Eric sat between Sam and Summer in the jetchopper. A soldier sat on either side of them, two others stood by the door, and the fifth piloted the chopper. Adam took a seat opposite Eric and the others, while Wren remained standing, leaning back against the wall.
Wren kept a hold of Eric's fire during the flight. She let small flames dance on her palm and run up and down her fingers.
"Could you let go of my power?" Eric finally asked. "It's getting annoying."
He wasn't sure why he bothered. She didn't care about his comfort. But maybe Ash would spitefully tell her to knock it off.
"Wren," Ash said. He didn't take his eyes off the ceiling.
To Eric's relief, the sensation of Wren using his ability disappeared.
Wren smirked. Her gaze darted to Ash. "Kind of unfair that he gets fire and you get water, isn't it? Much harder for you to hurt people."
Ash's bored expression didn't change. "You've seen what I can do."
"I didn't say you couldn't hurt people, I said it was harder than just torching someone."
Eric shifted uncomfortably. "I've never torched anyone."
"That's my point," Wren said. "You're wasting your power. It's harder for you not to hurt people than to hurt them."
"Wren," Ash said again.
"What?"
Sam cleared his throat. "Is that building out the window your headquarters?"
Eric peered past Ash out the window behind him. Among the dark greenery of the forest they were flying over, a patch of white stood out. "That's your real home?" Eric asked.
"You could say that," Ash muttered.
Wren folded her arms. "Impressive, right?"
"Looks like a plain old building to me," Summer said.
Wren shot her a glare.
Eric snorted. "Yeah. If Scorpion's so great, you'd think you'd have a cooler building."
"And advertise our location to the whole world?" Ash asked. "We're not idiots."
"Sure."
As they drew closer to the building, Eric realized there were more choppers parked on the roof. Two rows, adding up to about twenty in total. And the building itself, while not particularly wide, was strikingly tall. Ten stories, at least.
Sam's voice entered Eric's mind. Everyone ready?
Yes, Eric thought back.
Summer's eyes closed, and her hand shifted at her side. The hair on the back of Eric's neck stood up as he suddenly became aware of the hum of electricity around them.
Seconds later, he felt it stop.
Summer's eyes flew open. Electricity crackled around her hands. The sound of the engine died. Outside the chopper, the rotor blades slowed.
The chopper dropped.
Wren yelped in surprise and staggered into the wall next to her. Eric's heart dropped to his stomach. Sam jumped out of his seat, and Eric forced himself to stand next to him. Summer followed, still holding her lightning in her grasp.
"What the hell are you doing?" Ash demanded as he stumbled to his feet. "Are you trying to get us all killed?"
Eric lifted his fists. "We've got you covered, Sam."
Sam nodded. His eyes closed, and his own fists tightened at his sides.
Eric's heart hammered in his chest as he stared down Ash. "You gonna fight us?" he asked. "Or are you going to let Sam keep us from crashing?"
Ash looked genuinely stunned, for once. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Pretty smart, right?" Summer flashed him a grin.
"Come on, Ash," Wren said. "We can't just let them—"
"Do you want to die?" Ash snapped. "Let him land us. We'll deal with them on the ground."
Eric shifted nervously. Sam was going to be exhausted by the time they landed. He and Summer could take out the soldiers easily if they really tried, but he wasn't sure they could handle Ash and Wren alone.
On the bright side, the chopper's descent seemed to be slowing. All eyes were on Sam, but no one dared speak.
Eric lowered his hands once he realized how badly they were shaking. He wasn't sure where to look. Ash's expression had hardened again, but he looked tense. Not quite nervous, though. Did he have faith that Sam could land the chopper?
Eric couldn't take it anymore. He closed his eyes. They were definitely moving slower. Right? Was it his imagination?
He was going to be sick.
Eric felt as if he'd slipped out of time entirely. The only thing he was aware of was the sound of wind whipping past them. Then, his heart slamming against his rib cage. His growing nausea.
He snapped back to the present as they reached the earth.
