Sunny Daze (7 page)

“You no touch Sunny,” Cubby says seriously, pelting Max with unerring accuracy.  The boy seems to have an unending supply of weapons, Max realizes with a hint of amusement.  It doesn’t hurt, but it is pretty annoying, he has to admit.  And he can’t exactly hurt the kid in return.

“Time to retreat,” he admits sheepishly, flying several feet away from the tree.  He blinks as a vine shoots out of the ground, grabbing him.

“What’s wrong, Cu--” Sunny asks, appearing next to the boy.  He blinks as he realizes just who he’s caught.  “Oops.  Sorry, Max!” he calls, waving a hand.  The vine unwraps and goes still.  “What’s up, guys?  Come to visit?” he asks as he sits down on a limb.  The little four-year-old terror climbs into his lap and looks as innocent as can be as Max flies back.

“Your little pal has some serious defenses set up,” Ace says, floating up.

“Huh?  It’s for squirrels,” Sunny says, glancing down at Cubby.  “I’m not sure what he’s got against squirrels, but I figure he’s got his reasons.”

“Squirrels,” Max repeats, looking straight into blue eyes.

“They noisy,” Cubby says in an almost bland tone.  Max stares at him as Ace chokes on a laugh and looks away.  The glare is turned on Ace, who looks back with a tiny smile.

“They are,” he says.

“Well we just wanted to check out your bases,” Max says, changing the subject.  “Since you know what we’re staying in, it’s only fair.”

“Well… it’s not anything fancy,” Sunny says, moving Cubby off of his lap and standing.  “C’mon in, though, it’s not like you haven’t figured out where it is,” he adds with a shrug.  For a moment Max assumes that he’s just sleeping on a branch and then corrects himself.  Even if Sunny WANTED to just sleep on a branch, it wouldn’t work out that way.

He lands on a limb and follows Sunny inside, glancing briefly down at Cubby.  Cubby points a finger at him, then two fingers at his eyes, and then points at him in the classic “I’m watching you” move.

Whoever taught a four year old a move like that… would probably be Adanna, he thinks with reluctant amusement.

“Huh,” Sunny says, making Max look up, “looks like the tree decided to decorate.”

“The tree… decorated,” Ace repeats incredulously.

Max looks past Sunny at the plush green floor and flowers decorating the wall.  “The tree decorated,” he agrees.  He’s not even surprised to see Cubby jump to one of the higher branches in the “ceiling” with his blowpipe in his hand.  The little boy is staring at him.

“I don’t think he likes you,” Ace whispers silently as he moves closer to Max.

“Trust me, I picked up on that,” Max replies equally silently.  They both stare at the boy, who gives them such a mischievous grin that he’s positive the boy heard every word.

“Cubby, buddy, are you getting hungry?” Sunny asks, holding up his hands to the boy.  Cubby happily jumps into the offered arms. “Me too.  Let’s go see if it’s lunch time yet!”

The tree branches shift and Max takes to the air as he feels them leaning towards the ground.  Sunny walks down them as if they were a staircase.  They snap back into place as soon as the two are down, leaving Ace and Max standing in Sunny’s base.

“How does he DO that?” Ace asks after a long moment of silence.  “Not the tree thing--the total obliviousness thing.  He’s faking it, right?”

Max stares blankly thought the tree limbs, watching the two walk away.  “He’s dating the kid’s big sister, you know?  Imagine how dangerous it would be if Adanna was here instead of her little brother.”

“Let me guess, he wouldn’t notice then, either.”

“Not a thing.  Probably even less than he does now.”

***

“Your son is terrifying, my friend,” Pan says as he sits in a tree, watching the little visit go down.  “How are you dealing with your father?”

“I’d rather talk about my kid,” Nico drawls over the phone.  “I’ve actually contacted Voltdrain over the energy output theory--it worked with finding Star Born.  He says for a while he was noticing spikes in the area, but they recently stopped.  We know how quickly they can move with Shadowman, so it’s not that surprising… but for the past week or so, we haven’t seen a thing.”

“So they’re off the grid?”

“It’s the only thing we can think of,” Nico admits.  “Voltdrain is as good as I am at sensing energy spikes in the system--actually, he looks out for them more than I do.  He says he thought he found them not too long ago, but they were gone soon--sooner than he could get permission to break into a four star hotel,” he adds in a disgusted tone, “I don’t like Shadowman, but I do admire his capabilities--he’s extremely good at running away.”

“I see… being a super hero can be a bit tiresome, can’t it?” Pan says.

“Seems like it.  Regardless, the old man and I are searching for clues--I got stuck searching the files of the hotel, he’s calling ancient contacts.”

