discussions for you
THE NEXT MORNING, ROME TAKES ME IN FOR QUESTIONING. We have to take a private jet to a secret island off the coast of Capital City. There, an agency dedicated to fighting superheroes will question me. Apparently, there's a sector dedicated to Grease - Rome's arch-nemesis - that is particularly interested in my story.
"The last time Grease made a public appearance was in our last fight - the one that blinded me for a few weeks," Rome explains on the plane. With his head on my shoulder, he plays with the button on my skirt. "Soon afterwards, he went completely silent. We have no clue. So his machine from last night is a monumental change."
"In a good way or bad way?"
"With supervillains, there is no good way."
Then, Rome pretends to fall asleep on my shoulder and I can't ask any more questions. Instead, I ponder his statement. Despite all my missions so far, I have never really fought against an actual supervillain. Fighting supervillains, on the other hand, Rome's whole job.
Gamma Ray meets up with us once we land. Together, we walk through the secret island. It looks like a ghost city. There are restaurants with outdoor seats, neighbors of pastel houses, and streets with parked cars. But it's all a façade to hide the location from supervillains. Nobody is outside and I don't spot a single person until we reach a mint-green mansion - an entire base dedicated to fighting Grease.
"Stop looking so excited," Rome tells me.
"I can't help it."
Gamma Ray opens the door for us. "Let the girl have her fun. She deserves it."
I nearly stop in my tracks once we step inside. Maybe I had expected something along the lines of what's in the movies. People on computers in dark rooms. Neon lights. A wall of screens that showcase the island. Instead, I enter a room similar to the foyer of the Abernathy mansion.
"Now look," Rome tsks, nudging me along. "She's disappointed."
"No, no," I shake my head. "I'm fine."
Then, we go into the basement.
Neon lights flash on as we enter. To the left, a series of holographic screens list off GPS locations and data in different languages. People in masks silently scroll through them, pausing every once in a while to highlight a point. At the front, a giant glass screen showcases all the people Grease has been associated with. Grease, himself, sits in the middle. And finally, to the far right, lies another staircase that goes even deeper.
"Now this is more like it," I say, making both Rome and Gamma Ray laugh.
They lead me to a boarding room downstairs. Apparently, it also serves a shelter for an attack in case a supervillain attacks me. There, several familiar faces greet me. Emergency and Crystalline come forward to shake my hand. The others offer me cool smiles.
"This shouldn't take too long," Emergency assures after we've all been seated. "We need you to recount everything that happened, starting from when you first notice Grease's machine following you."
"I didn't notice anything at first, but then his scent threw me off," I recall. Was it only yesterday that it attacked me? "He didn't smell human."
"Grease probably has no clue to the extent of your powers," Crystalline remarks. She twists an unlit cigarette in her hand, as if debating on whether to light or not. "For a shape shifter, you are remarkably advanced."
I continue the story of how I chased down the machine in a rainy alleyway, the way I saw it decay in the night, and finally Grease's symbol. The words come easy, considering the last time I recounted it was last night. In front of the world's most powerful superheroes. Like my mate.
On cue, Rome brushes his thumb along the back of my hand, hidden underneath the table. I do my best to keep my face straight. Since I woke this morning, I've been strangely aware of his presence - more so than usual. Like I have a special sensor tuned directly into him.
Once I finish, everybody's silent.
"So Grease has been progressing fast," Crystalline finally sighs. Sometime during the meeting, she lit her cigarette. "I suppose we can safely assume that he's part of the Surge."
"This is the second report of advanced Artificial Intelligence this year," Emergency continues as he stares at the ceiling. In the background, somebody coughs. "What was supposed to be a thing future has already become part of the present."
"This is the worst possible scenario."
"It's not like we weren't expecting it."
"Who was the first record of artificial intelligence?" I interrupt, slapping Rome's hand away as he attempts to tickle my side.
"Thirteen-year old orphan, " Emergency says, eyes still up. "He has the power to access and control any electronic database near him. Less of an AI and more of a cyborg. Anyways, I'm more concerned about the fact that Grease went after Winifred after all things."
"Villains go after mates all the time," Somebody points out. "Like Storm-Whisperer. His mate gets kidnapped every month."
"Yes, but Whisper's mate isn't a super."
"I know. I'm just saying - this could just be another way to get to Rome."
"But the machine didn't attack her, he just spied on her."
"Maybe the machine was programmed to spy on her location so that Grease could come later and kidnap her."
"Grease has always been careful to keep his personal and business lives separate," Rome speaks up for the first time in the entire meeting. People straighten up when he starts to talk, automatically tuning into the conversation again. "It wouldn't be his style to go after my mate like this. I think we should consider the fact that he sent his machine after Winifred for a reason completely unrelated to me."
"Like what?" Crystalline demands, snuffing her cigarette out.
