That Saturday, McGuire had a surprise for them.
Of course, in true McGuire-fashion, he made both Mod and Arsenal wait for the reveal.
Mod and McGuire traversed the rooftops of flooded Eastside while Arsenal flew impatiently after them.
"Come on, we already know what it is!" she called.
McGuire bounded high across a gap with his spring-boots. "Almost there..."
They finally stopped on the roof of a familiar parking garage. McGuire stepped to the edge of the roof and peered over the short wall.
Mod and Arsenal shared a concerned glance. She asked, "He's not gonna... Is he?"
Mod raised his hand to say something, but McGuire suddenly turned.
"I bet you're all wondering why I called you here today..."
He slung his backpack off his shoulder, reached inside, and pulled out a modified snowboard. It almost looked like it had five sets of wheels spaced out along its length, but instead of wheels there were coils of wire and batteries. Stenciled in between where the words EAT MY WAKE in massive letters.
It was McGuire's new hoverboard, in all its crazed glory.
And there was no way it should've fit inside McGuire's backpack.
The gadgeteer stood proudly with the board, expression unreadable behind his mask. "What do you think?"
Mod had seen enough of McGuire's inventions to know that as weird and outrageous as some of them looked, he'd never underestimate any of them.
Arsenal landed beside them with a thud. "Let's see it!"
McGuire whirled around and leapt onto the short wall. He glanced between his new hoverboard and the churning water below.
"...You have tested it, right?" Mod asked.
McGuire hopped back onto the roof. "You know, I should probably do that."
He let go of the hoverboard and it fell over with a thunk.
Before Mod or Arsenal could say anything, McGuire hopped onto it. The hoverboard rose up and caught McGuire—the movement looking as fluid as if he was psychically controlling the board. McGuire wobbled slightly, but after a moment, he was steady and hovering a few inches off the roof.
McGuire eased it forward and began a slow lap around the roof.
Both Mod and Arsenal watched, spellbound. The hoverboard hummed quietly as it built up speed.
Mod asked, "You sure you haven't tried it before this?"
McGuire scoffed. "And where would I have done that, in the shelter?"
Arsenal said, "You're making that look way too easy! Do you have any idea how long it took me to get the hang of my exosuit?"
"What can I say! I'm a natural."
Mod asked, "How are you controlling it?"
"A little with my feet. A little concen—woah!" McGuire's feet slid out from under him. The hoverboard kept going, but McGuire spilled out to the side.
Mod felt like he saw the moment in slow motion. He extended his whip and was able to catch McGuire enough to keep him from landing hard on the roof.
McGuire stood and brushed himself off. "Good catch. Thanks, man."
~
Mod and Arsenal spent the rest of their break keeping close to McGuire as he scooted around the parking garage on his new hoverboard.
Somehow, McGuire was both controlling it with his feet like a normal snowboard or skateboard, but also using his concentration. He thought about speeding up or slowing down, and the board followed his commands. So far, he couldn't outright fly with the board—he was limited to a max height of a foot off of the ground.
Mod pointed out again how much that sounded like McGuire was using telekinesis, but the gadgeteer pretended not to hear him.
McGuire zipped by, riding the wall of the parking garage.
"Alright, I'm ready to go out on the water."
~
McGuire's hoverboard worked just as well on the water as it did on dry cement. The gadgeteer zipped along through the flooded streets of Eastside, waves lapping at his boots. Thankfully, the saltwater didn't seem to bother the hoverboard at all.
All the while, Mod and Arsenal stayed close by. Between McGuire's untested gadget, and the thought of Deep Ones lurking beneath the waves, no one was willing to let McGuire go far.
Even with the new visual filters, Mod was skittish as the patrolled. They'd never stuck so close to the water before, and TINA had warned that even with the new filters, Mod would only be able to see a few feet down into the water.
Slowly, McGuire got more bold with his hoverboarding, and Mod and Arsenal began to relax. Mod even pulled a few flips as he swung through the air.
