Not Your Villain (Sidekick Squad #2)(41)

Emma frowns. “We can’t let them do any tests on her. They’ll know immediately she’s a meta-human. And then they’ll turn her over to the League!”

Bells opens the car door, gesturing for Emma to get inside. “Are you forgetting who works at the hospital?”

“Doctors? Nurses? Halebots?”

“Your mom!” Bells and Jess say at the same time.

Emma rubs her head. “It’s a really stressful situation, okay!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be there soon,” Bells tells Jess.

“Okay—”

And then Bells’ DED dies.

With the torrent of rain and the rumble of thunder, the ride is more than a bit terrifying. The car skids and hits the sign that reads, Warning: Now Entering Unmaintained Zone, sending it flying into the night, but Emma just keeps speeding forward.

They almost miss the turn, but finally get through the canyon. At the last bend, the car lights illuminate a rain-sodden Jess, kicking at Abby’s car.

The car’s computer tries to boot up. “System starting…” it repeats.

“That won’t make it go any faster!” he yells at Jess as he tumbles out of the car.

“It makes me feel better!”

Jess hugs Bells and Emma. “I didn’t know what to think when the line went dead.”

“Just ran out of battery,” Bells says. “Were you trying to meet us in town?”

In the front seat, Abby is groaning, struggling to sit up. Jess tucks a lock of Abby’s hair behind her ear. “Is it getting worse? Are you okay?”

“Don’t know. Dizzy.” Abby closes her eyes and sways. Definitely not good. She waves weakly at Emma and Bells.

The three of them help Abby to Emma’s car, and then they speed into the night.

The hospital is an attractive set of green buildings surrounding a small park with rock formations and a cactus garden. The green comes from swirling patches of algae growing in the water-filled glass walls—one of the town’s many vertical protein farms. Bells always thought the blooming trails of green dancing in the water were pretty, but they seem strange at night, opaque and threatening.

The lobby is empty, aside from one man talking about his headache to a Halebot hovering near him in the corner. Abby sinks into a chair, and Jess sits next to her.

Emma eyes dart around. “She recently changed departments. I don’t know where her new one is… Hey, can you tell me where the oncology department is?”

The Halebot slows to a halt in front of Emma. Unlike MonRobots, the Halebots boast soft features. Their work in medicine is mostly in administration, reception, and taking vitals, and they are the size and cuddliness of pillows. A small panel in the front displays a cheerful, smiling icon. “Hello. What seems to be troubling you today?”

“I need to find my mom!”

The Halebot keeps smiling. “I didn’t quite catch that. Can you repeat your request or select one of the following…”

“That way!” Jess points at a set of closed doors.

“Ugh, Halebots,” Abby groans and pushes the fluffy robot aside while it continues to rattle off its list. “They’re good for hugs and taking temperatures, that’s it.”

“Would you like a hug?” The bot floats toward Abby and adopts a comforting tone.

“No, get away,” Abby says, pushing the bot. It floats away, undeterred.

“Your temperature is 100.3 degrees. This is outside the acceptable range. Please follow me to a cubicle, where a nurse will be with you shortly.”

“Ugh, worst A.I. system ever,” Abby says. “Can’t believe you brought me here. I’m surrounded by talking marshmallows.”

Bells bites back a laugh. The Halebots are cute, but it’s probably not a good time to say so. “Jess, stay here and watch Abby. Message me if you need anything. Jess, which way?”

“Right,” Jess says, and directs them to a set of doors. Bells and Emma hurry through to the main hospital. A few doctors hustle past, but they’re too caught up in their work to notice the teens.

“Mom! Mom!” Emma waves frantically.

Josephine Gutierrez looks up from the holodisplay in her hands. “Emma? What are you doing here? You should all be home! Didn’t you hear the warning? There’s no power!”

“It’s Abby,” Bells says. “She’s in the waiting room, and it has to do with—” He lowers his voice to a hushed whisper. “—powers.”

“Right, right, okay.” Dr. Gutierrez waves over two Halebots and types something into their panels. The Halebots re-form into a fluffy stretcher. “These will follow you to get Abby and then bring you to an empty room. I’ll run some tests there.”

“How long do you think it’ll take?” Bells asks.

Emma frowns. “I don’t know.”

The waiting room’s holoprojector is on, and Bells flicks through the channels until he finally turns off the live feed to look for games, anything to distract them.

Muttering softly with her arms crossed, Jess paces the hallway.

Finally, the door opens, and Dr. Gutierrez steps out.

“Mom!” Emma rushes to Josephine, who hugs her tightly.

“Well, it looks like your friend is going to be all right. I’m not entirely sure how the meta-powers influenced this. What do you call it when you exhaust yourself?”