” Jack says over the comm.
“Owww,” I mutter, not that it hurts that badly, but still. I hit the ground for all of a second, shaking it off and lighting up again to launch myself at him.
So… that must be the “Foundation.” They’re already inspecting me. I guess I should probably make this look good.
***
Riddle watches the fight overhead with an evaluating eye. “It’s the fire kid, not the metal kid, right?” he says, abruptly, and Yester looks at him with a dry expression. “I’m just saying, the metal kid isn’t bad. He’s got just the right amount of timing and flare to make the fire kid look good. That’s an extremely well-done villain act.”
“You’re right, I’m starting to like the tin can boy,” Yester says, thoughtfully. “He’s just the right style to make a hero look good—but watch the fire kid closely,” he says, motioning to how close Fire Hazard gets to the crowd. “He’s aware of exactly where everything and everyone is, and hasn’t caught anything on fire that isn’t meant to be lit up in this entire little episode. Either he’s extremely lucky, or he’s got a LOT of skill.”
“It’s not luck,” Riddle says, “but it’s not exactly correct, either. That time he hit the wall wasn’t planned.”
They fall silent, until Yester coughs into his fist, trying not to laugh. “That, possibly, might have been…”
“No, it most definitely was. We both saw his face, he stared at us for an entire five seconds in the middle of a gig,” Riddle says, a little smirk pulling at his lips. “Either he picked up on who we are, or he’s highly distractable. Either way, it was probably our fault.”
“The boy has difficulty miming for the public,” a new voice says from behind them. They turn, finding themselves face to face with both the South Hall leader and his second-in-command. “They came up with that approach to make it easier for him. Now tell me what you two are doing in Central territory on this momentous occasion.” His eyes are cold, which doesn’t match the smile he’s wearing.
“We just want to know what new upstart is coming to our little branch,” Yester says, innocently. “It’s important, you see? We old geezers want to make sure—“
“Don’t feed me bull, Yester,” Century says, “I WROTE the book on playing the ‘good ol’ boy’ super. You’re here to make sure our boy is good enough to work for Negatia for a bit.”
The two look at each other, and then at the South Hall heroes. “Well, is he?” Riddle asks, far too bluntly. “She’s got enough on her plate as it is, she doesn’t need some big-headed brat coming in with dreams of taking over—“
“Vinny does not dream of taking over,” Voltdrain says with a hint of amusement.
“Then why are they sending him in?” Riddle asks.
“Because Vinny is going to be my daughter’s second-in-command when we have retired,” Voltdrain says.
“And, very likely, her husband, as well,” Century sums up. “They live long lives, so we won’t swear to that, but they’re doing well, relationship-wise, and it’s a long-distance thing at the moment.”
“Don’t think this is the end of it!” they hear Cold Steel say over the loudspeakers. “You and I aren’t done, Fire Hazard! I just don’t want to lose any more of my little robot guys,” he finishes, and they look over to see him snapping his fingers. All of the little robots and the metal pieces he’d stolen rise into the air and then fly away with him leading the way.
“He stole a lot of his family’s ride,” the little speedster girl says over the speakers. “He’s going to be SO in trouble when he gets home!”
“Definitely no dessert tonight, for sure,” Fire Hazard says, in a bland tone. The crowd starts roaring as he lights up and flies away.
“And that’s a wrap,” they hear the voice come from overhead, and all look up. The upstart called Technico is floating over their heads, almost like he’s been there the entire time. “Good job, boys. You’re definitely going to want to replace that ride, though, Jack, otherwise the entire world will expect to see you get spanked by your old man.”
They hear laughter from his watch. “I know, I already got the parts lined up,” they hear the tin can kid reply. “Dad had a lot of fun watching me build the mini version. I brought in Davis for it, and everything.”
“Good, although I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get to design it, I won’t lie,” Technico says, although he’s looking straight at the group below. He HAS to know they’re listening in.
“Nico,” the fire kid’s voice comes next. “There were a few… special visitors to the park.”
“Yep, I’m looking right at them,” Nico says.
“Invite them to the back half of the school, would you?” the fire kid says. “If they’ve come all this way to meet me, it’s the least I can do.”
“You heard him,” Nico says as the call cuts off.
“That little matchstick thinks he can take on both of us at once?” Riddle asks, a gleam entering his eyes and an evil grin crossing his face.
“Now wait just a moment,” Century says, “It could be that the ones he mentioned were us, don’t you think, Voltdrain?”
“It is very likely he has invited us,” Voltdrain says, with a surprisingly fond smile. “Mijo is very consistent when it comes to this.”
“Since he didn’t specify, I expect you all to come,” Nico says.
“It would be my pleasure,” Century says, grinning widely and touching his cowboy hat. “Gentlemen, I believe that’s our cue to exit, stage right.” Then he walks away, heading for the nearest exit.
“We will be happy to take you to the school,” Voltdrain offers.
“Wait, are we being invited for a brawl or for a ball?” Riddle asks, looking at Yester. He looks as confused as Riddle is. They both shrug, and follow the South Hall supers out the exit, and then, oddly enough, into a Hummer limo with a pair of bull horns mounted on the hood. “This is all good, and well, but I DO need to pick up my daughter after school, soon…” Riddle admits.
“We can call in a black suit for you, if you want,” Century says. “Negatia wouldn’t mind.”
“We’re here to deal with your upstart brat, and you’re offering to give us a hand?” Yester asks, suspiciously.
“I’m here to tell you,” Century says, and they brace themselves, their expressions going serious. This is where the threats come in, “that the only time the boy uses enough energy to be CALLED an upstart is when he’s in the kitchen.”
