CYBER // JOSIE
This was not in my bingo card for today. I mean, it probably should've been, knowing why we were going to Jaxon's game in the first place. But fuck, I was hoping for weird looking men dressed in black hoods coming to recruit him to be a villain.
The instinct came over immediately for Jaxon.
He ripped one of the barrier thingies out of the floor with a loud grunt before chucking it at the pair.
Law flipped away while Order dive rolled to the side. They narrowly avoided it.
I'm not going to lie, I think Jaxon and I were missing our nemesis.
Because the moment we met eyes, determination sank onto our faces. He put his helmet on, blocking his face, before raising his arm and pointing it at Order.
"Damn it, Jaxon," North said to nobody, barely audible before powering up her suit, helmet enveloping her face too. She turned to me. "Josie, you have to—" she starts, but just then a glare comes between us.
Jaxon's busy with Order while Law's got her light projections trained on us. I outrun it, splitting up from North until the three of us have the outside of the rink surrounded. Well, Jaxon's still on the ice.
I briefly watch Order and Jaxon fight for control as they both have telekinesis. But with Order's short-distance teleportation, he's able to dodge all of Jaxon's attacks.
When he least expects it, I send a shock of cyber chips his way. Jaxon's head whips to me, and all we do is nod, because I think we're both a little confused I defended him.
Standing up was a bad idea, because Law had to have seen me through the glass. The last thing I see before ducking is a stream of white light and then the glass above my head shatters. Shit, fuck, I can not be scratched up today! Not on this Saturday fucking evening!
It goes dark in the rink, and all sound dissipates. Nobody's here, I'm by myself, but I keep my breathing even anyway. That's when an inescapable blue light in the shape of a person comes from outside the rink. I almost pump my fist since North's drained the power. It leaves in a streak, so I'm sure she's just blasted it at Law, but then the lights come back on.
I realize a little too late how much that couldn't taken out of her. Instinctively, I avoid yelling her name, but it's Jaxon who yells out, "Suit!"
I'm the first one to run over to her, he can't anyway if the immediate, subsequent commotion with Order is anything to go off. Sadly it leaves me directly in Law's train of... well, light, and it hits me in my shoulder.
I almost— almost let out a wail at the pain, but I will myself to shut up as I kneel beside North sprawled out on the bleachers.
"Damn backup generators," she says, causing me to squint in anger.
I grab her and lead her somewhere Law can't see us, but knowing that bitch's powers it'll give us only a few moments of peace. "Get up! We have to keep fighting!"
"No," she says quickly. My eyebrows immediately draw in, but then I search her for injury. Thankfully her metal suit hasn't been penetrated, only minor gray scratches wearing off the paint. "You don't have your suit. Or a mask or— look, we'll be fine, but they cannot see your face, okay? You have to go, Cyber."
My breath seethes through my teeth. "Are you serious? You think she didn't?"
"Just go, Cyber! We'll handle this. I always have my suit, right?"
I don't budge though. I can't see her face behind her helmet, but I'm sure she's pissed as hell with me for not listening.
"Look, want me to prove it to you?" She don't wait before rolling a few feet away. She quickly stands and sends a stream of electricity from a chest plate. "This could last a while. It makes no sense for you to have your identity revealed," she heaves between dropping back down to the ground and narrowly missing a stream of light blasting through the wooden part underneath the glass.
"Law's my fight," I tell her, softly from my perch on my hands, back to the board.
"Cyber, if you stay... they'll know who you are. Every super out there." My eyes widen in fear I clearly failed to hide. She moves closer to me, now just a few inches away. "Change. Go on your date. Because if you don't, your face will be plastered next to the name 'Cyber' until the day they take you in. Go, Cy."
My chest is heaving from the fight, and I search the shiny black plating where North's eyes should be. "Save a piece of her for me," I seethe.
~barely later-
I basically ran home, escaping the otherwise empty school, about to probably be destroyed from the inside out.
The car's here, but Lawmaker's nowhere, probably never having broken up with that police guy. Jepito wasn't here when I started packing and he still isn't. By the time I've got both mine and the Suit's things in our duffel bags, it's 7:54.
The thought that crosses my mind almost makes me pull my hair out. The most I can will myself to do is scream a loud "Fuck!" before throwing my phone down.
My cramped hands finally still as I pace back and forth, eyes wide, probably purple with electricity if the past has taught me anything.
Everything is dead silent as I clench my jaw, see the same two parts of my room every time I get to whichever end. The only indication I'm still alive is my heavy breathing.
Then it's the wind up from throwing my phone that comes back to haunt me. My trembling fingers lift and grab my shoulder. I suppress the hiss it almost draws, knowing my shoulder's been seared beneath my clothes which is why Suit told me to change.
I rip it off, easily since it's a short sleeve, but painful as hell.
Anger fills me as my fingers dance around the inflamed flesh. Law's accomplished worse without trying. But she never hits me somewhere that could kill me. I can't say the same about myself.
My eyes close as my head twists stiffly before I take off my shoes and pants. I pull up my mattress with my good arm and pull out my purple and blue suit before painfully dressing in it.
I'm on autopilot as I pull on a hoodie and baggy jeans before throwing on some good boots. I don't turn off a single light in the house before leaving and letting the door slam behind me. I immediately get to Lawmaker's SUV and unlock the door and start the car with a flicker of my eyes.
I've driven enough getaway cars to know how to get to where I'm going.
