Super Powereds: Year 3 (3 page)

Sean already knew who the other was, but still tried to look away from his seat neighbor anyway.

“The other was, of course, the Hero who was immune to all abilities. I’m sure everyone here is at least passingly familiar with Zero.”

*              *              *

The office was dark and cool, a place designed for ambiance over functionality. Ms. Pips had little need for an office, outside of the occasional private meeting. Her official job was in the casino, schmoozing high rollers and making sure everything ran the way she liked it. Her unofficial job . . . well, that was often conducted in the same casino, or far less savory places. Though, as she grew older, she found herself more inclined to let her subordinates handle the second category. If she were male, she could have delegated such errands to them entirely, but it seemed that, even in their unorthodox world, people were more willing to assume that the moment a woman stopped doing something, it was because she was no longer able. This was not that sort of meeting, though it could become one. Every meeting Ms. Pips conducted could always become one.

“Have a seat,” she said to the young man (more man and less young than she remembered) who stepped through the door.

“Of course,” Nicholas replied, walking across the plush rug and settling into a high-backed leather chair. He might be flippant when out and about, but he knew that this office was a symbol of her power. It was a place of tradition and, more importantly, respect.

Gerry shifted almost imperceptibly. He was under orders to be silent, but, as the boy’s primary caretaker, he had the right to be up to speed on his assignments. Personally, Ms. Pips felt they should have cut the cord a long time ago, but she saw too much use in their closeness to tear them apart. Nicholas had so few weaknesses; it paid to have one of the few things he cared about directly under her control. Aside from which, Gerry was her top employee, and in this business, it was inexcusable to not take care of those who showed loyalty and dedication. If all Gerry wanted was to watch over his charge, then Ms. Pips would need a good reason to refuse him.

Besides, it wouldn’t matter for much longer anyway.

“I thought you’d like to know we got your book list for the coming year in the mail today,” Ms. Pips said, after an appropriately intimidating amount of silence had passed. Nicholas wore an expression of interest without giving away any shred of what was going on in his head. That lesson, at least, he’d learned well. “Along with a letter expressing the school’s happiness that you’ve decided to continue your education with them. “

“I suppose Dean Blaine's objections were overruled then,” Nicholas assessed.

“Fearsome as Supers are, they always pale in comparison to lawsuits,” Ms. Pips replied. “So you’re back in Lander, even though you’ve remained close-mouthed on exactly
why
it is you are so insistent to return.”

“Be fair, the entire reason I had my memory fogged over was to hide valuable information. It stands to reason that Nick wouldn’t have included it in his end of semester reports,” Nicholas countered. Decoding the massive files he’d written during his breaks was relatively easy; it had been his mind that created the code in the first place, after all. Sorting out the context though, that had been more difficult. He still hadn’t pieced together what it was he’d thought he was on to, though he suspected Nick had purposely excluded key clues from the final report, as well as having bits of the previous reports destroyed. Nicholas trusted it was for good reason. After all, his own brain and its scheming were the only things in this world he really could trust.

“Yes, Nick certainly did seem to feel he had a lot to hide. But, as is clear to all of us, Nick isn’t here anymore. Your cover character was effectively wiped out by your mental alteration. So why bother trying to solve his mystery? Why should I let you return to your little game with yourself, when there’s real work to be done here?”

Nicholas leaned forward and allowed himself a light smile. They were to the heart of the matter now.

“I can give you three reasons. Firstly, we both know I need a degree for our long-term plans, and Lander is a perfectly respectable institution to have on a diploma. Secondly, Nick made connections and built rapport with some very strong people, people who have an excellent chance of becoming influential and powerful in the future. Having friends in high places, especially ones who owe us favors, is the backbone of our enterprise. By going back, I can expand and deepen those relationships.”

“I doubt the dean is planning to let you pal around with your old friends,” Ms. Pips pointed out.

