Daddy's Girl: Cape High Book Five (4 page)

"Um... fourteen?  Almost," she admits, turning bright red.

"And your powers?" I ask, seeing where this was going.

"I uh... I'm going to get them!  I'm already starting!" she says, sticking her chin up stubbornly.  "I am!"

"So... the only thing you know about supers in the future is what you see on TV," I sum up.

"My parents tell me things!  Sometimes," she admits, looking down.  "They're both really busy, okay?"

"Yeah?  Who are they?"

"I'm absolutely not telling," she says as she storms off.

Yeah, I still don't like her.

I hide in my room as soon as I get back to the dorm, thankful that Noelle seems to have found somewhere else to go. I don't start to relax until I hear the door downstairs open and people saying goodbye.  They're gone.  I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that this isn't the end of it, but still glad that for now they're not pressing the issue.  I sit up, tugging my knees to my chest and staring forward blankly.

They know.  The Hall will know soon enough, even if Jack doesn't tell who my dad is.  It's pretty obvious, since I let it slip that he's in the Cape Cells.  I can only figure that Mimic's the only one that has the same type powers as I do.

I wish I didn't know.  I wish Mom had managed to raise me after she ran, that she'd never gone back and dumped me on Dad.

"Morgan?"

I keep staring blindly at the wall, hoping that if I don't reply Banshee will give up.  I'm not that lucky.  The door opens and she steps in, crossing over and holding out a cell phone.  "Nico wants to talk to you," she says quietly.

I look at the phone, wondering if it will bite me.  Reluctantly I reach out and take it.  "Hello?" I say.

"Hey," he says.  "How would you like to get out for a while?"

I speak without thinking.  "PLEASE."

"Grab a jacket and a hat, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Wait.  "Nico, is this about--"

"Your dad?" he finishes.  "Nope, not at all.  I figured I'd just spring you from the joint for a little while.  Now get ready or I'll take whoever shows up first."

I grab my jacket and toss Banshee the phone, racing out the door.  I go up the steps to the exit of the canyon as fast as I can, but he's already waiting there by the time I get to the top.  "You're good to exit," he tells me.  I nod and press my hand to the screen of the panel that comes up, stepping on the glowing footprints that lead me through the
force field and out into the real world.  I stop there, taking a deep, deep breath and looking around.

"The air smells different," I announce, looking up at the overcast sky.  "Is it going to snow?"

"Probably," Nico says.  Here's the thing, in case you're wondering, I don't know Nico all that well.  Sure he's the principal of Cape High, and I've heard that he's the one that found out about the zoo and sent the Hall to rescue us, but I've never actually spent time with just him before.  It's a little nerve wracking, now that I think about it, but he's already walking away from the canyon, so I give up worrying about it and chase after him.

He stops at the apartment and suddenly I'm worrying that he'll make me go inside, but he turns and heads for a beat up looking car.  "Hop in," he says as he heads for the driver side.

"Where are we going?" I ask as I get in, pulling on my seatbelt out of habit.  He doesn't bother to put his on. 

"The Hall."

I unbuckle my seatbelt, planning on getting out again, but he looks at me.  "If you don't go with me, you'll wind up talking with Mastermental on your own," he says plainly.  "Do you really want to do that?"

I look at him for a long moment, picturing a meeting with Mastermental without anyone else there.  What would the head of the Hall do to the daughter of Mimic?  He's a telepath, right?  All sorts of freaky mind powers--he could wipe my memories or-- "I don't need to talk to him," I say.

"You do," Nico says.  "Because otherwise I won't be able to get you in to see your old man."

I stare at him, shocked at the very idea.  "They--I don't--" I stutter.

"I know your father," he says.  "I should have noticed it earlier.  I might not be able to get permission for this, but I want to try."

"Did--Did Jack tell you?" I ask a bit numbly.

"No, and Ken didn't either.  I just noticed him looking up inmates."

"What, you watched over his shoulder or something?" I demand.