“Ancient contacts?” Panther repeats blankly.  “What--”

“Retired supers.  I’ve got an entire faculty of them, remember?  They reach a certain age and decide to hang up the cape, settle down with either each other or a much younger norm, and set up shop in the real world.  It turns out that Superior knows several of them.”

“I see…  I wish you good luck in your search, Nico,” Pan says, leaning back slightly and watching with amusement as Cubby rides on Sunny’s shoulders, chatting happily about cartoons.

“Now tell me how Sunny’s doing.  His mother and grandmother have been bugging me about it since the moment he left.”

“Every single one of the boys has gone to see him since the base building happened.  They’re scoping out the biggest competition but he’s completely oblivious,” Pan says.  “My son has already set up a massive defense system in the tree they’re sharing--Cubby loves him almost enough to make me jealous.”  He smiles slightly as Nico lets out a laugh.

“They do realize Sunny’s not going to be a super villain, don’t they?” Nico asks.

“Sure they do, but that won’t stop him from playing the game I--” Pan stops, turning and frowning as he looks towards the west.  “There are people in the forest,” he says quietly, “two… three of them.  I didn’t hear them arrive.”

“Really,” Nico says, “that’s interesting.”

“That’s what I was thinking, as well,” Pan agrees.  “I’ll get back to you soon.  Tell your ladies not to worry, Sunny will be perfectly fine.  It’s the others that will have the most difficulty.”

“Why’s that?”

“They know each others’ weaknesses.  Sunny has only his lack of confidence going against him.”

“That’s exploitable, too,” Nico admits.  “Bye, Pan.”

“Goodbye, Nico.”  Pan closes the phone as he crosses the forest silently, staying in the shadows of the trees as he spies on the ground.  There are two children and a rather large man in the middle of the forest with no form of transportation.

Just what is going on here?

“So where’s lunch?” Jack asks as they all reach the RV at the same time.  There’s no sign of Pan.  I even head to the RV, peeking in.  “I’m starving.”

“He’s not here,” I say with a shrug.  “I’ll go raid the fridge for some hotdogs, you guys set up the fire.”

“Sounds good,” Max says, although there’s a strange look on his face as he looks around.  “I guess I should be collecting wood, huh?”

I head inside, looking around one more time before heading to the fridge to dig out lunch supplies.  Soon Pan’s absence is completely forgotten as we cook our hotdogs.  At least it is until he walks into the campsite, frowning thoughtfully.  “You’ve already started?” he asks us.

“We were hungry,” Jack says.

“True, it’s past lunch time.”  And that’s all he says as he gets his own dog and starts to cook it.  I can’t help but feel a little confused by this reaction.  Something’s not right.

“So where were you?” I ask as casually as I can manage.

He hesitates for a moment before speaking.  “There are norms in the forest.  I’m not sure if they’re camping, or what, but I suggest you try to avoid them.”

“Who?” Max asks.

“Two twin boys about twelve and an older man.”

“Twins?” I repeat.  “I’d like to meet them.”

“We’re avoiding norms, remember?” Ace says.  “That means no introductions.”

Max is frowning slightly, and I can tell he’s thinking.  This time I don’t bother to ask.  Look, I know I should avoid norms, but I’m not like the other guys.  They won’t recognize me as being a super, right?  And I’ve always wanted to meet another pair of twins!

I should probably change my shirt if I plan on going to look for them, huh?  Then again, this is the second day I’ve worn this shirt, I should probably change it regardless.  In fact, now that I think about it, I could really use a shower.  “Hey, Pan?  Can we use the shower?” I ask.

“There’s a small lake that way,” Pan says.  “I hope you remembered to bring soap.”

“Lake?” Jack asks, looking up.  “Not sure I can swim, but…”

“Awesome,” Ace says.

“You better be careful, Ace, you might get a tan,” I tease him.  Somehow, even with all our outdoor training, Ace is STILL pasty white.  How he manages that, I’ve got no clue.  My skin gets darker all the time.  Right now I’m probably even darker than Max, and Max is part Japanese.

“Should we bring Cubby?” I ask.  I think it’s hot enough to go swimming, right?

“That sounds good.  I have a few things to do,” Pan says.  He’s gone before I can ask him what he has to do, leaving Cubby looking at me.

“Hey buddy, want to learn to swim?” I ask him.

“After the bath, I say we call the truce off,” Jack says, stretching his legs out in front of him.  His eyes move over the group, catching each of us.  “I want to get this game started--there’s no way I’m going hero.”

“Sounds good to me,” Max says, eating the last of his hotdog.

