Super Powereds: Year 3 (125 page)

           
      
“I am pretty amazing,” Angela agreed. “Though, I owe at least some of that to you, Paw Paw. Without your training, there’s no way I’d be this far along in my path. You gave me a solid foundation on which to build, and for that, I am truly grateful.”

           
      
“You may wish to save your thanks for another few moments,” Graham cautioned. “As you are both aware, I decided that, when you both manifested abilities, and should you prove yourselves worthy, I would pass on the Captain Starlight name to whichever one of you proved to be the most deserving. Shane, I have watched you for your whole life as you trained relentlessly, always striving to be better, never giving up on your dream of carrying on the legacy of the world’s first Hero.”

           
      
Shane bit his tongue, merely nodding politely. It would change nothing to tell them that he’d never cared about the fact that Captain Starlight was the first, or most revered of Heroes. He’d always wanted the name because it was his grandfather’s, nothing more. If it had been the name of a shamed Hero, Shane would have fought just as hard to take it, and likely come up just as short against Angela.

           
      
“However, after today’s victory, on top of her impressive career within the HCP, I think there can be no question as to which of the two of you is the more powerful. Against anyone else, your efforts would have certainly triumphed, but against Angela, I’m afraid they fell short. That is part of what makes her so suited to wear the title. She is indomitable, unwavering, and unstoppable. And, as of today, she is the next Captain Starlight.”

           
      
“Seriously? This isn’t some trick or test, right? I finally get it?” Angela rose from the bench where she’d been resting and approached her grandfather carefully, waiting for him to knock away the prize he’d been dangling since they were children.

           
      
“You have earned it, my dear granddaughter. The tests are done. I give you my word, the name, and all that comes with it, are officially yours.”

           
      
Angela seemed to swell up, not with the excitement of bloodlust, as Shane was so often accustomed to seeing, but with pride. He could only imagine how it felt, to have grabbed the ring after so many years of reaching for it. It was an experience he would never have, but he still tried to be happy for her.

           
      
“Grandfather, I’ve been waiting a
very
long time to hear you say those words.” Angela reached out and took Graham’s hands in her own, cradling them delicately as she stared into the older man’s beaming face. “So that I can finally tell you this: thanks, but no thanks.”

           
      
“I beg your pardon?” If Graham was told that one of his old nemeses had been resurrected and given zombie powers, he couldn’t have been more shocked than he appeared in that moment.

           
      
“I don’t want to be Captain Starlight. I don’t want to carry on your legacy. I love you, please don’t think that’s what this is about, but I’m not going to take up your name.” Angela squeezed the hands still clutched in hers, doing all she could to soften the blow.

           
      
“Why on earth wouldn’t you want to be the next Captain Starlight?” Graham asked.

           
      
“Because I’ve never wanted to be as good as you were, Paw Paw. I want to surpass you. I want to build my own legacy; one that puts every other Hero’s to shame. You’re the one who taught us to always be striving, to never stop trying to be the best. Well, that’s what I’m going to try and do, but I’m doing it my way. I’ll earn my own reputation, my own glory. I’m going to be my own kind of Hero.”

           
      
“All these years.” Shane’s voice came out like the hiss of a coiled snake, drawing both his sister and his grandfather’s attention immediately. He was staring at Angela, not as much in surprise as frustration. Unlike Graham, Shane knew the kind of person his sister was. He’d just thought this was important enough for even her to take seriously. “All these years, you’ve been ahead of me. All these years, you were so tireless. Always training, always keeping a step beyond reach. Why did you go to all that trouble if you knew you didn’t want the fucking name to start with?”

           
      
“Shane—” his grandfather began, but stopped when Angela released his hands and stepped toward her brother.

           
      
“Because there’s a difference in not getting to be Captain Starlight and choosing not to be Captain Starlight. I needed the decision to be mine and mine alone. Let me put it this way: now that you’re the default choice to take up the name, does it feel the same as if you’d beaten me out for it?”

           
      
“Of course not,” Shane spat.

           
      
Angela smiled and nodded her head slowly. “Of course not. You wanted to beat me just as bad as I wanted to beat you. Well here’s the good news, little brother. This contest doesn’t end when we graduate. I’ll be waiting out there for you, waiting to see which of us can truly become the greatest Hero. Oh, and as for why I always worked so hard to stay ahead of you . . . well, you’re stronger than you think. If I’d slacked off, then you’d have passed me for sure.”

           
      
“Don’t you dare try and comfort me out of pity.”

           
      
“Shane, you’ve been my rival since we could walk and this crazy old bastard started training us. Do you really think either of us would be this far along without the other to compete against?” Angela pulled her brother in and gave him a crushing hug. “I won this round. But something tells me you aren’t content letting that score stand.”

           
      
Shane hugged her back for a moment, but then pulled away. “You’re going to have a year’s head start, again.”

           
      
“Maybe a year out of the HCP will make me soft and sloppy. Being first isn’t always an advantage, you know.”

           
      
“Ahem,” Graham Desoto said, butting into the conversation. “Since you seem set on refusing to carry on the Captain Starlight name, do you mind if I ask what name you have chosen?”

