Steampunk Time: Cape High Book Seven (Cape High Series 7) (12 page)

"She went home.  She's got a little house in the suburbs, but I don't know where.  Um, I think Mastermental does, though.  He's in his room," she says.  "It's down that hall."

I nod and head down the hall, Jason trailing along behind me.  "Who was that?" he whispers quietly.

"Firefly's mom," I whisper silently, bringing a finger to my lips as we get to the only door that's closed.  I knock, feeling nervous.  This is my grandpa, but he's not my grandpa--

"Come in," I hear him say from inside.  I turn the handle and peek in, blinking at the sight of him wearing a set of silk pajamas.  He's sitting on his bed (this is the room I woke up in, I realize abruptly) reading a book.  "Hello, Noelle.  It's good to see you again," he says with a little smile.

I step in as Jason bumps into me from behind.  "Um, hi, Mastermental," I say, hesitating.  "Is it bedtime?" I ask a bit blankly.

"It will be in half an hour," he says.  "I'm afraid it's been a few days since I last slept."

I nod.  "Grandpa Nico does the same," I say.  "I think he sleeps every other night or so.  Um, Mastermental... can you tell us how we can get a hold of Tatia?  We need to tell her something important."

He hesitates.  "Usually I don't give away personal information about my supers," he says mildly, putting his book aside.  "Their secret identities are to be protected--especially the ones with children, like Tatia.  On the other hand, haven't you been there already?" he asks me.

"Um... yeah, I have, but--"

"She's got absolutely no sense of direction whatsoever," Jason says bluntly.  "Even if she's been there a million times, she still can't find it.  How can you be a super with that lack of ability?" he asks me.

"I'll figure it out when I can fly!" I tell him, giving him my best glare.  "You can see better from overhead, right?"

"Tell me, why are you looking for her, anyway?" Mastermental asks.

"Because--because there's a really dangerous guy out there and Grandpa Nico says she might die soon and I think it's connected because the bad guy is the same bad guy from the future that left me back in this time earlier and I've never met Tatia even though I'm POSITIVE she's my great grandma!" I start to rant.  I can't help myself, it's been building up for what seems like forever.  "And it would be AWESOME to have her instead of just Great Grandpa Superior because Great Grandpa Superior just STARES at me whenever we meet, like I'm pathetic because I don't have any powers and I'm almost fourteen and he's some sort of god to the norms because he's got so much power--"

"Hey, heeeey," Jason says, grabbing my arm as I start to pace.  "Don't forget to breathe."

I take a deep breath, letting it out quickly and going on, "And I'm just a pathetic waste of flesh even though I'm the daughter of Zoe and Maximum!  Even I think that I'm pathetic!"

"Except you're getting your powers now," Jason drawls.

"Well, YEAH, but he's not here to see it--the one from my time is still in my time and the one from the time I was stuck in before this time pulled a fast one on Sparky and ran off to who knows where, and he's STILL not here to see it!"  Wow, that was hard to say.  But anyways!  "Having Superior for a great grandpa really blows," I tell Jason bluntly.

"Maximum?" Mastermental asks.  I turn bright red--even my ears feel hot--because I had totally forgotten that he was in the room.  Or, you know, that we were in his room.

"He's um--"

"Head of Central Hall in our time," Jason says.

"I see, that would be difficult," Mastermental agrees.

"Oh, you're still around, though!" I say quickly, not wanting him to worry.  "You don't die or anything--you just t
ake a desk job, and run tactics," I tell him, going over and sitting on the edge of the bed to give him a grin.  "You say Dad was built to do the heavy lifting all the time."

"I seem to put a lot of faith in this Maximum," Mastermental says.

"Of course!" I say, since it's such a simple statement.  "Dad's the BEST!"

"He looks like you, too," Jason says, looking at Mastermental closely.

"JASON!" I yelp.

"He does, does he?" Mastermental says.  "Is he my son?"  He doesn't sound very surprised.  "But wouldn't Nico
las be the head of the Hall, if it was inherited?"