"I don't need to," Nico says, putting the car into reverse and pulling out of the parking spot.  "I'm a technopath."  He starts driving and I buckle up again, watching out the window as I try not to worry about what's about to happen.  A part of me says I should stop him, tell him I want nothing to do with my dad.  The other says it's been six very long years since I've seen a family member.

"I don't... know if I want to," I say quietly.  "I mean, a part of me does, but he's--he's a--"

"Shawn is--" he interrupts, "well... he's a really powerful cape.  And the more powerful a cape is, the less... predictable they are.  It doesn't change the fact that he needs to see you're okay."  He pulls to a stop next to an old fashioned trashcan, rolling down his window with a crank and digging out his wallet to pull out a card.  He flips open a panel and slides the card in, then presses a button.  "Technico and guest."

"Declare your guest, please."

"Morgan, a student from Cape High."

A light flashes over the car and I blink, wondering if we were just scanned.  The wall of the building next to us slides open like a door and Nico turns into it.  It's a parking lot, one full of various models of cars all in the same pristine shape and black color.  It really makes this ugly car he's driving stand out, doesn't it?

"Boring, isn't it?" he asks, parking in a spot near the building entrance and getting out.  I have to fight with my seatbelt for a bit before I jump out of the car and practically run to catch up with him.  "Try and keep up," he adds as the doors slide open.  I blink at the sight of Mega standing on the other side, fully dressed in uniform and glowering at Nico with his arms crossed over his chest. 

"Nico, we need to talk," Mega says.

"Not now.  Do you know where Double M is?"

"The word is out, the public wants answers.  You've got every television station in the nation calling us up to try and get interviews--you really shouldn't have wrecked that camera--"

"It was their own fault for following me around," Nico says.

"AFTER talking to them," Mega goes on, completely ignoring Nico's comment.  "You should have taken it out first thing if you're going to take it out!  Now we've got salvaged video of you flashing your badge--everyone online has looked up your past!  They want to know what turned you good."

"Have Double M tell them later," Nico says, heading past Mega and into the building.  "Morgan, you coming?"

I look at Mega then duck around him to follow Nico inside.  I can't help but glance back at him, though, seeing an irritated expression on his face.  "He doesn't like you much, does he?" I ask quietly as I practically jog to keep up with him.

"He'll like me even less when he finds out what we want," Nico says.  "Mega and I will never see eye to eye."

"Maybe we shouldn't do it," I say, stopping.  "I mean, if Mega doesn't like it, I bet a lot of the other heroes won't like it, and--"

"What do they matter?" Nico asks me.  "I never even knew I had kids until I got out of there, but had I known... well, let's just say some things are more important than getting a dirty look from a cape."  He pulls to a stop at a door, staring at it for a moment before moving on.

"Wasn't that where Mastermental is?" I ask.

"No."  He keeps walking, not looking back at the door and not answering further.  I keep glancing back, then stare in shock as the door opens and a man looks out.  He looks exactly like Nico!

"Nico--it's--" I say, grabbing his hand.  The door behind us closes again and I turn.  The man is gone.

"Forget about it," Nico says.

"How can I forget about it?  That guy looked like your twin brother--"

"You can forget about it by not bringing it up," Nico says dryly.  He reaches an elevator and waits impatiently for the doors to open, looking around with a thoughtful expression on his face.  An alarm goes off.  I jerk and put my fingers in my ears even as a ton of norms dressed in black uniforms start to surround us.

"Technico, we have to ask you to stop," a man in the group says.  "It's nothing personal, of course, but Mastermental says that you keep messing up the files."

"I'm just standing here," Nico says with patent innocence.  "Haven't touched a thing."  He even holds up his hands, as if that's a reassuring comment.  My mind goes straight back to his comment about not standing over Ken (who I assume is America's Son) as he looked up my dad.  I look at him. 

"Okay, okay," he says.  The alarm stops.  Every single norm in the group looks at him as if they KNOW he was the one that turned it off.  "I'm a bit surprised," he admits.  "You actually found someone good enough to catch me.  Once."

"We would appreciate the courtesy of you asking first," the man says with a sigh.  He looks like this has happened several times before, and it's still irritating.