“Don’t worry, if the files are even close to accurate, they’ll come to me. These people are stupidly loyal, though I suppose that term was a bit redundant, wasn’t it?”

Gerry didn’t twitch, didn’t shuffle in place, didn’t let his expression change. He did nothing to show the splinter of heartbreak that stabbed at him upon hearing Nicholas’s words. It wasn’t just the collection of sound from the young man’s mouth, it was the ruthlessness in his eyes. Gerry had seen those eyes soften over the past two years, but no sign of such sentimentality remained in the boy seated before him.

“I think you said you had three reasons,” Ms. Pips reminded him.

“Globe,” Nicholas said, spreading his hands. “The man is quite an enigma. So little is known about him, or what caused him to kill his team member. The one fact that is concretely agreed upon is that he is powerful. Tremendously so. He’s a man who can bend other Heroes to his will, and we know one thing he cares very deeply for. Add in the fact that Nick’s records indicate he thought he was on the trail to unraveling the mystery of Globe’s fall, and it all sums up the potential of gaining sway over one of the strongest Supers in generations.”

“Quite a longshot,” Ms. Pips chided him.

“Extraordinarily so. But, as I said, there are also good reasons to go. If one can throw a few chips on a longshot while also working a safe bet, and there is little extra cost, then doesn’t it make sense to give it a whirl?”

Ms. Pips drummed her fingers against the wooden top of her desk. For over ten minutes, the rhythmic motion of her digits was the only sound that filled the room. She stared at the boy across the table, gauging him carefully. When she finally spoke, it was with confidence that she’d seen every angle he was working and could twist each to her own designs.

“I’ll give you another year. We’ll see what you can do with it.”

“Thank you,” Nicholas said.

“However, I’m not certain that you aren’t doing all this just to satisfy your own curiosity, so I’m sending along some extra insurance.”

Had Nicholas been Nick, he would have been wearing his sunglasses, and Ms. Pips wouldn’t have noticed the subtle tic of his eyes as he avoided looking at Gerry. Yeah, right. He wished. She pulled a pair of pages from a folder on her desk and slid them across the well-waxed wooden surface. Nicholas intercepted them before they careened off the edge. A small frown formed at the corner of his mouth.

“Those two have been enrolled in Lander as well. They’ll be keeping tabs on you and making sure I stay in the loop. Memorize everything on that sheet. You’ll be expected to help sell their covers.”

“Eliza, I don’t mind, but did you need to send her guard dog too?”

“Yes, I did.” Ms. Pips pulled another sheet from her folder and sent it over. She didn’t wait for Nicholas to catch it before continuing. “We got a heads up on this last week. I decided to wait until we knew if you were allowed to go before telling you about it.”

If the frown at the first two sheets had been noticeable, this one may as well have had giant neon signs pointing to it.

“Nathaniel Evers has registered at Lander,” Nicholas said slowly.

“Indeed. I’m sure your location was protected while you were in the HCP, but now that you are a regular student, they were able to track you down. That’s the other reason you’re going to have company.”

Nicholas snorted. “I think I can handle Nathaniel.”

“Maybe so, but I doubt he’s gone to all the trouble of going to California just to admire you from afar. Our Family has big plans for you, that much is common knowledge. Out there, away from our seat of power, you’re far more vulnerable.”

“Careful, you’re starting to sound worried.”

“I am very worried. The Evers have been growing bolder as of late, the McCrackens are sniffing around the edge of our territory, and my supposed greatest asset wants to go dick around in California on some wild goose chase left to him by a wiped cover identity. So yes, I worry for our Family, as is my duty.”

“Then let me do my duty as an employee and take some of that worry off your shoulders. I assure you, Nathaniel will not be a problem. Not for me, not for us.”

“You sound confident.”