"What?" Jason asks, looking at me.  "Doesn't--"

"No telling!" I tell him.  "We're not supposed to tell anything, remember?"

"Oh, right," Jason says.  "We can't tell you," he adds to Mastermental, who promptly laughs.

"Well, since it's close to time for me to sleep, I'll put the directions into your mind, Jason, because as you say, even if I give them to Noelle, you'll still get lost," he says, looking at Jason.  Jason blinks for a second before nodding.

"Got it," he says.  "C'mon, Noelle, let's go.  He needs sleep, right?"

"Yeah," I say, looking at Mastermental with a little smile.  "Thank you," I add.

"My son, is he a good father?" he asks.

"The best," I say without thinking, leaning forward to hug him.  "Bye," I add before heading out the door with Jason.  "Let's get our clothes before we leave," I say, heading for the back of the building to find them.  A few minutes later, dressed in my steampunk (someone washed them, thank GOD,) we head out with Jason leading.

"So he figured it out," he points out as we head down the streets.  "You know, that you're his granddaughter."

"I um, didn't expect to keep him in the dark at all--it's sort of impossible with Grandpa," I admit.  "He's always three steps ahead, or more.  I really think it's more.  He just tells me it's three so I don't realize how far he really is," I tell him.  I slow unconsciously, since Jason is slowing, then let out a yelp as someone grabs me far too fast to see.

"Noelle!" I hear Jason say, but it's far behind me now.  I'm being kidnapped.  Again.

"Don't scream," Great Grandpa Superior says.  I feel it more than hear it, but relax a little unconsciously.  It's not really kidnapping when it's family?  Well, it is, I mean, I've watched enough news to know that sometimes it can be, but in this case--

"I'm not going to scream," I promise.  He pulls to a stop, putting me down and looking at me for a long moment, curiously.

"So you're the granddaughter," he says, touching my chin and looking at my face.  "Beautiful.  Of course I expect that in a Superior child," he adds before the blush fully hits me.  "Do you like Tatia?" he asks me.  "Is that why you were heading for her house?"

"I wanted--um--to tell her that Mimic is loose," I admit, looking down.  "We saw him get out of the base, and then Grandpa said she was going to die, and I don't want that to happen!  I love her!  I mean, I've only known her for a little bit, sure, but love doesn't have anything to do with time!  And I know it's changing the past, but it's changing it for the better," I tell him defiantly, sticking my chin up and staring him straight in the eyes.

"That's my girl," he says with a little smile.  It shocks me.  This is the first sign of approval that he's shown.  "And your powers?  What are they?"

"I... don't know, exactly," I admit, looking down now that he's on such a sensitive subject.  "I'm just now coming into them--I think I've got some technopathy, because I blew up my phone, but I also think I might have some gravity ability, because I made the tire swing float before I blacked out," I say slowly.  "But I'm not a dud--I'm NOT!" I tell him defiantly.  "Even if you always seemed to think I would be--I'm not a dud.  I've got powers!  I'm just--just a late bloomer."  He's staring at me blankly, I notice as I dare to peek at him.

"Why would I think you were a dud?" he asks.  "You're the result of several S class supers--the result of a Superior line and a Mastermental line combined.  There's very, very little chance of you turning out to be a dud.  If I was frowning, perhaps I was worried about what would happen when your powers DO come in," he admits.  "I know I am, now.  You're a very little thing, you know.  That much power in a little body might be a bit much to handle."

I stare at him in shock.  Not once have I thought about it like that.  "But--" I start out.

"I need you to do me a favor," he says, digging in his pants pocket and pulling out a gleaming bracelet.  It's far too big for me, I notice, but I don't think it's for me.  "Careful--don't blow it up--"

"What are you doing with Noelle?" Jason demands from behind us.  I turn, staring blankly at the boy.  He's got pieces of metal floating around him, and looks ready for war.  I... did not expect that, I think blankly.  "Let her go, old man."

"Ah, much better," Superior says.  "You won't accidentally blow up the tracker.  Come here, boy, I've got a job for you and my granddaughter."