           
      
“I was leaning toward ‘Oppenheimer,’ due to that whole ‘now I am become Death, destroyer of worlds’ quote, but I thought it might go over people’s heads. So, to answer your question, I don’t really have one yet.”

           
      
“Why am I not surprised,” Shane muttered.

           
      
“Perhaps we should talk about it over dinner,” Graham offered. “After all, we do still have quite the victory to celebrate.”

           
      
“Woo! I am ordering
all
the wine,” Angela declared before sprinting off. She made it halfway to the lifts before remembering that she needed to change into street clothes, and another several feet before deciding that she actually cared enough to turn back.

230.

               “That about wraps up class for today.” Professor Pendleton took down the chart of former Soviet leaders and tucked it neatly away in his briefcase. Discussing the fundamentals of interrogation wasn’t exactly a popular topic, but it was one that he’d seen the necessity for firsthand, so he refused to gloss over it. Around him, the bustle of students packing away their notebooks filled the air.

           
      
“I’m sure I don’t have to remind you all that tomorrow is your Subtlety final, but the dean insists that I do so anyway. Additionally, remember that whatever teams you turn in to me just before the match will be your official ones. Nothing you’ve said, signed, or submitted beforehand supersedes your final submissions. Something to keep in mind when making those last-minute choices.”

           
      
The stuffing of notebooks slowed slightly as his few students exchanged glances with each other. By Professor Pendleton’s estimations, there were at least two false alliances and one outright betrayal in the works. Alice had been quite the social butterfly, making inroads and half-promises since she first heard the assignment. None of the others seemed to trust her, but they also didn’t know who, if anyone, she’d truly aligned herself with. Much as he hated to admit it, his niece had a real gift for the social side of Subtlety.

           
      
Slowly, but steadily, the students filed out of his classroom, until Professor Pendleton could just be Sean again, at least until his sophomores came around for their next teaching session. He’d barely gotten the romance novel out of his desk when he heard footsteps coming back down the hall toward his room. Slipping the paperback out of view, he took a seat at his desk and waited calmly for the visitor.

           
      
Alice strode back into the room confidently, her usual stoic dislike fixed firmly in place. If he hadn’t already realized that she wanted to speak in private from the fact that she’d doubled back after leaving, Sean knew it for certain as Alice shut the door to his classroom on her way in.

           
      
“I don’t want special treatment.” She sounded as cold and removed as she had since discovering their familial bond.

           
      
“Dean Blaine oversees every evaluation you take for me and Professor Hill to make sure that you don’t get any,” Sean replied. “And honestly, have you ever really thought I gave you any special treatment?”

           
      
“God no, you’ve been such a dick to me since I walked in your door that I thought my father must have screwed you out of a job or something,” Alice admitted. “But that was before I knew about our . . . what you were and started being a dick to you right back. The last thing I want is you trying to make amends by giving me a little helping hand on the final. I’m going to pass that damn thing, and when I do, it’s because I earned the win.”

           
      
“Why do you even care, Alice?” For the first time since Blaine had shown him that picture as they sat in his cell, Sean felt the mask he’d fixed in place slip away. He’d tried so hard to protect her from the truth of her past, but now that everything was finally falling out into the open, Sean finally realized just how tiring the effort had been. “We both know you’re going to ace the Control final, and Professor Hill has probably already written your acceptance letter for making it your major. What does it matter how you do on my final?”

           
      
“Because you’ve been trying to push me out of this class since day one, and we both know it. You probably wouldn’t have let me stay in this year if Dean Blaine hadn’t given us free choice. Well, I’m going to show you that not only can I hack it here, but I can be one of the best.” Alice stared him down, and Sean flashed to one of the countless memories of Shelby when she dug in her heels on a subject. It was all he could do to keep from smiling at how similar they were.

           
      
“I bet you think I’m going to deny it. To tell you that I was just pushing you harder, or being extra tough so that no one would accuse me of favoritism. Well, I’m not. You’re absolutely right, Alice. I have been trying to make you quit. If it had been in my power, I’d have never let you in this class to begin with,” Sean said.

           
      
“Why? I’m smart, I’m cunning, and I’m damn good at a lot of the human elements of Subtlety.”

           
      
“Because I know what it is to be a Subtlety Hero,” Sean replied. “I know how it feels to have teammates that don’t quite trust you, to be the first one in the DVA’s sights when there’s an information leak, to lay awake at night and wonder where the line between Hero and criminal really is, and whether you’ve already crossed it or if it’s still looming on the horizon. I don’t want that life for you, Alice. Not when your power opens the door to one that can be so much better.”

           
      
“You know, if you had just told me that two years ago, I might not have spent all this time thinking you such an asshole,” Alice said.

           
      
“But you wouldn’t have listened.”

           
      
“Of course not.” Alice’s expression softened just a touch, the barest hints of a smile dancing on the corners of her lips. “I’d be exactly where I am right now: telling you to shove it, and that I’m going to kick ass. I’m stubborn, but at least I know it.”

           
      
“That you do. In fact, it’s a trait you get from our side of the family, which is why I’m still going to grade you as carefully as ever. If you slip up, don’t expect to pass.” Sean allowed his own grin to finally break through. Things weren’t really better than they had been, but it just felt so nice to stop having to pretend, even if only for a few moments.