It feels like the truce is already over, even before the trip to the lake.

***

“Animals are drawn to water,” Hal tells the twins.  They nod, glancing around curiously and wondering if he’ll look away long enough.  For a while they’d been happy--their mother was back and they’d never seen anything as cool as an abandoned military base, it’s like living in a video game.  Unfortunately, reality came slamming back as soon as they saw the gun Hal brought up with them.  It wouldn’t surprise them in the least if he shot one of them through the head.  They only need one hostage, right?

“Is there water around here?” Lee asks.

“There’s a small lake to the north,” Hal says, pointing in the direction.  “We’ll head in that direction and lay the traps.”

“Are they going to die?” Michael asks quietly, “You know, whatever we’re trapping.”

“No, we’re going to use them for your mom’s experiments,” Hal says, starting north.  The two follow along with thoughtful looks.

“She’s trying to make super heroes, right?” Lee says finally, looking to his brother.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Think she can make us super heroes?” Michael asks.  “I heard that Cold Steel was made by a mad scientist!”

Lee opens his mouth, about to reply, only to stop as they both hear a rebel yell and a loud splash.  The two look at each other before racing past Hal to the lake.  They stop several feet away, hiding behind trees and peeking out.  The light flashing off of metal skin almost blinds them.  They have to blink a few times to realize exactly what they’re looking at.

The lake is full of teenagers--and one little kid.  But these aren’t just ANY teenagers, the twins realize.  That one closest to them is obviously Cold Steel.  He’s standing next to the water, washing off soap with a bucket.  Behind him, floating in the air above the lake is a guy that looks a lot like Maximum.  On the opposite shore is a massive waterslide.

The twins look at each other, obviously thinking the same thing.  Tiny lakes in the middle of an empty forest don’t come with waterslides straight out of a giant water park.  They look at the guys sliding down, seeing an extremely pale one come down.  It has to be Dragon.  The little kid and the tan boy they have no clue about, but it’s obvious this is some sort of super villain convention. 

They have to get out of here.  If an old normal guy is bad, a handful of super villains are WAY worse, right?  As a pair they turn and grab Hal, racing away as fast as they can drag the large man.

They stop about a mile away, panting heavily.  “What’s going on?” Hal demands angrily.

“There--”

“Were--”

“Super villains,” the twins finish together, still breathing hard, “an entire group of them!  That HAD to be Dragon, right?” Michael asks his brother.

“Definitely Dragon--and Cold Steel--he’s got metal on his BUTT, man,” Lee tells his brother.  “So it really isn’t makeup!”

“Who were the other two?” Michael asks.

“They got that school, right?  They’re probably not out in the public yet,” Lee says with a shrug.  “Either way, we can’t get caught by them!”

Hal is just staring at them incredulously.  “So… there’s a super villain convention?” he asks finally, looking a bit stupid.

“They were swimming,” Michael says, “and Cold Steel was naked!”

“Yeah, what if there are snakes in that water?” Lee says.  “Or fish?”

“I’d feel sorry for the snake,” Michael says thoughtfully.  “I mean, it’d probably break its fangs on him.”

“Did any of them notice you?” Hal asks, as what’s happening finally sneaks in.  “Anyone look in your direction at all?”

The twins look at each other and then back to him, shaking their heads.  “No, don’t think so,” Lee says.  “They would have caught up to us by now--Maximum especially.  He’s the fastest flyer, right?”

“Yeah, Cold Steel’s not known for speed, and I don’t think Dragon’s all that good at flying yet, right?” Michael says.  They were constantly checking the stats on their favorite supers.  “So they’d be here by now.”

“Cold Steel doesn’t HAVE to be fast,” Lee says, starting to walk now, the threat completely forgotten.  “Hey, aren’t we supposed to be doing something?” he asks abruptly.

“Yeah, we’re trapping animals--”

“We’re heading back for the base,” Hal mutters.  “But not straight there…” he looks around, searching the trees cautiously.  Somehow the word of two twelve-year-olds isn’t quite good enough for his tastes.  They could be watched even as they spoke.  “We’ll have to tell Kunnins--”

“And get moved again?” Lee asks, making a face.  “We finally got everything set up yesterday, right?  Everyone’s been complaining about all the moves!”

“Shut up,” Hal says, his hand going to his gun.  The boys shut up.  What good would a gun be against a super, anyway, though?  He hopes he doesn’t have to find out.

***

“You noticed them, too, didn’t you?” Max asks.  I stop dunking Ace and glance up at the floating teenager.  “Jack?” he says.

“Yeah, I noticed,” he says.