The collision with the ground was just hard enough to knock everyone to the ground. Even the soldiers. Eric grunted as he slammed against the chopper floor. Pain shot through his arms.
Ash was the first one back on his feet. He immediately lunged at Eric. On instinct, Eric flung up a hand and blasted fire at Ash, forcing him to stop his attack and dart to the right.
While Summer climbed to her feet, Sam still lay on the floor, eyes closed. Eric wanted to make sure he was okay, but Ash didn't give him the chance. Ash swung his fist, and Eric barely dodged the blow.
The soldiers were getting up now, too. Eric risked diverting his attention from Ash to hit the closest one with fire. Pieces of its armor melted as it dropped back to the ground.
Eric's victory was followed by shooting pain as Ash's boot slammed into his chest. Eric hit the ground next to Sam and gasped in pain.
The air cracked. Eric turned his head and watched as the remaining soldiers dropped around Summer. While they went down, she moved to face Wren.
"Sam," Eric said, watching Ash approach. He braced himself for the pain of getting back up. "Sam, you okay?"
"Fine," Sam muttered. His eyes were still closed. His face twisted in pain.
Eric didn't have time to stay down here with him. He rose to his feet and let out a blast of fire to force Ash backward. That earned him a few seconds to check on Summer and Wren.
Summer was firing lightning at Wren. Wren had her hands up and laughed as she took it in. "Nice try!" Wren exclaimed.
Damn it. There wasn't really anything Summer could do. Maybe she and Eric would have to fight Wren at the same time. But now Ash was moving forward again, swinging. Eric ducked and dodged as Ash forced him back against a wall.
Out of the corner of his eye, Eric noticed Wren turn toward him. He spared her a quick glance. She smirked.
"Eric!" Summer warned.
Eric threw another fireball at Ash and another glance at Wren. Ash still had him cornered. Sparks jumped from Wren's fingers. No time to move out of the way. Eric braced himself.
Electricity arced through the air and struck Eric in the chest. The force sent him staggering back a couple of steps, but there was no pain, not even discomfort. Just a surge of energy.
Eric straightened up. Flames flickered in his palms. Summer watched him apprehensively, Wren's smug expression shifted to annoyance, and Ash's eyes narrowed.
With a sweep of his arm, Ash pulled drops of water from the air and merged them into two spheres. They wrapped around Eric's hands, extinguishing his fire.
"All right." Eric stretched out his hands. "Since we're actually trying to win this time—"
"This is you trying to win?" Ash deadpanned.
Goddamn it. Eric's jaw clenched. If this didn't work, he was going to be embarrassed forever. He reached for his power, pushing aside the heat rising in his chest and pulling the less familiar sensation of electricity to the surface.
Lighting cracked inside the spheres of water.
The electricity ran to the tips of Eric's fingers and broke free, arcing through the air. It didn't land anywhere near Ash—Eric's aim was going to need even more practice than he thought—but it did take him by surprise. The moment Ash spent frozen in shock was enough for Eric to rip his hands free from the spheres and try another attack. He stepped forward as he unleashed more electricity, bringing himself close enough to Ash that aim didn't matter.
Ash hissed in pain and sank to the ground. Eric pulled back his electricity as he moved to stand over Ash but kept it dancing between his fingers.
Ash's eyes widened. "How—?"
"No idea, to be honest," Eric told him. "Your aunt might know, though. Maybe you should ask her."
"Do you have any idea how good you could be if you let me—let Scorpion train you?"
"I don't care." Eric lifted his hand again and hesitated. He'd hit Ash pretty hard. Maybe it was time they took off. They just needed to get Ash and Wren out of the chopper.
Eric glanced back. "We should—"
"I'm on it," Sam said, his voice strained. He stood up slowly, a hand pressed to the side of his head. "Summer. Get the door."
"Sam, are you—?" Summer started.
"Hurry!" Sam looked at Eric. Keep them distracted.
Eric nodded. Ash still didn't look ready to jump back into the fight, so he turned to face Wren while Summer darted to the chopper door.
