Not Your Villain (Sidekick Squad #2)(32)
“This is about keeping you safe,” Victor says. “This is about keeping all of you safe. I know you kids want very much to just stop the League right now, but it’s not that simple. You know what happens if we make a stand right now? They throw us all in Corrections. Right now, the Tran family is not a threat to them. They still think we’re on their side. And Abby, your parents have kept you under the radar your whole life.”
“Do you understand? No one is looking for you. They’ve tied up all their loose ends—except for Chameleon,” Li Hua says. “And you’ve already taken care of that with your careful double-identity. Just don’t wear that supersuit again and you’ll be fine.”
It’s early, not even dawn on Saturday. Though the alarm is off and it’s the start of winter break, Bells is wide awake. He hasn’t slept all night; he’s been turning over the news in his head. Looking for more info, he set an alert on his DED, and at four forty-five a.m. it chirps with a broadcast from the East Coast. Starscream, who has been featured in human interest pieces because of his on-and-off relationship with Captain Orion, is nodding sagely at Wilton Lysander. “It is alarming how Orion has infringed upon human rights by experimenting on people in order to achieve her prolonged power use.” He sniffs and wipes away a tear. “She fooled me. She fooled us all.”
“Absolutely shocking,” Lysander says, shaking his head. “The League of Heroes has publicly denounced Orion and severed all ties with her. Up next: We interview three heroes from the League about their sinister suspicions of Cindy Oliphaous…”
Bells replays the report, looks for something, any clue, then scowls and drops the link into the group chat. He isn’t expecting a reply, but it immediately pings with a response.
Jess: well at least… ugh, hang on, this is annoying
[User Abby has joined the chat.]
Jess: oh i added abby since it was easier than messaging all of you at the same time, hope that’s ok
Bells: OF COURSE HI ABBY
Bells: EMMA DID WANT TO DO AN INITIATION BEFORE SHE JOINED THOUGH
Abby: Initiation?
Bells: IT’S A THING
Bells: DON’T WORRY EMMA CAN TELL YOU ABOUT IT WHEN SHE’S AWAKE
Jess: ok yeah i was saying it’s something, right? at least the league is acknowledging that what orion did was wrong
Bells: BUT SHE SAID IT WAS ON THEIR ORDERS
Abby: They’re not taking responsibility. They’re using Orion as the scapegoat
Emma: !!! go!! back!!! to !!! sleep!! muting ALL of you
Emma: yes, there’s an initiation
[User b-mastermind has joined the chat.]
Emma: who is this!??!!? who invited them?
Abby: Not me
Bells: NO IDEA. WHO ARE YOU B
Emma: how did you even get in here without the access code
Jess: uh, i think… gimme a sec…
b-mastermind: This Is Not A Secure Channel.
[Group chat “Stop changing the name of the chat” has been deleted by b-mastermind.]
[User Jess is inviting you to “New Group Chat.”]
[Users Abby and Emma have joined the chat.]
Jess: sorry guys brendan is being annoying
Jess: he says he has a plan??? to find the
Emma: really? that would involve leaving his bedroom though
Bells: BAHAHA
Abby: Find the what
Jess: the re—
[Group chat “New Group Chat” has been deleted by b-mastermind.]
Bells raises his eyebrows and turns off all projections on his DED. Outside his window, the first slivers of light peek over the horizon. On a whim, he puts on his running shoes; he hasn’t had a regular exercise regime since training.
Getting back in shape will probably come in handy.
His breath makes a cloud around his head. He gets into a rhythm; his body wakes up as he trots around his neighborhood and toward the edge of town and the desert beyond, just a vast expanse of parched land stretching toward the horizon. A single highway cuts through the canyons.
The Unmaintained zones used to terrify him, but he knows better now. How many areas are actually still dangerous from radiation, and how many are falsely claimed to be still radioactive by the Collective?
His shoes crunch on the gravel, and he pauses to catch his breath. Despite the cold morning air, his skin is hot. The sun is gleaming, stretching up into the sky, and the world slowly changes: cool, blue shadows turn softly to gentle, easy warmth. Light touches the solar fields just outside Andover. The city starts to hustle. Cars zip about; lights turn on and off.
The knot of anxiety about Orion and the League uncoils as Bells falls into a steady rhythm. His feet hit the ground; the air brushes past him. Inhale. Exhale.
Bells runs past a billboard with Barry’s face on it. WANTED, the sign reads. He’s public enemy number one now. It’s surreal to think about how the League treated him when he was the golden boy, and now he’s the scapegoat.
Running past the billboard sets off a motion-sensor datachip, and Bells’ DED plays a recorded message, projecting a small hologram of Lowell Kingston. It flickers and bounces as he runs, and Bells tries to turn it off, but it’s on an automatic play loop and has to finish.
“Hello, I’m Lowell Kingston, the President of the Central Regions of the North American Collective.” Solemn and official, he points at the camera. “The Council would like to assure the citizens of the North American Collective that Cindy Oliphaous—also known as Captain Orion—has been apprehended. She is standing trial for illegal meta-human experimentation and violating human rights. The Heroes’ League of Heroes has also issued a statement that Chameleon, formerly of the League, was seen with Orion at a League facility, and the two were responsible for its destruction. While Oliphaous has been sent to Corrections, we would like to remind you that Chameleon is still at large and very dangerous.”