Authors: S.J. Delos
“You’re leaving, too?”
I grabbed the clothes from the day before and looked at them. They needed more than a good washing. They needed a priest to come perform Last Rites. “Yeah. I got a new job and a place to stay.” I looked over my shoulder at her. “I doubt those punks will come back.” I resumed my task and wrapped my fingers around the clock.
“What about Derek?”
I put Spidey into the sack and sighed. “He’s probably not coming back, Natalie,” I said softly. “I think he might have found a new job, too.” Or went back to the one he never left. Though, if he was still in Martin’s employ, why encourage me to join the Good Guys? Too many variables made for not enough information and more unanswered questions than I’d like.
“He’s always been here for us. Organizing and planning. He made the deal with the gangs to let us stay in their territory and helped make sure we had enough food.” She shrugged. “He’s even been able to find some of us jobs and new homes.”
I stood up, turning to face her. “What do you mean?”
“There used to be more of us,” she said. “Some were able to get off the street and others just decided to try their luck elsewhere.”
“Were any of them Enhanced?”
Natalie shrugged again. “I don’t know. Maybe. If they were, they didn’t reveal any powers or abilities.”
I shook my head, slipping the pack on my shoulder. The Down and Out Enhanced were exactly the type that Martin liked to recruit. After all, an employee you’ve helped off the street is going to be more loyal than one who’s already got it made. “Damn, I’m an idiot.”
“Why?”
“Numerous reasons, Natalie.”
She looked at me curiously and then sat down on a crate. “What are we going to do now?”
“I suggest going to a shelter. Or something. It may not be safe for you, Antonio, or the rest to stay here.” I bit down on the inside of my cheek. “Derek might be involved with someone bad. Someone you don’t want to get involved with.”
“Derek wouldn’t hurt us, Karen. You don’t know him like I do.”
“Actually, I probably know him better than you or the others. We have a bit of shared history.”
She shrugged again, staring down at her feet. “Whatever. Thanks for last night, I guess.”
I headed towards the door, trying to think of something to say that would comfort her. Some piece of advice that would see her through. Instead, I didn’t even bother to stop. “Good luck,” was all I said before stepping outside again.
The walk back downtown took me almost an hour. Several times I stopped and debated changing my mind. If Martin was pulling strings I couldn’t see, the last thing I wanted to be was where he wanted me. The paranoia would be enough to drive anyone insane.
“Fuck it,” I whispered to the empty air around me. “I’m doing this for me.”
I tilted my head back and looked at the top of the Paulus Building, rising up higher than the surrounding structures. The late afternoon sunlight gleamed off the Double G affixed to one corner of the roof, illuminating the team’s symbol for all to see. There were people in that building that would be perfectly happy to send me back to prison and plasma-weld my cell door closed. But there were also people who thought that I could be more than the muscle for a demented super-criminal.
One of whom was far too excited about being my dorm neighbor.
When I got back to the lobby, the place was empty and quiet. Joelle worked behind her desk, writing with three hands and rubbing the back of her neck with a fourth. The dent Mechanix had put in the wall (with my assistance) was still there, but the receptionist’s desk had been repaired to its previous luster.
The brunette peered at me over the tops of her glasses, this time with a look that was less accusatory and more … accepting. “Good afternoon, Miss Hashimoto. I have some things for you.”
I detoured from my path to the elevators and headed to the desk. Joelle placed a small manila envelope on top and a clipboard beside it. The document it held seemed to be several dozen pages in length.
“What’s this,” I asked as I picked up the envelope.
“A temporary key card that will get you into the building after-hours and operates the team elevator up to headquarters. You won’t need it once Daniel puts your biometrics into the system. The contract is the standard hero by-laws as established by EAPF Regulations 17.1.Alpha.3 and 17.1.Alpha.5.”
I arched a brow, flipping through the pages of legalese. “Sorry, I don’t think I’m familiar with those rules.”