"All right, Wren, what's it going to be?" Eric lifted his hands. "Electricity, or fire?"
Wren laughed. "I choose..." she lifted a hand. "Neither."
Eric went flying backwards.
His collision with the wall knocked the air from his lungs. He gasped as he sank to the floor, desperately trying to force his legs, his arms, anything to move. The edges of his vision went black.
"I don't play by your rules, Eric," Wren said, waving her hand.
The chopper door slid open. Wren turned and flung Summer into the air the same way she had Eric, but something caught Summer halfway across the chopper.
"That's enough," Sam said. His breathing was ragged, but he kept his hold on Summer. She hovered in the air, eyes wide.
Wren shot Sam an irritated look. "You just landed a chopper. You might have experience, but right now, I've got strength. You can't hold out against me much longer."
"Maybe." Sam gave a slight shrug.
Ash's gaze darted to the open door. "Wren, he's going to—"
Wren was the first to go sailing out the chopper door. The moment she was gone, Summer dropped to her knees. She winced.
Ash went out next. The damaged soldiers followed. The moment they were gone, the chopper door slammed shut by itself. Sam stared at the door as the thud reverberated through the chopper. His hands trembled, but the fury burning in his gaze was startling.
It was...mildly terrifying, actually.
"That's the Sam I've been warning to see," Summer said with a grin as she climbed to her feet. "Nice job."
The determination fell from Sam's face. He sank to the floor and rolled onto his back. "Just get us back to the Fortuna before all of Scorpion comes after us," he said as his eyes closed.
Summer nodded and darted into the cockpit. Eric staggered to the nearest bench and pulled himself into a seat.
"I saved our current location in my phone's map," Summer called as she started the chopper. "We've got Scorpion's HQ."
They did it. Eric's shoulders sagged. He leaned back. Knowing they had the location was a small relief, but he couldn't bring himself to truly relax until the chopper lifted off the ground. Slowly, as they moved higher and higher, Eric let himself believe they had a real chance against Scorpion now.
"How far did you throw Wren and Ash?" Eric asked, glancing at Sam. Sam's eyes were still shut. For a moment, he thought Sam had passed out, and he wouldn't get an answer.
"Mm, not sure," Sam mumbled. "I landed them pretty gently, actually. But I made sure they wouldn't be able to make it back to the chopper before we took off. Fifty feet, maybe?"
Wow. If they ever figured out how to stop Sam's headaches, and he was able to do that regularly in a fight without passing out? Defeating Scorpion would be easy. He could just...toss aside everyone who got in their way.
At the moment, though, Sam was clearly in a lot of pain. And likely verging on unconscious. What if there were worse side effects than just the headaches? Was it possible that Sam using his powers like this was doing some kind of long-term damage?
It didn't make any sense. What made his ability different from everyone else's?
The chopper shifted into a jet, and they surged forward. Eric still felt unsteady from the drop and the following fight. This was going to be a rough ride home.
Summer emerged from the cockpit. "We'll be fine on autopilot for a few minutes," she said. "We'll stop back at Light Park to grab the other chopper and be back at the Fortuna in time for dinner."
Eric nodded. "Sounds good."
Summer sat down next to him. "So, let me make sure I saw all that right," she said. "Did you...use electrokinesis?"
"Yeah." Eric looked down. "I guess I did."
He explained what little he knew, how he'd realized he could generate electricity shortly after they arrived on the Fortuna. How he'd given controlling it a few pathetic attempts before deciding to forget the whole thing, for the time being.
"I at least wanted to wait until you were walking around again," Eric finished, looking at Summer. "And then...there was never a time that felt right."
"Felt right?" Summer repeated skeptically.
"I mean, I don't know how this works, but I got electrokinesis after you were shot and almost died, and we weren't completely sure you were going to be okay," Eric said. "I was freaked out. Part of me was afraid it was my fault, somehow. Like I did something with my powers."
Summer was quiet for a moment before forcing a smile. "Who cares how it happened? I'm okay now. And we're lightning buddies!"