"I was just locating Double M," Nico says with a shrug.  "Nothing serious."  The elevator door opens and he steps back into it, grabbing my shirt and pulling me in with him.  "Have a nice day," he adds as the door slams shut.

I look away, covering my mouth with a hand because laughing at him will totally encourage him--which I never thought I'd say about an adult.  When he starts whistling along with the terrible elevator music, though, I lose it.  I can't believe I'm actually laughing in such a serious situation, but I can't help it.  He's outrageous!  "You just--" I splutter, "you just lifted your hands and--the looks on their faces--"

"This music is terrible, don't you think?" Nico asks, looking around again.  "Let's see..." he shoves his hands into his pockets and looks up with a thoughtful expression.  The music changes.  All of a sudden some old rock band is singing about "Love in an Elevator."  "There we go," he says.

I shake my head.  "That's almost as bad," I complain.  "It's ancient!"

"It's classic," he says.  "Okay, fine, what would you play?"

"I don't know, just not a Justin song," I say.  I instantly groan as "Lover, Lover" starts playing.  "I said NOT a Justin song!" I complain as the door opens.

"It's a remake, so technically it's not one!" he says as we step off the elevator and into a massive hall.  The seriousness of the situation hits me again and I fall silent, trying to hide behind Nico as he starts down the hall.  "Come on," he says.  "The brave, fearless leader of the zoo kids shouldn't be hiding behind an adult."

"When the adult is powerful enough to hack the Hall's security just to change the elevator music, she darn well does," I reply in a mutter.  "I want to take a different elevator down," I add as we reach the massive door at the end of the hall.

Nico knocks twice before opening it and strolling in without an invite.  Mastermental looks up from the paperwork he's flipping through, looking a bit irritated.  "Really, Nico, do you have to rile up everyone you meet?"

"I see you still haven't gone back to Iran," Nico says, dropping down in the chair in front of Mastermental's desk.  "Double M, we have a favor to ask."

Wow, talk about sucking at small talk.  Mastermental looks at me, expectantly.  "I did wonder why you were bringing one of the students.  Hello, Morgan, I hope you're enjoying your weekend?"

"Um..." I say.  Brilliant, huh?  Well you try talking to the head of the Hall about something like this and do better!  "Hi."  Yep, that's MUCH better.

"It's not every day that Nico braves the hallways of this side of the Hall," Mastermental goes on, looking at Nico.  "Especially lately."

"Old habits are hard to break," Nico says blandly.  "Avoiding an entire building full of super heroes and their lackeys is one of those habits."

"Or avoiding one hero in particular?" Mastermental offers equally blandly.  I look at Nico, wondering what they're talking about.  From the closed expressions on their faces I don't think it's something I'll find out anytime soon.

"Either way," Nico says.  "I want permission to nullify Morgan's powers--"

"Denied," Mastermental says.

"For long enough to take her into the Cape Cells," Nico finishes.

"De--what?" Mastermental asks.  "Really, Nico, taking a sixteen year old girl into the Cape Cells is a bit much, even for you."

"My--" I say, stepping forward.  "I mean--I don't have to go," I say, looking down.  "It was just... um..."

"Shawn Matkey is her father," Nico says bluntly.

"Mimic?" Mastermental says, looking surprised.  His expression turns serious within seconds and he looks at Nico for a long moment.  "I'm afraid I can't allow that," he says finally.

"Why not?  At the moment she's mainly a norm as long as she doesn't come in physical contact with another super, Double M.  Nullifying her abilities would work just by putting a pair of gloves on her, much less a collar."

"There's a reason for the Cape Cell rules," Mastermental says sharply.  "And as a member of the Hall, I expect you to behave appropriately, which includes following those rules--"

"If Max was in the cells, you would go to see him," Nico says.  "I spent fifteen years not knowing that I had kids, Double M.  Do you have any clue what all I missed during that time?  Shawn knows he has a daughter out here, but he's stuck inside, surrounded by machines and only seeing another inmate once
in a blue moon through rocket proof glass, if he's lucky.  And trust me, I've talked with all those inmates, they are NOT a replacement for a family member."