Not Your Villain (Sidekick Squad #2)(15)

“Barry? Barry, are you listening?”

“Of course, sir.” He looks up at Harris and tilts his head. “And aren’t you supposed to call me by my hero name now?”

Harris rolls his eyes. “Kids these days. All right, Chameleon.”

Bells does a little internal victory dance.

It’s happening.

Harris folds his arms. “Being the youngest member of the League is a big deal, and everyone is very excited. But. Don’t expect any major missions until you’re of age.”

Bells wants to bring up Powerstorm and her early missions, but she didn’t start in her own territory of Crystal Springs until she had finished college. He must be an exception to even have missions.

Harris flicks at something on his DED, and Bells’ own DED buzzes as it receives multiple files. He opens the main folder: a manual, a guidebook, and several other files.

“You’ve been approved to do hero work in and around Andover County. Remember that this is the territory of Shockwave and Smasher, so they should have most things covered. Your job is to build your reputation as a hero.”

“Okay, building up my reputation. Got it,” Bells says. “Anything else?”

“Yes. For your combat training, we’ll have you shapeshift into popular villains. Since you’re still in school, travel will be limited to one weekend a month and restricted to Western regions. Do you have an issue with this?”

Combat! Bells is excited to prove his worth. “I’m ready.”

Rebecca, the suit designer, is chirpy and tall and speaks in high-pitched tones. When she gets excited, she talks faster and faster, and Bells has to ask her to repeat herself.

Now, it’s finally real. Rebecca measures him for his new outfit and listens intently to his ideas. They toy with the idea of a full bodysuit, but Bells doesn’t want to cover his hair, and Rebecca agrees. They aim for something simple: a half-face mask and matching bodysuit. Bells loves how the iridescent green fabric shimmers and how it picks up different hues in the light, like a secret rainbow. The fabric is stretchy and thin and designed to be easy to shift. Shifting his own clothing takes a certain amount of concentration, but with the supersuit he can easily slip in and out of different outfits.

Bells winks at himself in the mirror as he tries on his hero suit and barely listens to Rebecca as she walks him through the support features and the tech that can be linked to his DED.

“You’ll be able to make calls directly through the suit, and this function is a direct line to your League rep…”

“Oh? Cool.” Bells activates it with a simple gesture.

Harris answers in an annoyed tone. “Chameleon,” he says. “Hurry and finish with Rebecca; you still need to meet me afterward in the research center.”

Aw, this guy is no fun at all. He turns off the comm link and, after a quick run-through of the suit’s capabilities, realizes that the League is going to track their tech through the suit.

“Hey, will I be able to take this suit home?” Bells asks Rebecca.

“When we feel you are responsible enough, yes. For now, we’ll give you locations in Old Andover where you can pick up and drop off the suit. We’ll be making modifications as your missions progress to make it the best possible support for you. And you’ll have to check in with me after each mission; I want to see how efficiently this material works with your powers.”

“Pretty good so far,” Bells says, shifting into Rebecca and giving her a thumbs up.

Rebecca grins at Bells over her glasses, shoves her hands into the pockets of her sleek black coat, and asks, “Are you ready?”

“You already gave me my supersuit,” Bells says, but her mood is infectious, and he finds himself smiling as well.

“Transportation,” Rebecca says.

“The bus system is really good, and Harris said all my missions were gonna be in Andover County or Vegas, so it shouldn’t be a problem—”

“You don’t have reliable transportation of your own, and it is paramount that your assignments are completed on time.” Rebecca walks as she talks, not checking to see if Bells is following. They pass uniformed workers who are making a sleek new car with Aerodraft’s colors and a hover board with Arête’s logo.

“Even heroes with super-speed or flight are given a vehicle so they don’t use their powers getting from place to place. On your intake form you specified that you don’t like automobiles?”

“They’re all right.” Bells shrugs. “I mostly get around on my bike, or take the bus, or program the car if no one is using it.”

Rebecca clicks her tongue. “That won’t do. We’re gonna get you outfitted in style. Chameleon is going to be the newest, freshest face of everything. We can’t have you taking the bus to do your hero work. How would that look in holovids?”

She draws back a curtain and Bells gasps at the sight of a sleek motorcycle in shining chrome with green highlights to match his suit. He runs his hand across the handlebars; the metal shimmers, reflecting a myriad of colors. “I love the color,” he says.

“Have you ever operated one of these?”

Bells shakes his head.

Rebecca explains how to connect it to a charging port, how to turn on the engine, how to brake and turn. She unhooks the cable from the charging port, wheels the cycle out, and jerks her head at Bells. “Let’s get you out to the track!”