Not Your Villain (Sidekick Squad #2)(62)

He’s shaking. He’s afraid of losing his powers, afraid of Orion, afraid of a life where he couldn’t find the joy of changing his appearance, couldn’t use his abilities to be a hero and protect his friends and others.

But there are more ways to help people.

“Go ahead,” Bells says, staring her down.

There is no sound but the whine of wind outside.

Eyes as cold as ice, Orion stares at him. “You’ll change your mind.”

She transfers the serum back into its vial, shuts the little case, and then turns around. Her ragged cape trails after her as she steps out of the cell.

Claudia is watching Bells with an unreadable expression; her mouth is pinched as if she wants to say something.

She follows Orion and turns around to bend the bars closed.

“Come along, Claudia. We’ve got work to do.”

Claudia nods and follows Orion down the hallway, but not before she turns around and glances back at Bells once more.

Bells has given up counting the cracks in the ceiling and the number of bars and has already documented all the interesting parts of his cell. He’s paced it, measured it, and now he’s on his back, daydreaming about his dad’s gumbo—and a huge slab of cornbread.

His stomach growls, and Bells groans.

He hears footsteps and voices. It’s Claudia and Orion in the warehouse, and Bells strains to listen.

“We can have him take the supplement again in a few hours, measure the effect of compound usage—”

“No, no, I already have the data I need from you. I just needed another meta-human to make sure that you weren’t imagining the results. Now that I know it’s working—”

“Of course it’s working.” Claudia huffs.

“We’re going to have to find more meta-humans to do the stamina trials.”

“What about Bells?”

“Chameleon? Useless. You heard him back there. He won’t participate in the experiment.”

“We could take him with us. The three of us, with our powers, we could be unstoppable. We could challenge the League together. We don’t have to—”

Orion snorts. “Didn’t you hear what he said? That kind of conviction? He’ll never see reason. After all, I can still run the experiments with just his blood. Best to leave him here to freeze to death.”

There’s silence, and then Claudia speaks in a clipped tone. “You know, I never thought I’d see the day when Captain Orion willingly gets her hands dirty.”

The ensuing laugh is cold. “Please. You know I’m willing to do anything to get my status back. Come along. I have a contact who may know where the Registry is being kept. Let’s go.”

The footsteps fade, and then Bells is left alone again.

Bells awakes to the sound of metal creaking. “Back to taunt me?” he asks.

Claudia’s face is barely visible in the dark, and it takes a moment for Bells to figure out what she’s doing. She’s holding one of the metal bars, and it’s bent in half. “Go.”

“What?” He steps forward. Is this a trap?

“Go on, don’t make me regret this.”

“Claudia—”

“I’m serious,” she says, tapping her foot, and looking every inch the annoyed Jess’ big sister that he remembers. “Here’s your DED and a credit chip. There’s enough to get a hovertrain to Vegas, and from there you can make your way back to Andover.”

Too many things are happening at once, but Bells steps out of the cell, straps the DED to his wrist, and pockets the chip. “Thanks, Claudia. You don’t know how much this—”

“Shut up and get out of here.”

“Come on, come with me. Jess misses you. Your parents miss you. You can’t enjoy being at Orion’s beck and call.”

“I can’t. Someone’s got to keep an eye on her.”

“But— you’re helping me, you obviously don’t—”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m already stuck here and, believe me, I’m already doing all I can to stop Orion from perfecting those supplements.”

Another thought occurs to him, something that’s been at the back of his mind for some time. “You’ve known it was me. Chameleon. All along.”

Claudia rolls her eyes. “You weren’t exactly subtle back at the base.”

“And you told Orion.”

“Of course. Apparently I didn’t know everything, though. You’re stronger than your files say you are. I lied about the measurements I took last night, so I would have proof that the ‘supplements’ worked today. But you’re A-class.”

“Are you gonna tell her?”

Claudia’s eyebrows raise. “Maybe. If it’s useful to me. At the moment it isn’t.”

Bells blinks. “But why…” Why haven’t you turned me in before, he wants to know. This whole time, he thought Orion was the biggest threat. But now he doesn’t know. “You haven’t told the League. So you’re… part of the Resistance?”

“Ugh, no. Like I would work with those losers.” Claudia huffs, seeming much more like her old self.

“Why are you helping me?”

Claudia scoffs. “Please. I’m helping me. I’ve got my own plans, and believe me, I’m still gonna come out of this on top, a hero and everything that goes with it.”