Eric managed a weak laugh. "Yeah, sure." His gaze darted down to his hands. "But we should probably try to figure out how it happened."
Sam piped up from the floor. "Maybe your real power is something like Wren's. You could have actually gotten your fire from Adam, somehow."
"Maybe. But I don't have to be close to them to use my abilities," Eric said. "And it seems to be permanent. But I guess it's plausible."
"Well, hey, I can help train you!" Summer said.
"It's not going to be easy," Eric warned with a grin. "I'm pretty awful at it."
"Hey, I didn't get good overnight. I've been practicing for as long as I can remember."
She had a point. Even when it came to his pyrokinesis, Eric had only been trying to control it for about a month. He couldn't hold himself to the same standard as Summer. Or Scorpion's altered.
Then again, Adam was pretty good. But Adam was good at everything he tried.
When they landed at Light Park, Summer hopped out to fly the other chopper back to the Fortuna, while Eric took over the controls in the new one. Sam managed to move up to a sitting position, but he still looked terrible. He kept his head buried in one hand, his skin had paled slightly, and his eyes stayed shut for the rest of the flight.
Eric called Charles' number once they reached the ocean to let him know not to freak out when two choppers appeared in the sky. When he asked where Eric and the others had been, his tone understandably concerned, Eric said they'd explain when they landed and hung up.
Charles and Beth were both on the deck when Eric and Summer brought the choppers down. No sign of Adam or Veronica. Adam probably wouldn't care much, since they'd succeeded, but Veronica was sure to lecture them when she found out what they'd done.
Eric turned off the chopper and stepped out of the cockpit. Sam was still sitting on the floor.
"Are you gonna be okay?" Eric asked.
Sam nodded and pushed himself up. "I'm going to lay down for a few hours, but I can make it to my room."
They stepped out of their chopper as Summer landed hers. Charles and Beth watched from where they stood by the door, and after a moment's hesitation, Eric moved toward them. Sam followed.
Altered nearby turned their heads, clearly intrigued. A few dared to inch closer to listen to whatever the Newmans had to say.
"Do we even want to know where you three were?" Beth asked as Summer hurried over to join the group. Her tone was surprisingly light, though her apprehension was clear. She and Charles clearly had no idea what to expect in terms of an explanation.
"Getting Scorpion's location," Summer said. "So no, probably not."
"How on earth did you do that?" Charles asked.
"We..." Eric trailed off and glanced at Summer. Even Summer hesitated.
"Sam," Beth said, suddenly sounding concerned. "Are you okay?"
Sam nodded, then immediately winced. "I'm fine. It's just a headache."
The door behind the Newmans opened. "Why did two choppers just land—?" Veronica's eyes widened. "What happened?"
After a few moments of silence, Sam spoke up. "We found Scorpion's headquarters. And stole another chopper."
"How?"
Eric cleared his throat. "We lured Scorpion in, let them capture us, and escaped with the chopper as soon as we saw the building."
More silence. Eric resisted the urge to glance at the watching altered.
"That...could have ended very badly," Charles finally said.
"So could the rest of our missions," Summer said, her voice quieter than usual.
Eric lifted his chin. "We said we were going to whatever it takes to deal with Scorpion."
Veronica's gaze darted from Sam to Summer to Eric and back to Sam. "Okay, but whose idea was it to get kidnapped?"
"I think it was mine—" Eric started.
"We all contributed," Summer said quickly.
Veronica sighed. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. Nor am I surprised you didn't invite me."
Summer looked—surprised? Guilty? "We—"
"We didn't think you'd approve," Eric interjected. "Sorry."
Veronica glanced at the Newmans. "Well, it's not like you need my approval."
Charles frowned. "Technically you don't...need ours, either," he said. "We said we'd give you shelter and do our best to stop Scorpion for you. But maybe you could run your plans by us first, next time."
Beth sighed and nodded. "I suppose what's done is done," she said. "We should focus on the fact that you got their location and a chopper. Anything else we should know?"