“Of course I’m confident. Nathaniel has never successfully bested me, not even when I was a Powered, and he was a Super. Anything he brings at me, I’m sure I can handle. Not to mention, even if he does manage to put together some surprise I’m not prepared for, I can always show him one of my trump cards.” Nicholas allowed a genuine smile to take the place of the frown that had previously soured his expression. “And I can promise you, no matter how far-fetched Nathaniel may believe my resources, the last thing he’ll be anticipating me to have is friends.”

On that account, both Gerry and Ms. Pips could certainly agree, though doing so filled them with quite contrasting emotions.

*              *              *

The soft crackle of the fire was barely audible over Vince’s loud snores. They could have been muffled, or muted entirely, but Globe found he had no real desire to silence them. It was a comforting reminder of happier days, days when he didn’t have to knock his son out before he could be around him.

“Tonight the night you finally cave and wake him up?” George asked. He’d nearly finished gorging himself on the food Globe brought, replenishing the steadily growing number of calories it took to spar with Vince each day. Staying in his robotic form would stave off hunger, not eliminate the need for it entirely. All energy had to come from somewhere, and his was no different.

Globe sighed softly and looked up at the sky. The stars were staggering out here, so far from any man-made light source. Yet another reminder of the second life he’d cast away. What was he on now? His third? He wondered how many more there would be before the saga of Globe finally came to a close.

“Of course not,” he eventually replied. “When they grill Vince on his summer whereabouts, I can’t be anywhere in his memory. Spending a few months trying to bring a fugitive to justice is defensible, if not admirable. If they catch any wind of me, everything changes. I can’t risk that.”

“They’ll know he wanted to see you,” George pointed out.

“I’m his father; of course he wants to see me. What matters is whether I came to him or not.”

“It would have been a lot simpler to just leave him alone.”

“After all these weeks, you’re still arguing with me? You know he needed help getting his abilities under control. Nick Campbell’s stunt bought him a year, but unless he learns to replicate that power on his own, it won’t matter. Not to mention, he needed practice with an opponent who was not easily damaged.”

“I just think we have bigger fish to fry,” George said.

“Let me worry about that. Right now, our focus is on moving without being detected. Which reminds me, we’re due for a refresh.” Globe closed his eyes for a moment. The air around them all shimmered slightly, an almost imperceptible alteration to the area's natural magnetic field. It would shift back eventually, but until it did, no Super would be able to discern their location. It was one of Globe’s many tactics in his extensive bag of tricks, a bag that even George had yet to see the bottom of.

“Thanks, don’t want any unexpected guests showing up,” George said. “I got my fill of prison food already.”

Globe’s eyes reopened. “I dearly wish I could promise you that you’d never have to go back there. Unfortunately—”

“I know what I signed up for,” George interrupted. “All of us do. You worry about getting the job done. That’s all that matters to us anymore. Until then, I’ll keep following orders. Even if the orders are beating the hell out of your kid daily. Did you heal him yet?”

“Got all his broken bones and bigger injuries,” Globe replied. “Left him plenty of fatigue.”

“Good. I’ll give your boy this: there is not a single drop of Quit in him. If he manages to survive the whole summer, he’ll be a tough little bastard.”

Globe smiled, the firelight rendering it more than a little disconcerting.

“He’ll survive. Don’t you doubt that. The only thing I’m worried about is him actually beating you. I was a touch concerned he’d replicate his tactic of draining you down to human form again.”

“He’s tried a few times, but it’s not quite so easy without a telekinetic holding me down. Since he has to touch me, I just knock him in the head and screw up his concentration whenever he gives it a go. Your boy has a useful ability, no question, but it still has some fundamental weaknesses. Only absorbing one energy at a time being the second most prevalent among them.”

“I think it’s a good thing that his ability is imperfect,” Globe replied. “Too much power is a burden in itself. A sense of invincibility is even worse. If Vince truly believed himself the most powerful Super in the world, he would never know a moment’s peace. His entire life would be consumed by mission after mission, terrified that his not going would mean a weaker Hero failed or died.”