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
Chris came over fifteen minutes later, and parked in Grandpa’s driveway. I still had about an hour before I had to really worry about people showing up, and unintentionally revealing the person behind the mask. I thought Chris could be trusted, but I wasn’t about to out people without permission.
We ended up talking in the living room. It didn’t have much more than a thirty year old brown couch, and an old TV set. The family had taken all the furniture and decorations that anyone liked after Grandpa died.
Standing while Chris sat on the couch, I explained that people in armored suits and mechs had broken Ray and his team out. “Which means they’re either with Syndicate L somehow, or they’re connected with someone who buys mechs from the same people.”
Continue reading Graduation: Part 8
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
The next day at school, it occurred to me that I should have been more scared after receiving that message.
I can’t say that I wasn’t scared at all, but I didn’t freak out. Marcus and I called Isaac Lim, and the FBI traced the call to a payphone somewhere near Nashville. It surprised me that Prime could even find a payphone.
I mean, seriously, who uses them? Continue reading Graduation: Part 3
I thought about Camille for a second. She was a junior — which meant that Sean’s dad was doing it with her mom when Mrs. Drucker was pregnant with Sean.
The fact that Sean didn’t know led me to another thought. “If Sean and Camille ever got involved, that would be really messed up.”
Continue reading Graduation: Part 2
The next day wasn’t much better.
You know how in the Harry Potter books, there always seems to be some period in which Malfoy struts around as if he owns the school? That’s what happened with Sean. And not just Sean, everybody in Justice Fist got attention.
Sean, Dayton, Jody, Camille, and Julie seemed to be surrounded with people all day. Even the teachers seemed to want to hear about it.
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