Superpowers (10 page)

Jack started slow for Charlie's benefit, but every time he moved, Charlie countered easily. Jack sped up gradually, shifting suddenly from side to side, trying to pull Charlie off balance. But Charlie seemed to know when Jack was faking. He pushed back at just the right moments and otherwise just moved unerringly with Jack. Finally, Jack made a series of moves too quickly for Charlie to react, and Charlie stumbled back, laughing.

"You cheated," Jack said.

"A little, yeah. And you didn't?"

"That's different."

"I didn't read anything that didn't have to do with the fight. Besides, you won. And in about four seconds flat."

"Seemed longer." Jack grinned, but when he met Charlie's eyes they weren't focused on anything.

"Your sister is watching us."

"What?" Jack snapped around, looking for Grace. It had to be Grace—Ursula and Quinn wouldn't be around, Ma would have said something. He didn't think, just dashed to the perimeter of the copse of trees and found her crouched behind a Norway pine. "What are you doing, spying on us?"

Grace screamed and fell back on her ass. Jack realized that he'd given himself away completely, so he was surprised when Grace's first question after recovering was "How did that girl get so far up in that tree?"

Jack said the first thing that came into his head. "We're making a movie."

"You're making a movie?" Grace asked.

"Sure. Didn't you tell her, Jack?" Charlie came around the tree and shook his head just slightly at Jack.

I panicked,
Jack thought.

"Where's the camera?" Grace asked.

"Caroline's got it up there." Jack forced himself to speak slowly. "We're doing some overhead shots."

"Really?" Grace tumbled to her feet and put a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Can I be in the movie?"

"No," Jack said.

"I was asking Charlie." Grace whispered something in Charlie's ear, but instead of blushing and stammering like he usually did when Grace flirted, Charlie smiled and nodded without looking at her. Grace stared at him for a moment, then walked into the clearing to where Harriet and Mary Beth stood. "Are you all in the movie?" she asked.

"No," said Mary Beth at the same moment Harriet said, "Yes."

"Grace, we've got to finish a scene," Jack said. "Please go away."

"That's not going to work," Charlie whispered.

"What's the scene?" Grace looked up at Caroline. "You never did tell me how she got up so high. Even Ursula never climbed that high."

"What are you guys talking about?" Caroline shouted down. "I can't hear you!"

"What's she using for a camera, a tree branch? The light's not very good here. Is this some kind of a Dogme thing?" She kicked at a water bottle Harriet had left lying in the grass. "What's this movie about, anyway?"

Mary Beth and Harriet looked at each other, then at Jack.

"What did she say?" Caroline yelled.

"We're not making a movie," Charlie said. "She figured that out already," he told Jack.

"Will somebody tell me what's going on?" Caroline screamed.

Grace folded her arms and stared at Jack.

"Come on down, Caroline." Jack said it loud enough that everyone but Charlie jumped, and Caroline slid off the bough and drifted down to the ground like a spider descending from a web.

Grace's arms and jaw dropped, and she didn't speak for a few seconds. Then she took three quick steps and punched Jack in the shoulder.

"You're a superhero and you didn't tell me?"

"Ow. It just happened!"

"Come on, Mr. Strong Man. That didn't hurt."

"I'm not the strong one," Jack said. Grace looked at Charlie, who pointed at Mary Beth.

"I'm bigger than her," Grace said.

"Grace, you can't tell anyone about this."

"You have to let me come with you, then. Hey, do you have costumes?"

"So much for secret identities," Caroline said.

"Grace, you're not coming with us, and you can't tell anyone."

"I will. I'll tell Mom."

"How old
are
you?" Harriet asked.

"Grace, come here." Jack walked out of the clearing to within sight of the house, and after a moment Grace followed. In the sunlight the full heat of the day struck Jack. Sweat broke out on his forehead, and he felt dizzy.

"Listen." His own voice sounded distant. "I'll talk to the others about letting you come to a meeting or something later on, but right now I need you to please leave us alone."

"What's your power?" Grace asked.

"Didn't you see before?"

"I'm not sure what I saw."

"All right." Jack took a deep breath, then took off for the house. He slowed down enough to slip the door open, then ran to the kitchen, made himself a sandwich, and streaked back to where Grace stood. He was halfway finished with the sandwich by the time he got there.

"Where'd you go? Where'd you get that?"

"The house." He'd been starving; he hadn't realized.

"You were—you were standing there, and then you were gone. Then I blinked—"

"Yeah, I'm really fast, OK?"

"Oh, man. I wish I had some homework for you to do."

"Grace, I wouldn't do your homework."

"Yeah, but it would be cool."

He finished the sandwich. "Will you leave now? Please?"

"Do you promise to let me come with you guys later?"

"Do you promise not to tell anyone?"

Grace held out her hand, and Jack shook it. "I promise," she said.

"Me, too. Now please, Gracie. I love you, but get lost."