She smiled at me the way you’d smile at an idiot who hasn’t mastered the complex intricacies of doorknob operation. “Basically, Alpha.3 says that registered heroes are responsible for ensuring the public good at all times, regardless of any team-established duty hours. Alpha.5 says that the penalties for registered heroes who commit a crime are to be doubled in severity.” That condescending grin widened. “So I’d keep my nose clean if I were you, Miss Hashimoto.” One slender finger tapped on the clipboard. “If you would be so kind as to sign the last page, I can get this processed and go home.”
I picked up the pen and placed it on the line. Before I could scribble my name, however, the girl cleared her throat. “Your legal name, if you please, Miss Hashimoto.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “We’re not going to be friends, are we, Joelle?” I signed my birth name to the document and slid the clipboard back to her.
“Considering that your former boss is responsible for the death of a friend of mine, probably not.” She steepled six sets of fingers beneath her chin and regarded me coolly. “Though, I might be willing to buy you lunch if you’ll drag his ass to the Max and leave him there to rot.”
I scooped up the envelope and shook out the hard plastic card within. “He’d be out in less than an hour, Joelle, and pissed-off beyond belief.”
“Let him be pissed. Is that really such a bad thing?” The amusement in her voice told me that despite her occupation, she had no idea what kind of a person Martin really was.
“No, it’s not a bad thing. It’s the worst thing.” I turned and walked to the elevator. Expecting a parting shot, I was surprised when I climbed into the car without another word from her. The doors slid closed and I zoomed up to meet with my new teammates.
Since Alexis had been the most excited about my recruitment, I half-expected her to be waiting by the elevator when the doors opened. Instead, Rocket stood there with his arms across his chest and a scowl plastered on his face. For a second, I thought I was going to have to push past him. However, he stepped aside and allowed me to exit the car. “Something you need, Rocket?”
“I don’t like you, Crushette,” he said as his arms unfolded so he could point at me. “I think that –”
“It’s Karen now. At least until I pick a new code name.”
“Whatever. The point is, I’m watching you. Everywhere you go, I’m going to have my eyes on you.”
I smiled and moved past him towards the hallway. “Even in the shower, Robert? That’s a little dirty, don’t you think?” I glanced back over my shoulder to see his face glowing a lovely shade of scarlet.
“That’s not what I mean and you know it!”
I laughed and walked away, feeling somewhat better than I had since leaving the warehouse. Nothing like a little banter to get your mind off things. When I got to the entertainment room, Alexis was sitting on one end of the sofa, swiping through a social network app on a tablet. Omega-Girl sat at the other end, watching some entertainment news program.
The teen smiled and hopped up, tucking the tablet under her arm. “You’re back.” Her enthusiasm was contagious and I grinned wider despite myself.
Omega-Girl rolled her eyes and changed the channel. “Way to state the obvious, Lexi.” Then she arched a perfectly plucked brow and nodded her head in the direction of the elevators. “I take it Robbie gave you his warning?”
I heard Rocket’s footsteps behind me and I continued to look at the blonde on the sofa as I nodded. “Yeah. Apparently he’s interested in watching me bathe.”
Alexis gasped and looked over my shoulder to her teammate. “Robert!”
“That’s not what I meant. She’s twisting my words around.”
I turned, keeping the smile on my face as I looked at Alexis. “Want to show me where I can put my stuff?” Then I glanced at Rocket. “I also want to check to make sure the lock on the bathroom door works.”
The teen giggled, covering her mouth with one hand and moved towards the dorms. “This way, Karen.”
As I left the room, I heard his protests to Omega-Girl. “That’s not what I meant.”
Phantasm stopped in front of number eight and looked back at me. “I guess this is your room now.” She tapped the panel next to the frame and the door slid open. As I’d seen in the teen’s room earlier, there was a computer workspace, a polished titanium dresser, a large wall monitor, and a separate bath. The bed, however, was a king-sized mattress supported by a reinforced dura-steel frame. I also noticed the ceiling was easily twelve feet high.
