Emmett and Clara got cots and slept at the shelter that night.
Dr. Venture took some convincing, but eventually relented. Emmett, Clara, and Max were due to patrol in the morning. Their super suit and exosuit were in the heavy drone, which stayed cloaked just down the block. But to be extra safe, they got cots on the edge of the room by an emergency exit. If the worst happened, and Clara had a meltdown in the middle of the night, Emmett could rush her out the door and down the block.
Max, Cherry, Larian, and Krystal came back shortly after lights out. They exchanged quick greetings and the girls insisted on hugs, then they all went their separate ways to crash.
"We'll catch up tomorrow," Max said, shuffling off to his own cot.
Emmett and Clara laid down on their cots, facing each other. Emmett wasn't sure how well she could see him in the gloom, but he could see her smiling at him. The kind of smile that made his heart skip a beat.
"What are you smiling for?"
"It's the first time we're spending the night together..." Someone started snoring a few rows away, and Clara quickly added, "Not alone. But it's kind of like a sleepover."
Emmett smirked back. "Yeah... Good end to a hell of a week."
~
Monday was the start of a new week.
That morning, Mod and Clara went to the heavy drone and suited up. TINA had loaded a spare fusion rifle for him since his original was still unaccounted for. McGuire met them there a few minutes later.
He trudged up the drone ramp and sloughed off his backpack. Then he slumped down on the bench. The drone door closed behind him. The group regarded each other while the drone rumbled into flight.
"Are you alright?" Mod asked. "You look like shit."
McGuire scoffed. "Thanks! ...I feel like shit. We haven't had a day off in a week! I want to talk to OSHA."
Mod replied, "We're in the middle of a war... Extenuating circumstances."
Clara mumbled, "I don't think OSHA handles that."
"You know what I mean." McGuire sighed. "Look, you can fly, and you're half robot. Do you even get tired anymore?"
Mod suppressed a grin. "Not very often."
"Exactly my point. How are us normal people supposed to keep up with machines? Pretty soon, the robots are going to take our jobs."
Even though Clara's eyes were hidden behind her exosuit helmet, Mod could tell that she rolled her eyes.
Mod asked, "Don't you have spring boots and a grappling hook?"
McGuire laid all the way down on the bench in defeat. "Wake me up when we're at our block."
A few seconds later, the heavy drone set down on a roof, and TINA's voice came through the speakers.
"Wake up, McGuire. We're here."
~
Mod, Arsenal, and McGuire scouted the rooftops, moving south and then starting a wide loop through the flooded half of Belport. Arsenal circled overhead, while Mod and McGuire hopped and swung from rooftop to rooftop.
"You sure you don't want me to carry you?"
McGuire landed and rolled to a stop on the roof. Each time he rolled, he had to roll sideways to accommodate his giant backpack. The process had only grown more ridiculous the more tired he got.
He stood, panting through his thick mask. "I... would rather... die."
Clara's voice came through their earpieces. "That's harsh. Didn't you guys cuddle when you were roomies?"
"Hah!" McGuire scoffed, but didn't retort, because he was breathing too hard.
Mod said, "Why don't we take a breather?"
McGuire slumped onto his back, half-propped up against his backpack. "Yes... Let's..."
The water hadn't receded from the city, but at least it hadn't gotten worse. Despite the sun overhead, the water was nothing but dark waves today. Both Venture and TINA were monitoring worldwide sea levels and the flooding was holding constant.
Mod still couldn't shake the feeling of seeing things beneath the waves or moving behind windows.
He did mention it once to Arsenal that morning. She hovered close to him, scanning the same building he was looking at.
"Nothing... You know, it could be related to those dreams you keep having."
Mod sighed. "Yeah. TINA warned me that I could have some weird side effects from the cybernetics... and now my brain."
McGuire added, "You know, I'm surprised TINA hasn't made another quip about something being a metaphor for your life. She sure has a weird sense of humor."
"Thank you, McGuire."
McGuire stiffened and then chuckled awkwardly. "See what I mean."
They dropped the subject and Emmett tried to ignore the uneasy feeling of being watched. He'd come to expect surveillance from TINA, but that didn't help his paranoia about the Deep Ones—whether he was seeing things or not.
Arsenal set down on the roof beside them, but stayed inside her exosuit. Both she and Mod looked out over the flooded city while McGuire caught his breath.
