As amusing as that would be, I had another idea. With the flick of a finger, my powers transformed all four of the horsemen’s faces, making them look like circus clowns. The trick would wear off at some point, but it’d make their booking photos more amusing. I’d much prefer to steal Death’s scythe and leave them bruised and bloodied. At least this would get them roughed up in prison.
“You’re evil,” Orion said.
“Sometimes.”
An officer tipped his hat to us as he approached. The burly man had a half-cocked smile on his face. “I know this isn’t professional.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Would you mind if I took a photo?”
Orion gave me an elbow to the arm, and I had to resist hissing. The Lone Horsemen had been an easy victory, but the nightly patrols were taking their toll. If I couldn’t find a super with healing abilities, I’d need to take a vacation while the bruises healed.
We struck poses.
He snapped the photo and held up his finger. “That’s for the app. I want one for the guys at the department. They’ll never believe I met Failsafe and Tint.” I would like to say this was unheard of, but we were literally thecreators of this phenomenon. He made a peace sign while angling the camera to get his face in the shot. He snapped the photo, and by the time the flash faded, Orion had already grabbed me under the arms and launched us into the air.
Soaring above the city had once been terrifying, especially after Orion dropped me that one time. I didn’t like being dragged around like a rag doll, but it gave me a moment to see Vanguard from the sky. From up here, it was almost peaceful. I’m sure I’d be able to find trouble in Southland, but I tried to push it out of my head and enjoy the serenity of the moment.
We landed onourrooftop, a twelve-story apartment building. It had become our post-mission rendezvous spot. Orion’s jet pack cut off, and we dropped the last few feet. It’d only take another second before?—
“Friends! I have arrived.”
The night air stirred as Wyatt landed. He held three ice cream cones. By the chocolate smudged around his lips and coating his beard, I suspected there had been four when he started. Ice cream from Geppetto’s was his reward for not destroying a building. It should have been funny, or even ridiculous, that three superheroes celebrated with Vanguard’s best ice cream.
“Chocolate peanut butter chunk for Drew.” He handed me the cone with three scoops. I eyed Wyatt. Somewherealong the way, a scoop had vanished. “Wyatt, what have we said about stealing ice cream?”
Orion took his vanilla ice cream before glaring at Wyatt.
“Friends!” Wyatt said. “Janet introduced me to the friend tax.”
I shook my head. I swear, as we helped Wyatt learn Earth customs, Janet did her best to be a chaos monkey. There was no point in correcting him as his tongue slathered his ice cream. As long as there was sugar in front of the big guy, he’d never hear me.
“What do you think LaToya is going to say?” Orion asked.
We moved to the ledge of the building, taking a seat while we devoured our ice cream. The mention of her name gave me anxiety, not because of her ability to impose fear, but because of what it would mean if we lost this contract. The thought of Arthur’s face as I delivered the bad news made my heart hurt.
“She’ll take the offer.” My words betrayed my confidence. Even I could hear the uncertainty in my words. “I think.”
“Friend Drew. Have faith in yourself. You are an amazing employee.”
I shivered at the compliment. Wyatt smiled, chocolate covering his lips and beard. We spent all day working together,and I felt as if I didn’t quite fit in. Even as we patrolled, my abilities didn’t make me a threat. I ran defense while they fought. On the rooftop was the only time the insecurities quieted. It only took an alien, a madman, and a little ice cream.
“It’ll happen,” Orion said. “I’ve seen inside their computers. They already recreated our app.” I could already hear Arthur lecturing Orion and citing the dozen laws he had broken. “As much as it pains me to admit it, the app is the easy part. That officer down there snapping photos of us? LaToya can’t buy that goodwill.”
“You took photos? Without me?”
Orion patted Wyatt on the leg. “Poses and all.”
“That makes me sad.” Wyatt’s back straightened. “But you know what would make me happy again?” He eyed his empty hand, and in a blur, he vanished.
“He’s going to make himself sick,” I said. Wyatt was good at a lot of things; moderation wasn’t one of them. “I can’t carry him up his stairs again.”
“So,” Orion said.
“So?”
“I thought you should know about a recent addition to the board.”
My muscles tensed at the mention oftheboard. Orion’s number-one hobby involved a giant corkboard where he tracked his conspiracy theories. The only person from the office on it was Janet. He believed she had something to do with global warming. I wouldn’t beshocked. Last time I saw it, a blurry photograph of Hellion had been added to the corner. Now that my alter ego had made it into his crosshairs, I feared someday he’d connect the dots.
“Your boyfriend.”