Alexis followed my gaze and then looked at me with a slight frown. “Denise would sometimes have nightmares. Stuff from before she joined the team. Lots of times she’d get big before she could wake up.”
I put my hand on her arm, giving it a careful squeeze. “I’m sorry, Alexis.”
The teen wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand and then waved at the room with the other. “Anyways, Greg said that it would be perfect for your use and I think he’s right. Besides, it’ll be nice to have a neighbor.”
“What do you mean? What about the other rooms?”
“Oh,” she said with a shrug. “Richard sleeps upstairs in the penthouse, Greg’s room is down near the briefing room, and Daniel doesn’t sleep.”
“Doesn’t sleep?”
Alexis nodded. “Yeah. Says his brain is too busy. He naps from time to time, I think. But most of the time he’s working in his lab.”
I wasn’t surprised. Martin never slept more than thirty minutes at a time for the same reason. “What about Rocket and Omega-Girl?”
“Robbie lives with his girlfriend a couple of blocks from here. And Darla … she used to be in Number Three.” She pointed back at the hallway. “But now she spends most of her nights with Richard.”
My mouth swung open all by itself. “You mean she and Captain Awesome?”
The teen waved her hands. “Let’s not talk about it, okay? They act like there’s nothing going on, but everyone already knows. And they know we all know.” She sighed and tugged at her ponytail. “It’s very awkward, too. Because he leers at anything female.”
I tossed the pack on the bed and flipped open the top. “Nice to know that heroes can be as dysfunctional as villains.” When I’d emptied the bag of my meager belongings, I shoved it under the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. “Well, I guess it’s real now. All settled in.”
Alexis blinked and looked at the small stack of clothes resting on top of the dresser. “Wait. That’s it? That’s all your stuff?”
“Afraid so, kiddo.”
“You can’t start off your new career like that.” She shook her head and grabbed my arm, pulling me off the bed. Actually, she pulled and I stood up, since there was no way her tiny frame was about to move my dense ass. “Nope. Nada. No way.”
“Where are we going?”
“Shopping. The Galleria is open until ten.”
“Alexis, I’m broke. I mean
really
broke.”
The teen laughed. “So? We’ll just use my card until you get one.” When I ceased my forward momentum (and it caused her to be yanked to a stop), she glanced at me. “What?”
“I can’t let you spend your money on buying me stuff, Alexis.”
“It’s not my money, Karen. Not exactly. Richard got us all team credit cards in our names. But the bill is paid by his company and the funding from the EAPF. Since none of us can have a normal job and be superheroes.” She tugged on my arm again. “I’m sure Greg would agree that you should get whatever you need to feel comfortable.”
“Fine, fine.” I let her resume leading me out of my new quarters and towards the elevator. Maybe she was right and Manpower wouldn’t mind me using a bit of the group funding to get some supplies. God knows, I needed some personal hygiene items and a new wardrobe.
When we got to the entertainment room, Rocket was gone and Omega had ditched the television in favor of a gossip magazine. “Where’re you off to, Alexis?” she asked, not bothering to look at us.
"We're going down to the Galleria to get Karen some new clothes and stuff. You wanna come with?" The bouncy teen sounded damned near ready to break into song.
Omega lowered the magazine and peered at me for a second and then cut her eyes over at Alexis. "Are you joking? Her being on the team is one thing. But I’m not going to be seen hanging casual with an ex-con. And I sure as shit am not going shopping with one."
Alexis frowned. "You know that Greg said we had to try to all get along with Karen and work together as a team. Stop being such a … bitch."
"It's okay, Alexis. I don’t want to get a fashion advice from a bleach-blonde bimbo who wears the equivalent of butt-floss into battle."
The teen snickered and the next thing I knew I was lying on my back on top of the remnants of the coffee table, staring up at the ceiling. The front of the borrowed t-shirt sported a smoldering hole in the belly from the heat of the plasma burst. I rolled over and climbed back to my feet, looking at Omega-Girl.