It wasn't lost on him how strange it felt to have fun while the world hung in the balance.
Suddenly, TINA's voice came through their earpieces. "Lau Keishos and Angel Eye are to the East and are on a path to intercept you. They do not appear to be hostile."
The group quickly sought high ground atop a warehouse. Mod and Arsenal stooped down on the roof. McGuire landed nearby and Mod pulled him into a crouch. The gadgeteer nearly fell on his ass and the hoverboard stopped a few feet away.
"Woah—she said they aren't hostile."
Mod replied, "They're supposed to be in custody."
Arsenal pointed out the two mercenaries across the rooftops. A moment later, one of the heavy drones moved close to the pair and decloaked.
Both Lau Keishos and Angel Eye skidded to a halt and raised their hands. They looked at the building sized drone with a mix of surprise and fear.
TINA broadcast the exchange for Mod's group to hear.
"State your business."
Lau Keishos pointed sheepishly at Angel Eye. The sniper held out a familiar weapon. "I'm just returning something that belongs to Mod."
To his credit, Angel's voice only shook a little.
"Proceed carefully."
The pair continued across the rooftops toward Mod and the others. Lau used spells to help them cross the gaps, and Angel kept the rifle out to the side. Angel didn't appear to have any other weapons on him. Though, the sniper still had his high-tech monocle.
Finally, they hopped over to the roof near Mod, Arsenal, and McGuire. Arsenal kept a gauntlet trained on each of them. McGuire had his slingshot raised. Meanwhile, Mod waited—ready to leap forward in case Angel Eye decided to raise the rifle.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Mod asked.
Angel Eye took a tentative step forward and offered the rifle to Mod. "Just returning this."
"You should be locked up. Both of you."
Lau Keishos shrugged and pointed to an amulet dangling from his neck. It was thick metal and curled in a single ornate rune. Mod didn't recognize it.
Lau said, "Think of it as a magical ankle bracelet. We're just out here to give your rifle back."
Mod stepped forward and grabbed the rifle from Angel Eye's outstretched arm. He opened it up, checking for the fusion cell and any superficial tampering.
Angel Eye stepped back slowly. "It's all there. Promise. It's nice, but it's not really my style."
Mod slung the rifle over his shoulder. It looked fine at a glance, but TINA would need to check it over later. She had safeguards built in that would reveal if the rifle was tampered with.
Mod turned his attention back to the villains. "Where's Windvane?"
Lau replied, "The Summit didn't think she was necessary. I'm only here because Angel Eye is out of shape and wouldn't have been able to catch you." Angel rolled his eyes.
McGuire relaxed his slingshot and chuckled. "I know the feeling."
Mod glanced around, looking for anyone else on the rooftops or in the sky. Despite how candid Lau and Angel were being, the situation didn't feel right.
Frankly, he was insulted. The longer Mod stared at the two villains, the more irritated he grew.
"Why did Summit let you out? Any cape could've brought this to me."
Lau and Angel shared an awkward glance.
Angel Eye tapped his monocle. "My boss wanted to put eyes on you."
Mod stiffened. "They didn't see enough when you guys kidnapped my brother?"
"It wasn't personal—"
"Doesn't feel that way right now," Arsenal quipped.
Mod asked, "Who is your boss, and what do they want?"
Angel Eye replied flatly. "You'll find out soon enough."
Mod clenched a fist. "Look, I'm about done with your threats—"
Angel Eye held up his hands. "No threats. No tricks. My boss is talking to your boss right now. I was just told to give your rifle back. Then we're both going back to lockup."
Arsenal shifted, but didn't lower her gauntlets. "TINA, is everything alright at the lab?"
"Yes. Everything is fine."
Angel Eye said, "I'm sure your boss will fill you in later. But we'll leave you to it. Look... I hope we're on the same side next time."
The group watched the villains retreat across the rooftops.
Finally, McGuire asked, "Did that sound ominous to you guys, too?"
Mod didn't reply. He was too busy focusing on what TINA had said.
~ ~ ~