SUNDAY

I'm not coming out," Mary Beth said through the door of her bedroom.

"Very funny," Caroline said. "Come on, let's see you."

"No."

Caroline looked at the couch, where Harriet and Charlie sat in their costumes, eating popcorn and watching the news. Caroline had been most worried about the two of them—she had been afraid that being given the black costume would offend Harriet in some way, and she had been sure that Charlie would object to wearing yellow—but they had given her the least trouble so far. Harriet loved the monochromatic look, and Charlie seemed charmed by Caroline's insistence on referring to his costume as gold-colored.

Caroline was amazed by the change in Charlie. He'd tried to send her away that day with the helmet, but she had stayed with him, debating whether or not to call an ambulance. For nearly an hour he had lain there mumbling, the helmet forgotten on the floor. When she'd tried to put it on him he'd opened his eyes and shoved it away. "We're figuring it out," he'd said. And it seemed that he and whoever else he was talking about had done so. He'd cleaned himself up since—even if his hair was getting a bit shaggy—and he seemed a lot more together.

"You've got two minutes," Caroline called to Mary Beth. "Then I'm coming in."

Someone knocked at the door, and Charlie and Harriet froze in mid-munch. Caroline put her eye to the peephole. "Relax," she said. "It's Jack."

She let him in and handed him a bundle of red and white. "Go in the bathroom and try it on," she said.

"OK." There was a rush of air, and he swept past her into the bathroom. The door opened again almost as soon as it had shut, and Jack stepped out in the red bodysuit, looking down at the white star on his chest.

"Why a star?" he asked.

"It's a unifying symbol," Caroline said. "Five points on the star, five of us. How does it feel?"

"OK," Jack said. "A little exposed." He turned away from her and adjusted himself at the crotch.

"The Lycra should breathe pretty well. You can accessorize, though. Add a belt or a jacket, if you want."

"What about these gloves?"

"They button to the sleeve." Caroline showed him how to attach the white gloves to the rest of the costume, and then helped him put on the mask.

"I'm not sure this mask is going to work," Jack said. "It only hides my eyes. Anyone who sees us is going to have height, build, hair color, skin color—"

"It's the Clark Kent effect," Harriet said. "Nobody's going to recognize you."

"Clark Kent? That was a comic book. This is real."

"And denial ain't just a river in Egypt. No one's going to believe that plain old Jack Robinson is quicker than . . . well, you know."

"I'll get you a helmet if you like," Caroline said. "But I don't think you need to worry. There have to be a few hundred guys who look like you in Madison."

"Yeah. It'll take the cops at least a week to figure out which one is the superhero. I want a helmet."

"Fine." Caroline walked back to Mary Beth's door. "You ready now?"

"I'm not coming out," Mary Beth said.

Caroline opened the door, and Mary Beth stepped back, throwing her arms around herself, hiding the costume from view.

"Let me see." Caroline stepped in and shut the door behind her. "What's wrong with it?"

Mary Beth shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with it."

"Then what's the problem? Mary Beth, put your hands down. Jesus."

Mary Beth straightened and let her arms fall to her sides.

"Wow." Caroline had made Mary Beth's costume a deep green color, not even realizing that it matched her eyes perfectly. The fabric clung to Mary Beth's curves, and the built-in bra lifted her breasts, preventing the material from flattening them. In addition, the costume slimmed her waist and her thighs and gave her smooth lines. Mary Beth usually wore sweatshirts or shapeless T-shirts that hid her figure entirely. Caroline had never seen Mary Beth wear anything nearly so revealing.

"You look good, Mary Beth."

"It isn't me."

"Well, it's not me wearing that. It's you."

"I know, but. . ."

"I know but. If I were your mother I might think this little anxiety attack was adorable, but I'm not and I don't. So come on out."

"When are you going to put your costume on?"

"As soon as—"

"Hey! You guys!" Charlie pounded on the door.

"Girls, you mean?" Caroline asked.

"You have to see this," Charlie said. "Come on."

"They just teased a story about an invisible man," Harriet said.

A female reporter sat at a desk with a graphic reading local briefing beneath her. "And finally, the last couple of weeks have seen a multitude of strange reports of an invisible man helping people out around the Madison area. Reports have come in from as far afield as Sauk Prairie, and almost all credit everything from the return of lost dogs to the foiling of half a dozen purse snatchings to an invisible man who is accompanied by a gust of wind. Now, police don't know what to make of this so far, but a police spokesman told me that with this many reports—and there have been nearly three hundred so far—something must be going on, although the spokesman also said that the department does not believe in invisibility. Rest assured, we'll be following this story as it develops. This is Prudence Palmeiro in the WMAD newsroom. Back to you, Jim."

Mary Beth no longer seemed self-conscious. She was across the living room, shaking her finger in Jack's face. "What the hell have you been doing?"

"Helping people," Jack said. "We're taking too long. Training, costumes, scheduling—I'm surprised we haven't written a statement of purpose. We're talking too much, and not doing anything."