"You should look into that," Rome stands up. "Grease wasn't expecting Winifred to catch on to him that fast, so we're one step ahead of him. I suggest you use the extra time wisely."
People nod solemnly. It's interesting to see how Rome's super and civilian personas differ - people seem to respect him a lot more when he's in charge.
Rome, Gamma Ray, and I leave after saying goodbye. They give me a brief tour of the mansion and we exit into the afternoon air. As soon as we step outside, the wind blasts into our faces.
"Can I eat lunch at your house?" Gamma Ray calls as we walk to the private et.
"We're not going home yet," Rome looks down at his shirt, sees that it's undone, and buttons it up again. I get a little annoyed at the fact that I noticed that. "We're off to Winifred's apartment to terrorize her neighbors. Would you like to join?"
"Hell yeah," Gamma Ray says. "I want to kick ass."
"We won't be terrorizing anybody," I tuck my hair behind my ears but it comes loose again. "Or kicking ass."
"I'm not planning on terrorizing all your neighbors" Rome says. "Just the one."
"Who? Mrs. Hill?" I demand. as we enter the bunker for the private plane. The wind dies down so all that's left is an audible silence and the prickling in my cheeks. "No way."
"You can't be serious, Winnie. She kicked you out of your apartment," Gamma Ray protests.
"In the middle of the night," Rome adds.
"After you were attacked by a supervillain."
"I'm not arguing that she's a bad person," I comb my hair with my fingers. There's several tangles in it from the wind. "But acts of petty violence won't do anything besides give us some mild satisfaction. We're noble superheroes, not pouty victims."
"Rome's not noble," Gamma Ray says as the exact same time Rome says, "Ray's a sidekick."
"Maybe, you're both pouty," I mutter under my breath.
Neither of them hear me.
I sit in an uncomfortable silence on the car ride to my apartment. Maybe I shouldn't have let it go so easily earlier. I have a lot of cherished memories there and I still have to find a new place to live. At the same time, I can't imagine living there anymore.
The skyline of Capital City emerges. With the sun sitting high in a cloudless silver sky, all I see are the outlines of the buildings. Details appear as we creep closer. Billboards with weight-loss advertisements and plasma screens with movie previews. Boutiques with headless mannequins in the store windows. Restaurants with rooftop sitting areas.
And so many people. Women with six inch heels laugh as they exit a high-end fashions store, carrying tiny bags with large price tags. A tiny orchestra plays in the corner of the street. The hot dog vendor has a line around the corner. After the island we just left, it's a relief.
I spot Wasteland on our way to the underground. One of the letters of the neon sign is broken. I wonder if Elliot and Nick are in there right now.
Then, we pass Rome's penthouse. The skyscraper is so tall that I can't see the top from my window. A second later, we drop into the underground. The white sunlight and bustling traffic rapidly fade away to dark streets.
"Do you think I should take my mask off?" Gamma Ray asks. I glance over my shoulder to seem him pick at it. "Since it'll draw less attention."
"Yes," Both Rome and I say at the same time. Rome raises his eyebrow at me.
I turn around fully in my seat. "I've never seen you without your mask, Ray."
"Don't sound so eager," Rome says, a slight smirk across his lips. "You're going to make him self-conscious."
"I have nothing to be self-conscious about," Gamma Ray says coolly. He lifts his fingers to his mask and lifts it off.
Instantly, his appearance changes. Gamma Ray's hair, usually thick curls cropped to his head, loosen into waves that drop to his shoulders. His face softens near the edges, giving him rounder cheeks and a full mouth. Even his body changes, becoming shorter and more lanky. The only thing that doesn't change is his eerie grey eyes, a ring of electric white pulsing around the iris.
"Wow," I sigh, putting my chin on the seat. "You're beautiful."
"Like a Grecian god," Rome says in the same tone as me. I punch him on the shoulder.
Gamma Ray grins, a dimple showing up. "You should call me Lucas now. It's my civilian name."
"Lucas," I repeat and turn back into my seat. Rome doesn't look the least bit interested in Gamma Ray - Lucas's - appearance. I suppose the two of them have seen each other multiple times without their masks. One day, I'll have to ask how Rome got his sidekick. I think I would like to have a sidekick. It would be more fun.
Rome parks in front of my apartment. In what's become a habit, I glance at the alleyway to check on my cats. An empty concrete corner greets me. Right. I had to give them all away. Though I know they're in better homes, my stomach twists unpleasantly.
"Is somebody in your room?" Gamma Ray - Lucas - demands.
Rome shuts off the engine. I step outside and look up. Sure enough, there are two hazy silhouettes moving in the window of my apartment.
"Sometimes," I explain, my mouth dry. "When a resident leaves and their stuff is still left behind, a couple of other people take it for themselves."
