Aces Wild: Cape High Book Six (13 page)

"Oh, look--they're already building a new ride," she says, turning and pointing to a massive building being built.  "Think it's for Technico?"

"Probably.  It'll be a mind trip, I'm sure," he drawls, thinking of the time he spent pretending to be Nico.

"Why?" she asks.

"Because he's a technopath?  Because he's the son of Superior?  I don't know, something like that," he says, blowing it off--or trying to.  She grabs his arm and moves so she's face to face with him. 

"The son of who?" she asks.

"That hasn't gotten out yet?" he asks.

"No, it hasn't."

"Oh, then forget I said it," he says, waving it off.  An hour.  It'll only take an hour of this before they need to go back and meet Ace after school.  Once there he'll reveal himself. A phone call will work.  He'll lure the boy into the warehouse and catch him off guard--

"Let's go!  You can clear out a line, right?  I really want to ride the Superior Slide," she says, tugging his arm.  This, he thinks, is why older men shouldn't date teenagers.  Well, of course there's plenty of other reasons, but the squealing and tugging are at the top of his list at the moment.  Frankly, she's annoying.  Even with Ace's memories of how cute she is, he's pretty sure he's going to need some headache medicine soon.  Just to get her to stop tugging he follows along, wondering if he can't sneak into the school somehow and set off a fire alarm.

Anything would be better than staying in this place for an hour.

***

Nico looks at his father, scowling slightly, then looks at Liz.  They're several miles above Kansas City, floating in a triangle, each facing one another.  Each in uniform, much to Nico's irritation.  He still isn't fond of this uniform--except the gloves.  "Thanks to Ace, we know what he looks like and we know that he's traveling with this girl," he says, moving his hands apart to show a hologram of Jetta.

"Do we know why?" Superior asks.

"Because Ace expressed some interest in her--she's a hot little blonde with powers and he's a teenage boy.  My guess is that he's using her for something--and if they're right about any illusion going back to Ace, it'd be bait.  So, as much as I hate asking this, I need your help," he says to Superior, his expression showing just how much he hates it.  "We're going to check every security camera feed in the area for them."

Superior raises an eyebrow.  "Every feed?  I've been dead for twenty years, but even back then that would have been a lot of cameras."

"That's why I asked you to help," Nico says through gritted teeth.  The very idea of asking his father for anything chafes.  "Liz, I want you to find her sister--she's going to Ace's school.  She'll have her sister's number and with it--"

"We can track her by GPS," Liz says.

"Exactly.  We don't know how cooperative she's going to be, so we'll get started with the cameras.  Either way, you're our best bet," Nico tells his sister.  She nods and races away, leaving Superior staring at him.

"What are you really planning for us to do?" Superior asks.

"There are more people left in comas by Mimic than we know about.  Several of them could still be alive, just comatose.  We have a healer, Superior.  One that can do the impossible and wake up the victims."

"You're saying you want to find those victims and wake them?  Why?"

"Because a lot of them could be capes.  I can name one off the top of my head, and it isn't Detriment.  What did you do with Mom's body, Father?" Nico asks.  "Did you bury her?  Or is the grave empty, like I've always thought it was?"

"What are you suggesting?" Superior asks.

"She's not really dead, is she?  Mom was an S class tank.  A guy like Mimic couldn't have killed her!"  He moves forward, nose to nose with his father.  "I've already lost my granddaughter to that psycho--so
where is my mother?
"

***

I'm floating over Kansas City on a simple piece of metal.  Sure, Jack's here, too, it's the simple piece of metal that's most prominent in my mind. "Sense anything?" Jack asks.

"I think... that way," I say, pointing north.  "So why did you volunteer for this job, anyway?" I ask as he starts flying in that direction.

"It was either riding the lid with me or being carried like a little kid by one of the others," Jack says.  "Even if you are wearing makeup, I figured I should at least offer you the chance to keep some dignity."

"I like how I look," I mutter, only to be stunned as he starts to laugh.

"Ace, seriously, have you looked at me?" he asks.  "I'm covered in metal--literally.  Jea--Mom puts dishwashing soap in the shower just for me.  If I make fun of how another guy looks, well, it's just giving them a hard time."

"I was thinking of investing in shades," I admit.  "
The glare is pretty overwhelming.  I'm just glad it's not a seriously sunny day."

"Me too," he admits.  "We going the right way, still?" he asks.  I glance down, watching the world beneath us.  Houses, trees, open areas of grass. 

"I... honestly don't know," I admit.  "Maybe?"

"Eh, we'll keep looking.  Look, there's one other thing I wanna talk to you about," he says, his tone getting serious.

"Is it becoming a super villain?" I ask.

"Nah.  It's Morgan."  He's silent for a moment as I think about how everyone seems to react to Morgan.  Even Jack--

"Wait, aren't you dating the brunette girl?" I ask.

"Aubrey?  Well, yeah, which is why I'm even bothering.  They're best friends.  Look, Morgan isn't her old man," he says.  "I mean, sure, she's got some of his abilities and all that--but she wants to go out and find kids that have powers, not do the stuff Mimic does.  So just because her dad took your abilities--don't get mad at her, okay?"

"I wasn't planning on it," I admit, watching the ground.  "I mean, she wasn't there--nobody picked up on the Noelle thing."  Except me.  I had.  I wonder why, now.

"Yeah," Jack says. "Well, I mean, we didn't really know her.  Not even the guys that lived with her in the dorms.  She's from the future, right?  She just showed up a month ago, or so, then next thing you know Morgan and Justin are going to the future and she got held captive--I guess.  I heard all of this from Aubrey," he admits.  "Nobody really... thought she wasn't who she said she was, cuz we were all too focused on Morgan.  And Justin.  I guess."