“The three people that were over there?” I ask, nodding slightly in that direction.  “Those were the people Pan mentioned, right?  Should we go find them?”

“No, not yet,” Max says.  “Panther said to ignore them, right?”

“He didn’t look like their dad,” Jack says.  “Then again, I’m the last guy that should mention something like that.”  Yeah, because he’s adopted--even before he was changed he looked nothing like the Liberty family.  “Still, why’d they just hide there?”

“If you were a norm and came face to face with a lake full of super villains, what would you do?” Ace asks dryly.

“Ask for signatures?” I offer.

“Yeah, I probably would, too,” Jack says.  Ace and Max look at us like we’re morons for a second before continuing the conversation.

“So we don’t follow them,” Max says.  “Is everyone clean?”

“Yeah, we have been for a while now,” I say, picking Cubby up out of the water.  He’d taken to it far faster than I could have imagined.  Then again, he might have known how to swim already, I hadn’t asked.  “So?”

“I want my hundred points,” Max says.  “In fact, I want ALL the points.  There’s no way I’m going hero.”

“I’m NEVER going hero,” Jack says emphatically.  “This gig is a blast.”

“I think it would be interesting to go hero for all of a few weeks and then stab everyone in the back,” Ace says, holding a blow dryer in his hand.  There’s no electric cord, but really, I guess he doesn’t need one. 

“I could see doing that,” Jack says, looking thoughtful.

“You’ve got the perfect set up for it, with your family,” Max says.  “It’s part of the super villain gig, that fake ‘going straight’ routine.”

“I’m not a villain,” I have to point out.  “So if I don’t have any points what’s he going to do to me?”

“I dunno, but Adanna would never let you live it down, right?” Max says.  “Come on, Sunny, play the game properly.  This promises to be a blast.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” I say, grinning.  “But I want fifteen minutes to get Cubby a snack and change, okay?  Then we’ll call the truce over--at least for us, right, Cub?” I ask Cubby.  He nods, looking serious.  I think he knows exactly how this game goes--I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t play it with his family.

“Fifteen minutes,” Max agrees.  “Anything longer than that and we’re coming whether you’re finished or not, got it?”

“Got it,” I say, picking Cubby off and racing away.  I need to see if Pan’s in the RV, I think as I reach it.  I dare to peek through the windows, but there’s no one there.  I head inside, rummaging through the fridge for a snack for the two of us, and we eat quickly.  When that’s done we race for our tree.

There’s no one there.  In fact it’s so silent that I get a slight chill running down my spine.  Well of course they would go for each other first--I’m not even a real threat, right?

“On three,” I hear in a teeny, tiny whisper.  I turn, shocked as all three of the biggest teen super villains around come racing forward from three different directions.  Max comes from above, Ace comes from the left, and Jack comes from the right.  They seem intent, I think, automatically lifting both hands.  Vines shoot out of the earth, grabbing both Jack and Ace for a moment.  They slice through them, but I’m too busy with Max to notice.

He grabs me, dragging me into the air, and we wrestle all the way up to past the top of the gigantic tree.  For a moment I go still, looking over the world.  Yes, I just got distracted.  Bad move, I realize as he drops me, I should have at least gotten one more hit in.

I land on a tree branch that shoots out, catching my balance quickly and looking around.  Poor Ace is being attacked from all directions by Cubby.  I can tell that Ace doesn’t know what to do, because every time he blocks an attack he looks slightly panicked, as if worried he hurt the boy.  No, it’s Jack I need to worry about, I realize as I see him heading straight for my tree.  Jack is out to get my points.

I lift a hand, aiming at the ground in front of his surfboard and bringing up a tree.  It slams into the nose of his board, sending him flying off of it and landing on the ground with a grunt.  He shoves himself to his feet, but before I can do anything more, Max rushes straight for me and slams his fist into my gut.

We go flying backwards and I manage to grab him, twisting him off course.  We hit the ground, skidding and sending dirt and grass flying before we manage to stop.  I twist, sitting on top of Max and grinning at him before I punch him.  Soon we’re flat out brawling.  I’d send him flying one moment; Max would send me flying the next.  I’m pretty sure Jack’s already gotten into my tree house already.  Oh well, I think as I get an extremely heavy hit to the jaw.  He can only steal one token, right?

I bring my legs up, kicking Max in the gut and sending him flying off of me.  My arms come up as I hop to my feet and the earth rises up, wrapping around him.  “This is foul play, man!  I don’t think a full fifteen minutes passed!” I complain as a wave of gravity slams me.  It’s pretty heavy, I think as I’m forced to one knee.  Heavier than anything I’ve picked up before, that’s for sure.