"It hasn't even been twenty-four hours," Rome snaps, shutting the door so loudly that I jump.
Rome enters the apartment, sending both doors flying back with his powers. One of the doors makes a snapping sound so I check on it to make sure it didn't break. When it looks fine, I go over to Rome. With Rome's long strides, Lucas and I have to jog to catch up.
When we reach our floor, the first thing we see is two men hauling my couch out of my apartment.
"Hey!" I protest, but Rome beats me to it.
Using his powers, he slams the couch down. It hits the floor with a thud that makes the floor shake. The men glance at each other in befuddlement, then attempt to pick it up. Rome slams it down again. One of my neighbors looks out of their doorway, spots us, and quickly shuts the door again.
The men notice Rome stalking down the hallway. Both of them back away from the couch at once.
"We, like, don't want any trouble, Mr. Abernathy, sir - " The one left stutters. He puts his hands up in the air like he's surrendering. "- just doing our job - sir --"
"That's my couch," I pull myself ahead of Rome. "What exactly was your job?"
Both of them starting speaking at once.
"We thought it was for the other lady -"
"She paid us, we had no idea it didn't belong to her -"
" - she had a key and everything -"
" - wanted the money -"
"Who paid you?" Rome asks, though I have a feeling we all know.
"She didn't say."
"She paid us fifty bucks each if we got it down by the hour."
"Damn," Lucas whispers behind me.
"What apartment were you supposed to deliver this to?" I ask.
The rug under our feet starts to vibrate and the coach starts to lift off the floor. I put one hand on Rome's arm. He doesn't notice my touch, but the couch settles back on the floor and the rug fall still once more.
"The one at the end of the hallway," The one of the left says, looking more relaxed now that he realizes he's not in trouble. But the one on the right takes turns between gawking at me and Rome. "On the top floor, the one with the fancy doorknob - you know?"
"Yeah," I give Rome a meaningful look. "I know."
"Keep the money and leave," Rome says, lifting the couch. They gawk at it as it leisurely drifts back into my apartment. "And don't take stuff from apartments you don't know."
"Yes sir," They chorus and run off.
As they turn the corner, I hear one of them whisper to the other. "Dude did we just steal from Winifred Hart's apartment?"
"I thought Rome was going to bust our skulls open."
"We should have asked for a picture."
"Dude, we just stole from them. Like they're going to sign a picture..."
Their voices fade from my hearing. I almost smile, but then I hear Lucas suck in a breath as he enters my room. That can't be anything good. Dreading what I'm about to see, I enter the room.
My apartment is completely trashed. The bed has been stripped - the mattress, blankets and pillows all gone. In the kitchen, most of my cabinets have been throw open. Besides a plastic straw and some packets of sauce, the shelves have been emptied. Some of this dishes have fallen on the floor and a couple have even shattered. I open one of my drawers. All of the silverware is gone. I open my fridge. All of my groceries are gone.
They took my TV and the stations that came long with it. My tapestry on the wall is still there, but there's a slight - burn? - mark on the hem, and my rug is tied up. They were probably attempting to take that out next. And -
"Oh no," I cry. "They took the cat!"
"Honey?" Rome sticks his head out from my bathroom. "I thought we left her at the penthouse."
"No, not Honey," Knees weak, I perch on the back of my couch. "The statue! The one you gave to me from before - you know, the priceless heirloom from your great grandfather that cost three million dollars -"
"Three million dollars?" Lucas repeats.
"Yes, I recall it now," Rome's face softens a bit. "The one whose paw you broke."
"You broke it?" Lucas repeats, louder.
"I can't believe this," I flop back on the coach, upside down, so that the tips of my hair brushes on the cushion. "Besides Honey and me, that was the most treasured thing in my apartment -"
"That's funny," Rome sits next to me. "All three things are cats."
"Why do you think she would do this?" Lucas sits, on the other side.
"Maybe... she..." I look at them upside down, the blood rushing to my head. I'm getting dizzy. "I don't know."
"To sell it?" Lucas suggests.
"Nobody knows I have the cat statue. And even if they did, how would they know how much it was worth?"
"Maybe this was just revenge?"
"Seems like an odd revenge," I say. "She didn't even know I was coming back here."
"You two are children," Rome pulls me down. I gasp as I tumble into his lap and the world rights itself. "We won't get anywhere by guessing. Let's go and find out exactly why she stole all of your things. And maybe terrorize her."
"We're not terrorizing her."
"You can watch."
WORLD FACT: The Surge is the name for phenomena of a rise of incredibly powerful supers. Both Winifred and Rome are part of the surge.
next chapter, Rome, Winnie and Lucas confront Mrs. Hill. what shall happen?? also I'm lowkey afraid to describe the weather because I don't remember what time of the year it is in the book.
glad to be back. thanks for reading!!