"Do a job for the guy that kidnapped my friend?" he asks.  "I'm seriously tired of having her grabbed all the time," he adds, giving me a dirty look as if it were my fault.

"He's my great grandpa, Jason," I say.  "Superior."

"So?  That gives him no reason to run off with you!  You really need to talk with your family about that, it ain't right!"

"He's right, you and Grandpa keep grabbing me, it's rude," I tell Great Grandpa Superior.

"I can't let Tatia see me," he says.  "And you were close enough that she might have come out--"  He stops, moving and looking at something behind us.  "Where in the world is she going?" he asks, more of himself than us.  I turn, watching blankly as Tatia puts Nico
las in the back of the gremlin.  "Go, stop her," he says, shoving the bracelet into my hand.

I race forward, stopping at the window just as she's putting the car into reverse.  "Tatia!" I say.  "Where are you going?"

"Oh, Kitten!" she says, a smile crossing her face.  "I have just seen that a friend of mine has been put into the hospital--I am worried, so I will be visiting her.  Do you wish to come along?"

"Um--yes, of course," I say, not daring to glance behind me as I run around to the other side of the car and slip in.  "Oh, and I found this," I add, holding out the bracelet to her.  "It's pretty, right?  You can have it!"

"You found it?" she asks, looking at the bracelet.  "Are you sure you should just be giving it away?  I am sure that someone is missing it--"

"I was in the woods," I lie, guilt burning in my belly
, “where we're training.  It needs to be worn, not grown over, right?"

"This is true," she says as she slips it on.  She reaches out and pats my head with a beautiful smile.  "I will wear it with pride."

I smile, more because she's smiling at me than because I'm proud of giving it to her.  But Superior wouldn't make me give her something dangerous. He's the one that was married to her, right?

I... just totally abandoned them, didn't I?  Whoops.

Superior looks at Jason, Jason looks at Superior.  "She just ditched us," Jason points out.

"We'll follow them as soon as they won't notice," Superior says, looking at him.  "You, are you the son of Aubrey?"

"Ye--yeah, why?" Jason asks.

"Can you heal?"

"A little?"

"Talk your parents into having more children," Superior orders.  "Perhaps daughters would inherit the healing ability better than sons."

Jason just stares at him, taking in the fact that the biggest name among heroes is a massive jerk.

***

A cloaking device,
the Nico from 2014 decides as he floats among the night clouds.  A cloaking device would be perfect at the moment.  The chances of a super finding him are still higher than he likes, but at the same time, he still hasn't found Superior.  The longer Superior is off on his own, the more likely he is to do something bad.  It's like babysitting for a two hundred pound super power having kid, he adds in disgust.

"I think I'll give you the benefit of the doubt," a familiar voice says from behind him
, "simply because you remind me of someone.  Who are you and what are you doing in Hall's territory?"

Nico turns slowly, looking at Banshee with a sigh.  "I'm--"

"Superior," she says, looking shocked.  "Or... not?  What's with the hair?"

"I'm..."  Think.  How does Superior come up with so many stupid lines?  "I'm from the future," he says honestly.  "I'm here to warn you about something that's about to happen--something big.  But if I tell you too much then I could distort the future and never be born--"  Well, technically he's already been born, but his sister hasn't!  "And if too many people find out that I'm a time jumper they might think I'm a threat to society."

"How?" she asks.

"How what?"

"How would you be a threat to society?"

Nico thinks about it for a moment.  "Let's say there was a butterfly--the butterfly turned a certain direction and flapped its wings twice, which kicked up the wind and started a massive thunderstorm several hundreds of miles away by changing the wind direction, the thunderstorm crashed into--"

"Stop, please," she says dryly.

"I'm like that butterfly," Nico says completely straight faced.  "If I move too much I could cause a massive disaster in the future, and not even mean to."  Which, now that he thinks about it, isn't too far off.  "I don't want the future changed
.  I like how it is now.  But I've got a problem to solve before I can go back to my own time--one that could cause the same kind of problem as me."