Summer cleared her throat as she looked at Eric. "I don't have anything to add."
Right. May as well tell everyone now. "I guess I have something I should say," Eric said, holding up a hand. "I've sort of been hiding something. I didn't know how to deal with it or why it's even happening, but...I have electrokinesis now."
"Electrokinesis?" Veronica asked. Her gaze flickered to Summer. The Newmans briefly looked her way, too.
Most of the altered had moved closer now, not bothering to hide that they were watching. Eric sighed. If he'd just told everyone when he first realized he had it, it wouldn't feel like such a...spectacle.
He summoned lightning to the surface and let it dance across his skin for a moment. "I'm not very good at it," he admitted. "But I guess Summer can help me, now that she's doing better."
"This is...certainly a interesting development," Charles said. "Would you mind if we took a blood sample, Eric?"
It was the least he could do, after all this. "No, not at all! Right now?"
"How about after dinner? I have some things I need to prep, first."
Eric nodded.
Veronica sighed and turned to Sam. Looking him over, she said, "You look like garbage."
"Thanks. I lifted an entire chopper," Sam replied. "Well, I stopped it from hitting the ground."
"Sam!" Veronica exclaimed.
"I have a terrible headache, so could you lecture me at a lower volume?" Sam managed a weak smile.
That seemed to soothe some of Veronica's anxiety. She rolled her eyes. "How about I get you some painkillers and wait a few minutes?"
"If you actually grabbed me some, you can yell at me as long as you want."
"I'm not going to yell at you." Veronica turned. "But I will grab you some painkillers and take them to your room for you."
"Thanks," Sam mumbled.
Veronica disappeared inside, the altered scattered, and the Newmans went to inspect the new chopper. After handing the keys off to them, Eric, Sam, and Summer headed to their rooms to get some rest. Well, Sam and Summer did. Eric spent about five minutes in his bed before realizing that despite his physical exhaustion, his mind was buzzing too much for him to lie still. He left his room and, after circling the halls for a few minutes, returned to the ship's main deck.
Charles and Beth were still next to the new chopper, but they'd brought out a team of technicians to look it over. A few ship crew members had already arrived with paint to cover up Scorpion's logo.
"Eric," Charles greeted him with a small wave. He stepped back from the chopper and walked toward him. "Did you need something?"
"Not really. I just wanted to walk around, I guess," Eric said. He slid his hands in his pockets. "Though, I was curious if you had any theories on why I have electrokinesis. I mean, I know I only just told you about it, but..." He trailed off.
Charles thought for a moment. "Well, given that the power you had growing up was pyrokinesis like your brother, and that Summer has electrokinesis, it's a fair guess that you're somehow taking in other altered's abilities," he said. "My bet is that it's based on DNA, allowing you to keep the ability permanently. But that still doesn't tell us anything about why you can do it. It's weird that it seems similar to Wren's when it may not be functioning the same way at all."
"You mean how Wren can control which power she has with her mind, but mine seems DNA based?" Eric asked. "Even though every other ability is...some kind of kinesis?"
"Exactly!"
Huh. Had Eric managed to say something vaguely smart?
"Now, I have a question for you," Charles said. "What do you think of the Scorpion kids? You've interacted with them quite a bit now."
"Oh, uh..." Eric's mind went to how determined Ash was to make him and the others join Scorpion. Wren's strange sense of pride in their headquarters. "They definitely seem very...devoted to Scorpion."
"I want to be able to save them from Scorpion," Charles said. "I know they've hurt people, but they are still kids. Like you."
Eric ignored his slight indignation at being called a kid. And on his seventeenth birthday, of all days. "Yeah, something's definitely up with whatever's keeping them at Scorpion," he said. "If there's a way to save them, I'm willing to try." It was a weird thought, but Charles had a point. And if things had gone differently, Eric or any of the others could have ended up in Scorpion's grasp.
"I just—" Charles sighed. "I don't know how you save someone who doesn't want to be saved."