"I agree," Charlie said. "I think it's time to get started."

"I think so, too," Harriet said. "I'm ready."

Caroline shrugged. "What do you think, Mary Beth?"

Mary Beth started to cross her arms over her chest, then dropped them to her sides. "All right," she said. "But how do we begin?"

MONDAY

D
eath's real name was Benjamin Thatcher, but he planned to have it legally changed after the job, after things had cooled down. He wanted a tattoo to match, but he'd get this one done professionally. He hated Alicia's name on his forearm, especially since it was crooked and fading, like she hadn't used enough ink. He'd get that removed first, then have death tattooed between his shoulder blades, in big Gothic letters. He'd buy some weights to build up his arms and shoulders. Then instead of telling people his name he'd take off his shirt and let them read it off his back. He'd have to figure out something else for the winter, though; maybe a stocking cap with a skull and crossbones, if they made things like that.

He wasn't stupid, not like Alicia's dad used to say, so often that Alicia started believing it and threw him over for that geek at the community college. That guy was going to be sitting in front of a computer getting fat and losing his hair and needing thicker glasses than he already had. That wasn't smart. Smart was doing one job and then sitting pretty for a year. Maybe more, if he was careful and didn't spend it all on cars.

The smartest thing was the wardrobe. They couldn't stand out among the daytime crowd on the Capitol Square, so Death insisted on suits. He hadn't worn his since his aunt's funeral, and it smelled a bit. Reed's didn't fit quite right, and Johnny's was a light blue pastel number from back when Crockett and Tubbs were the thing. But if everything went right, no one would notice them until too late.

It was simple. The security guard would escort the armored car drivers out of the bank just like always. Then Johnny's sister would let herself get knocked over on the sidewalk, distracting the guard. Johnny and Reed would step up to the drivers, show them their guns, and tell them to set the bags on the pavement. Then Death would move in and sweep the bags into his duffel while Reed locked the drivers in the back of the truck and Johnny got the car, parked two spaces behind the loading area. Johnny would pick up Reed and drive away while Death and Johnny's sister just blended into the crowd.

It had to be done fast, and a lot depended on Johnny's sister, which was why Death was watching her from across the street when the guy in red caught her in mid-fall, set her upright, and whispered something in her ear. He was gone a second later; but Johnny's sister went pale and started walking away.

Death wasn't the only one who'd noticed the guy. He'd had a helmet and a big white star on his chest, and a lot of people were staring at the spot where he had been, including the security guard. Johnny and Reed must have thought this was distraction enough, because they moved in on the armored car drivers as planned. But as they drew their guns, a girl in a green bodysuit stepped in front of them. She also had a white star on her chest, Death noticed, in the moment before she grabbed the guns. One went off, but the girl didn't even flinch. She took both guns and crumbled one of them into dust.

People screamed and dropped to the sidewalk, as if there had been not one gunshot but a hundred simultaneous ones. Death started to sweat.

Johnny ran for the car, but Reed took off down the middle of the street. He hadn't gone half a block before a girl in blue swooped down out of the sky and lifted him from his feet and up over the capitol building.

Johnny started the car and screeched into the street. The girl in green stepped in front of the car, and Death thought Johnny was about to go from attempted robbery to vehicular manslaughter until the car crumpled around the girl like she was a solid steel girder anchored in the blacktop.

Death heard sirens. No one was looking at him—they were watching the girl step around the wrecked front of the car and drag Johnny out the window. Death picked up the empty duffel and started walking.

"Stop right there, Mr. Thatcher."

The voice had come from right next to him, but there was no one there. He walked on.

Something hit him across the stomach, then kicked his legs out from under him. He dropped the duffel and sprawled over the sidewalk.

"I said stop." A woman's voice. What the hell was going on?

Hands dragged him to his feet. He tried to squirm out of their grasp, but all he got for his efforts were stares from the people around him.

"Give it up," said the voice.

"Who are you?"

"We're your friendly neighborhood superheroes," said the girl in blue, who had flown in low near Death to drop Reed on the grass. Reed must have passed out while in the air, because he didn't move.

"Is this all of them?" asked the girl in green, holding the struggling Johnny in her arms. Her costume was shredded from the thighs down, but her legs weren't even scratched.

"What a mess," said the girl in blue.

"Sorry. I didn't
plan
to get hit by a car."

"Here's Jack with the last one," said the woman Death couldn't see. The guy in red ran up carrying Johnny's sister.

"Red Star, you mean?" the woman in blue said deliberately. "Shit."

"This is it," said Red Star.

The woman Death couldn't see sat him on the bench alongside the others, and Red Star pulled out a rope. A half-second later they were tied to the bench in a row, Reed's head lying on Death's shoulder.

The girl in blue took off into the sky, and Red Star picked up the girl in the tattered green and disappeared with her.

It wasn't fair. How was he supposed to plan for superheroes?