Mod almost reached for her hand. It was strange how quickly that had become second nature.
But Clara was wearing her exosuit, and they didn't need any other supers knowing that they were together. Things like that could be used against them.
McGuire stood up and joined them. "That's it. I'm making a hoverboard. Tonight."
"Better make sure it's waterproof," Arsenal replied.
McGuire jested, "Speak for yourself."
When the group's laughter had died down, McGuire asked, "...So, how's your brother holding up? He looked pretty rough."
"I think he'll be okay. We had a good talk on the roof. It'll just take time, you know? It took me a while to get used to all this."
McGuire patted him on the back. "I don't think we ever get used to it, but I know what you mean."
TINA's voice came through their earpieces. "You have two capes incoming from the East. Serenity and Golden Boy."
The three heroes turned. Golden Boy was carrying Serenity—his arm under her shoulders. A few seconds later, the pair set down on the roof. Serenity's crystalline blue suit glinting in both the sun and the light from her partner. Once Golden Boy stopped flying, his light faded.
Without his glow, the cape looked battle-worn, like he'd just recently come back from fighting. His golden suit was speckled with old blood stains and he tried smoothing back his hair.
Serenity nodded to them. "Mod, Arsenal, McGuire, glad to see all of you. Mod, glad to see you back in action after your injury."
Mod replied, "Glad to be back."
Golden Boy regarded the three of them closely—glancing at McGuire and lingering on both Mod and Arsenal.
Mod was glad he was wearing a mask.
Golden Boy was a newer recruit to the Summit of Heroes. New enough that neither Mod's nor TINA's databases had much info on him. He had a similar powerset to Paragon—flight, and Class 4 levels of strength, invulnerability, and speed. He was known as a rule follower and staunch support of the Summit and cape registration, hench his moniker.
Was Golden Boy appraising them? His eyes were narrowed, his brow creased.
Did he think they were a threat? Maybe he'd heard about what had happened with Hunter Nine... Golden Boy's glare was intense. Mod almost felt like he could feel the strength of a Class 4 super pressing down on him.
The moment seemed to stretch on, until Mod felt a lurch—not physically, but mentally.
"I heard about the monstrosity you took down," Golden Boy said, as if he hadn't noticed anything. "That's impressive for Class three capes, even if you did take out the surrounding block to do it."
Mod almost corrected him. He wasn't sure what rating he and Arsenal were anymore, but he didn't think they were Class 3 yet.
"Thank you," Mod replied, trying to keep his voice flat. "We'll be more efficient next time."
Golden Boy cracked a small smile and glanced at Serenity. "I can see why you're keeping an eye on them."
Serenity said, "That was also good work rescuing the hostages. ...How exactly did you find them?"
Mod stiffened and he felt Arsenal glance at him. They'd only known about the hostages going missing because Antony was with them, and they'd only been able to track them down because TINA had hacked the cellphone network.
Finally, Mod said, "I knew one of the hostages. That's how I knew they went missing and their last known location. Drones helped us search the area."
Serenity nodded slowly. She knew Mod's identity, and likely knew that his brother was one of them. Mod hoped that was enough.
"Good work," she replied. She turned to Golden Boy. "We're done here."
Golden Boy nodded. Then the pair turned to go.
Instead, Arsenal asked, "What's the Summit going to do with them?"
Serenity turned back to them. "Angel Eye, Windvane, and Lau Keishos are villains... They can go to the Vault for all I care."
"What about Shifter and Oakenheart?" Mod asked.
Serenity paused before answering. "Shifter and Oakenheart are being debriefed and are on probation—"
Arsenal asked, "They're still working for the Summit after that?"
Golden Boy said sternly, "That's what leadership thought was best. We need all the help we can get right now, even if it means working with masks that we need to keep an eye on."
Mod's earlier worries reemerged. He no longer wondered why Serenity had brought the Class 4 cape with her.
The Summit was sending a message.
Golden Boy flew off, taking Serenity with him and sending a gust of wind across the roof.
"It was nice meeting you!" McGuire called. He chuckled uneasily. "Man, I really have to step my game up. Class three already... What the hell, you guys?"
Mod made a noncommittal sound. He was too busy watching Golden Boy and Serenity fly away.
~ ~ ~