It's just a goodbye. I at least owe her this right? See her one last time before I risk everything to get back to that fight. It's been half an hour. We've fought on rooftops for longer.
~a bunch of run red lights later~
I asked for a table for two, but she gave me a booth big enough for four. I think I scared away the waitress, so she'll probably bring a menu when Amy arrives.
My leg bounces uncontrollably. I don't think I've ever been such a mix of emotions. Red hot with anger, beet red in nervousness. Both of them together and my frequency is flying off the chart.
It reminds me of what I'm wearing, and then I throw my head back because there is no way I'm seriously thinking about what Amy will think if she looks really nice and her date shows up like this. Fuck. I should just fill my glass of water with cyber chips and end it all.
The chimes sound above the door. It's busy anyway, so I don't get my hopes up. Nonetheless, I pick up on the countless devices in the restaurant, telling me it's 8:08.
And seriously, Cyber? You're mildly agitated that she's late? Fuck you, Cyber. No seriously—
A shadow comes over me and I look up. Not at brown hair but blonde hair. I squint in anger because she's just standing over the booth.
"Can I fucking help you with something? I'm waiting for someone."
She just smiles softly. Then she takes the seat, causing me to look around. I turn back, still fuming and putting up with it for some reason.
"Lori," she says, gesturing to herself. A black denim jacket, blue shirt underneath. She looks down shyly before tucking a lock behind her ear. I can't even imagine how disheveled I look right now, let alone my long curls, probably frizzy by now with everything. "How- how are you?" She asks, blue eyes squinting slightly.
"Doing a lot better once you leave," I bite immediately.
"Yeah. Understandable, I can tell I'm really intruding on your... obviously alone time. With much needed thought." She finishes, then the slightest chuckle and a passably shocked smile.
Then she stops, takes a minute to reach my eyes. I don't know how my death stare is so ineffective. I should jump over the table.
"My brother thinks I'm wrong, but... I don't know, I just think everyone's got... their own story. Like we're all-" my head twists at the voice.
The hair. The shiny blonde locks.
She can tell when it clicks for me, because her eyes snap open as mine fall lifeless onto hers.
Then it's the softest, calmest voice. The most sincere expression of concern. It comes out so easily. "How's your left shoulder?"
"Law," I seethe. I can tell from my voice I'm on the verge of tears, I haven't even felt them in my eyes yet.
"Lori," she stumbles to correct. Her nerves have disappeared. So the anxiety must just be apart of her personality or whatever.
My fingers that have been gripping the table suddenly surround with blue and purple swirls, and the swirls suddenly take the shape of shards, quadrilaterals.
"No," Law says, looking around. "Cyber, I swear, if you do anything that could hurt any of these people—"
"You'll what?" My eyes are stinging now, but I can't tell if they've started to gloss over yet. "Kill my teammates?"
She immediately looks down and shakes her head. Her hand stretches out, and I have the will to stab it with the utensils they gave me. Until her pink-tinted astral projections rise up.
I snap my mouth shut to avoid gasping. It works, but my jaw clenches painfully to help it.
It's the Suit, red hair and face exposed in the square cage. Justice is there too, in his hockey attire still. No helmet now.
I should torture her for answers now. Like I've heard Lawmaker do countless times. I've never seen how she does it, but I know what it's supposed to sound like.
"Where are they? Let her go." My breathing's so fast I'm surprised anything audible came out.
"My brother doesn't know I'm here." She swallows. "Thinks I came after you to take you in with your friends. I had a better idea." She looks around as if taking in the environment. "I'm really glad you chose this place, honestly, it's a great medium for us to have this talk."
She said the last part quickly, but I was close to cutting her off. "Just spit it out, Law."
She nods distractedly, eventually meeting my eyes. "I'll let them go. I will, but you have to do something hard first."
North and I are just now close again. And leaving them both like that... this is my fault. We had the upper hand at the rink. I could've just stayed. It was 3 against 2. I dropped the ball and now Suit and Justice are paying for it... "Anything," I answer.
"Turn in the Maddens," she says with a sigh, and then my eyes widen. I can't move as she goes on. "I promise not to hurt them. I get it, they're on the run from Onyx... Okay so you don't trust me? I can keep them away from Order, Cyber. But I know you know them, so it should be easier. It'll be like a safe haven—"
"The Maddens? You want— for Suit and Justice—"
"Truth always comes to light, Cy Cy," she says softly. "But they'll be fine. You know, the villain relief fund actually gained some traction. I was actually already on my way here after hearing about some club who had a fundraiser to raise money for it—"
Hartley was the least of my anger right now.
Amy. She's... she's a villain?
Ok, it's not that shocking it's just upsetting as fuck. I still feel paralyzed, but my mouth drops open. "How long?"
"What?"
"How long do I have to turn them in?"
"Three days," she says in slight confusion. "It's a win for everyone. Havoc and her—"
Who and?!
No okay no! She's not Havoc! Amy isn't...
I don't even see Law stand. It's the abruptness of it all. Her fist softly tapping the table, her walking away.
She stops, and my leg stops bouncing midair. Her hand falls softly on my shoulder, and my hand rockets over. I'm inches away from reaching her wrist to break it, when her pink astral projections float out her hand. My eyes widen at the sensation, the immediate healing as she retracts whatever radiation did this to me.
"It was, honestly, very good to see you again, Cy Cy."
And they my ultimatum haunts.
A/n:
Sorry this is the darkest few chapters lol. Even worse than team bonding days!