The entire car goes silent, but Voltdrain merely smiles. “He is very fond of wrestling, as well,” he says. “We have had many entertaining trips to see los luchadores.”
“Are you confused, too?” Yester asks finally as the Hummer pulls to a stop. The door is opened by the black suit driver, and Century steps out, leaving the others to follow.
“We will not be leaving my Vinny to you,” Voltdrain says, patting Yester’s arm. “I hope you do not grow too attached.” They’re standing in front of yellow tape that goes around a canyon. In front of the tape is an adorable young lady with curly hair and a wide smile. Century lets out a laugh as she races over to give him a hug. She moves on, hugging Voltdrain as well, while talking a mile a minute.
“So Vinny’s graduated!” she finishes. “Oh, did you get my Christmas presents? I sent one for Cheval and Whitney too, they got them, right?” she asks Voltdrain, hanging off of his arm. “I loved the ones you sent me and my siblings!”
“We were all very happy to receive the presents, Carlita,” Voltdrain says, laughing. “Whitney loves it, especially.”
“I knew she would like the glitter!” Carla says.
“The speedster girl,” Riddle says, a smile threatening. “Now, I wouldn’t mind if SHE came—“
“Not a chance,” Century says sharply.
“I’m already in TWO Halls!” Carla says. “Oh, you need to be scanned and then place your hand on this panel, right over here, please!”
“When he said behind the school, I figured it meant something more like, ‘behind the shed,’” Yester admits as they cautiously do as she directs them. They step on glowing footprints and into the canyon, finding themselves overlooking what appears to be a small neighborhood and a pool. There are tables and several different grills to the side, where an older kid is cooking. There are other kids in the area, including the metal skinned boy from the fight.
“Going to need more steak, soon,” the cook calls out. “Carla! You did good. Now could you go get me some more meat?”
“On it, Vinny!” she says before racing away.
“First steaks are ready! I’ve got two rares and the rest medium!” he calls out. The super kids rush forward with their plates. “Anyone that knocks over a fledgling gets booted to the end of the line!” he adds before looking over and breaking into a smile. “Voltdrain! Nice to see you!”
“And where’s my welcome?” Century demands as the South Branch capes head over to him.
“Let’s be honest,” Vinny says, “I STILL like Voltdrain better, but nice to see you, too, boss. How do you like your steaks?”
Century shakes his head, looking resigned as the other kids laugh. “Medium rare, please,” he says and gets in line. “And I do suppose it’s good to like your girlfriend’s father best, so I’ll make an exception in this case.”
“Hey, you called us to the back,” Riddle says, heading to look down at the kid. “So—“
“Nice to meet you,” Vinny says, scoring a new steak and seasoning it. “How do you take your steaks?”
“This isn’t a time to play—“ Riddle starts out, only to stop as two men walk into the area.
“I want my steak rare!” one calls out.
“Got it, Boogey,” Vinny calls back.
“We can’t win,” Yester says, staring at the two. “He’s called in Reaper.” Riddle looks over, and then back at the young man cooking.
“I am… almost positive that he’s just planning to feed us,” Riddle has to admit, even as Reaper heads for them.
“Riddle,” Reaper says, holding out a hand. “You’re a very lucky man right now. I heard Vinny’s going to your Hall for a bit.”
“And how is that lucky?” Riddle asks. “They expect us to listen to a child—it’s bad enough we have Mastermental’s mini-me running around once a week.”
Reaper reaches up, touching his hat casually, and Riddle stares him down. There’s a hint of tenseness in the air—until Vinny walks over, holding several plates. “If you’d just take a seat at the table, gentlemen,” he says, heading to the nearest one and setting the plates down. “I’ll have someone come with drinks.” Then he heads back to the grill and goes back to serving people. “I hope you don’t mind medium rare.” He walks away while they stare at him blankly—and Reaper drops into one of the seats where the plate is.
“The reason you’re lucky, Riddle, is because my gemstone’s big brother over there is an excellent chef,” he says, tucking his handkerchief into his collar and starting to eat. “My compliments to the chef,” he adds, looking at the meat on his fork for a moment with admiration before eating it. “Lovely flavor, and just the right amount of pink.”
“Thanks, Reaper,” Vinny says. The two Foundation members look at him before reluctantly starting to eat. Soon enough they’ve forgotten what they came here for, since the food is so good. It’s only when Riddle’s phone dings that he’s reminded.
“I need to get my daughter,” he says, pushing his empty plate away and standing. “She’s having… a bit of difficulty right now.”
“Are her powers coming in?” Reaper asks.
“Just enough to cause her problems,” Riddle admits with a wry smile. “She’s twelve. The other students think she’s…” He sighs, shaking his head. “All of her schoolbooks are a mess by the time she gets home… Once it gets bigger than the pages being changed out, we’re going to have to home school, even if the school DOES have an agreement with the Hall.”
“Send Vinny,” Century says.
“What?” Riddle asks, looking startled.
“Vinny, you’re getting a teleportation watch, aren’t you?” Century asks. “If you’re going out into the field for your training, you’re going to need one.”
“I got it this morning,” Vinny says, finishing off his own plate of food. “But he’s not going to trust me with his twelve-year-old—“
“It’ll be filmed,” one kid offers. “You can watch all of it on the nearest wall, if you want.” Riddle looks over at the boy, who’s gathering plates from the others. “But that means our dessert plans are put off.”
“I’ll go,” Vinny says. “But I’m going to need something to prove you sent me,” he tells Riddle, heading over and holding out his hand. “Otherwise they might think I’m kidnapping her.”
