Me: Crap. I thought we might have more time.
Daniel: I don’t know. It seems about right to me.
Me: Do you know where he is?
Daniel: No. It’s hard to get much of anything. I get snippets, but not much more.
I paused, wondering how many of us would be alive a week from now. Continue reading Graduation: Part 13
Vaughn walked over to us as soon as he saw us. He said something to Sean and the others, and met us just as I’d started to look over Vaughn’s pictures. Fortunately, only the senior pictures had been blown up. Some of them, specifically one where a five year old Vaughn had smeared red jelly over half his face, were mortifying enough at three by five inches.
I made a mental note to ask for veto power over any pictures my parents felt a need to share.
The next day was Sunday. After my family went to church, and had dinner, I decided that I was going to go to HQ to get some serious work done on the anti-paralysis device. I had a working prototype. I just had to put out a copy for all of us, plus spares. Except then I realized I ought to make copies for anyone who planned to help us, plus if I managed to pump out more roachbots, it wouldn’t hurt.
That’s what I thought at about 1:30, but then I remembered that Keith and Courtney’s graduation open houses were that afternoon between two and four, and that I’d RSVP’ed. Worse, I couldn’t just skip it because Haley had been invited too. Continue reading Graduation: Part 11
Travis nodded. “That sounds good, but we still don’t even know who we’re going to attack. The Cabal’s going for us for sure. Justice Fist and their parents might not. And we don’t know whether Ray and his people are going to go after us first, or whether they’ll go after Solar Flare.”
“Right. That’s exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t know, and it’s time to find out. Time to bug the Cabal’s recruits, and setup surveillance on the best targets. Also, you’ve got to come up with a better way of searching through the videos than you’ve got so far. From what you’ve said, it sounds like you’re always behind.” Continue reading Graduation: Part 10
Travis put down his burger. “Why can’t you just do that again?”
“Because I’m not going to. I made a deal with the original Rocket and solving your problems isn’t in it. Teaching is.”
“What else is in the deal?”
“Telling you about it isn’t in the deal either. When Nick’s eighteen, I’ll tell him, and Rachel. After that, it’s their business.” Continue reading Graduation: Part 9
We told Lee after the performance. He (as Ben) had walked down to the bar to grab a beer.
Haley got up before I even noticed where he’d gone, and made it halfway across the room before I had time to even think. She didn’t talk to him for very long. When she came back, she told me, “He said to wait and he’ll come over.” Continue reading Graduation: Part 7
“Army?” I said.
“I might be exaggerating, but he’s been running anyone he thinks he can trust through the Impregnator — including kids like Sean’s little sister. She’s what, fourteen? She’s not even done growing.”
Continue reading Graduation: Part 6
I called the police. Then we put our costumes on, and went to investigate.
The cops seemed to find the idea of superheroes calling the police about a dead body more funny than I did, but they did finally identify the guy. He was a homeless person who lived downtown, bouncing between the city’s homeless shelters.
We told them about Prime. Continue reading Graduation: Part 5
Vaughn, Cassie and I got into Vaughn’s car.
I told them what happened, finishing with, “… It’s a relief we didn’t go that route. Until we suit up, the worst they can do is leave us nasty voice mail messages.” Continue reading Graduation: Part 4
Vaughn, Marcus, and Daniel, each of them too tired to fly, ended up riding in the back of Night Wolf’s car with Travis and Haley.
With the Rocket suit’s computer down, I didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of flying either, so I ran back to HQ. Jaclyn ran with me, making sure I made it. Even with many systems down, the suit still did most of the work, so I was okay. Besides, I’d rested a little while other people talked to police and reporters.
Taking off the suit turned out to be a near impossible without help. Systems that were supposed to unlock the armor’s sections wouldn’t release their hold.
Continue reading Counterattack: Part 10