"You and him don't get along very well, do you?" I ask.  I feel something faint... a tiny hint of my power--"Go that way," I add, pointing to the right slightly.  He turns in response.

"Hate him," he says cheerfully.  "But honestly, ever since we started this little prank war of ours, it hasn't been as terrible as I thought it'd be.  I still hate his music."

"What started that fight, anyway?"

"I think it was just a natural development."

"Shouldn't you hate me, too, if it's like that?" I ask.  He looks back at me, a curious expression on his face.

"Why?  You sing songs like Lover Lover?" he asks.  "I mean, you look more like you'd sing rock or that emo rock stuff.  I've always liked My Chemical Romance."

Well... can't exactly argue with that...  "They weren't really emo, you know," I have to point out.

"That might explain why I liked them," Jack says.  I snort, then give into laughter.  "Hey look, it's the Central Hall
theme park.  Always wanted to go there..."

I stare at it, wondering why I feel worried all of a sudden.

***

Does she feel guilty for storming into a high
school in the middle of the day?  Not at all, Liz decides cheerfully as she walks through the glass doors.  The security guard starts forward, so she stops, pulling out her Hall card from her top.  What?  A skintight uniform doesn't allow for many pockets!  He looks at the card, then goes, "Can I take a picture with you?"

"If you tell me where I can find this girl," she says, pulling out a small picture of Jenna. "She should be a junior, her name is Jenna Berkley?"

"Um, I know she's here, but I'm not sure what classroom," he admits.  "We can ask the teachers in the lounge!  They can probably look it up!"

"Thank you," she says, heading for the teacher lounge. 

"Um... my picture?" he asks.

"Oh, right," she says, walking over and waiting for him to get his phone out so he could snap a picture of them.

"Thanks," he says as she heads into the teachers' lounge. 

"I'm looking for Jenna Berkley," she says, flashing her Hall ID.  "I need some information from her."

"I'm not sure I'm allowed to give that information to you--" one teacher says.  Then a man raises his hand.

"I'll take you to her," he says.

"And you are?" Liz asks.

"Mike Henderson," he says.  "I... was Ace's teacher.  She's this way," he says, heading out of the office.  Liz follows, with the security guard following along behind like a puppy.  "Jenna--did she do something?" Henderson asks as they reach the door of a classroom.

"No, I just need some information from her," Liz says as he knocks on the door and opens it.

"Excuse me, can we speak with Jenna?" he asks.  Liz, on the other hand, is staring at the teacher he's talking to with a stunned expression on her face.

She'd never thought she'd see Banshee in a straight skirt, after all.

***

"This one next!" Jetta says, dragging the goth boy behind her with a huge grin on her face.  The looks on peoples' faces, she thinks in glee--she's almost positive that some of them recognized her from her debut.  Going to the Power and Light District had been GENIUS!  "I want to ride the Firefly Twister next!"

"Firefly," Ace says, looking at the poster in front of the ride.  "She's an interesting one."

"I know," Jetta agrees.  "She's amazing.  I mean, I know Star Spangled is S class, too, but Firefly is so much cooler.  Why don't they ever make movies about female supers?" she asks him as they get in line.  "I mean, they're making a Mega movie, right?  But Firefly is way cooler than Mega ever will be--"  She stops as her phone vibrates against her leg.  "Oh, I've got a text," she says.

He has this bored expression on his face that tells her he really doesn't want to be here.  He could at least fake it, she thinks irritably as she checks her phone.

JENN
A:
r u alone?

JETTA:
no, I'm on a date

JENNA:
w/Ace?

JETTA:
yah

JENNA:
get away from him.

Jetta looks up at Ace, that same worried ache coming back.  "What's the problem, Jetta?" Ace asks.

JETTA:
y?

JENNA:
where r u?

Jetta hesitates again, glancing up at Ace--but it's one too many times.  She yelps as he grabs her wrist, pulling the phone out of her hand.  Then, to her complete shock, he starts takes to the air, floating far over her head as he starts typing on her phone.

JETTA: who R U w/right now?

JENNA: what?

JETTA: Who's w/U?  R they from Central?

There's a long moment where there's no reply, but he doesn't need one.  "Can they track this?" he asks Jetta.  She's still staring up at him with a terrified expression.  "Does it have GPS tracking?" he demands when she doesn't reply.  Slowly she nods.  "Time to go, then," he says crushing the phone before swooping down and grabbing her around the waist.

"Who are you?" she asks.  "Ace can't fly--right?"

"But Mimic can," he tells her with an evil laugh.  Ah, the relief of not pretending--

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"  The shout makes him stop, realizing that they're surrounded by supers.

Super teens, that is.

"Put Jetta down right now," Ace says.

***

It would be more intimidating if I weren't balancing on a sewer lid with Jack standing right behind me.  But you work with what you've got, right?  Besides, Jack isn't paying attention, he's talking over the earbud--which I should get my own out, right?

I dig in my pocket, pulling out the earbud in question and sticking it in.  "Where are the teachers?" I ask quietly.

"We're here, but we need to lay a trap for him," I hear Dad say.  "Keep his attention--as much as I want to tell you to get out of there, we need a distraction.  Jack, if he touches my kid I'm going to fail you for the rest of eternity, got it?"

"I screwed up once, it's not going to happen again," Jack says.  "Where's Nico?"

There's a silent moment for two beats, then a slightly hoarse voice says, "I'm here.  Where are you?"