Hero Unit (16 page)

“There was a Mental Class, one of the
detectors, who nearly committed suicide after she tried to
determine my limits. I remember feeling her power touch me and then
recoil and she started screaming. This was a girl that had people
like Tomahawk, Bane and Hellfire as points of reference. She’d
tested them all as part of her qualification process and my power
was enough to make her want to kill herself. That was not an easy
thing for me to deal with, so I ran. The military seemed like the
best choice.”

“Did she ever recover?” Amy asked.

We should probably find that out.

“Don’t know. I haven’t bothered to find out.
I’d done enough damage to her already. I can’t imagine what seeing
me would do to her. My point is you have time before you make the
decision. Go to school, break world records, fall in love, get your
heart broken, live as normal a life as an Exceptional can, then
once you’ve done that see if you still want to join the E.E.D. And
if you do that, when the time comes and you still want to join I’ll
speak with mom and dad for you.”

Amy nodded. Ace knew her sister well enough
to know that her words had had an effect. She just hoped it was for
the better. Later she would talk to her parents about the
conversation. Ace hoped very much that it would placate them a
little.

After a few more minutes of silence while her
parents mourned the fallen they were joined by Bones. “Are those
your parents?” he asked watching Ace’s mom and dad as they read the
list of names.

Ace nodded. “These are my siblings Aaron and
Amy,” she indicated her brother and sister and said, “Aaron, Amy
this is Bones, head of the E.E.D in New Davenport.”

Bones shook their hands and said, “It is a
pleasure to meet you. Your sister is one of my best officers. I
hope you know that she is a Hero in every sense of the word.” Ace
blushed at such high praise.

Her parents came over and her father said,
“Bones? Is that really you?”

Ace blinked. Then saw something that made her
look harder at her commanding officer. It was unmistakable now that
the two men were standing together; there was a resemblance between
Bones and her father. “It’s good to see you again Abraham,” Bones
replied and both men embraced.

I thought he looked familiar!

Seeing the confused looks on her children’s
faces Ace’s mom explained, “Bones is your father’s younger brother,
your uncle.”

“But how- when- but he,” Ace sputtered trying
to figure it out and failing.

“I had thought Ace looked familiar the first
time I laid eyes on her, but her records were sealed tighter than
any other Exceptional, and that’s just not something you ask
about,” Bones explained stepping away from his brother. Standing
side-by-side the family resemblance was unmistakable. The same
slightly crooked smile, the same almost too strong jaw line. Ace
wondered how she’d missed it before.

You didn’t miss it, you just never put the
pieces together.

“We had to. It was just too dangerous to be
known as the First of the Fourth Generation and as the father of
the only Fifth. It took a lot of work, but the old man helped.
Officially Ace’s mother died in child birth and her father
committed suicide as a result,” Ace’s father explained.

“Figures he’d have his hand in things, what
about Grandma Smith, is she aware?” Bones asked.

“Aware. She was there when Ace was born. She
confirmed what she was and then set out to make sure we were as
protected as she could possibly make us. She and the old man almost
got into an argument over how it would be handled,” Ace’s mother
replied.

Ace sat down on one of the many benches in
Monument Park and did her best to figure some things out. Her
parents had always been closemouthed about their families. Ace had
figured it had something to do with their choice to be Regs instead
of joining the E.E.D, but apparently there was more to it than
that. Her parents had stayed separate from the rest of their family
to protect them, just like she had.

“Do you know what they’re talking about,
Ace?” Aaron asked. She nodded, but didn’t dare explain. That was
her parents’ responsibility. She wasn’t going to overstep her
boundaries. If they hadn’t told her siblings yet, then she wasn’t
going to. She was still trying to grasp the idea that she had been
working in the same city as her uncle and she hadn’t even known
it.

“Did you ever end up marrying Spark?” Ace’s
mom said.

“Yeah, she said yes not long after Ace was
born. I wish you could have been there, but the old man told me
what you were going through. If you want I can bring her and the
kids over. I’m guessing you’re staying at Ace’s castle,” Bones
replied and again Ace blushed. Her house wasn’t that big. She
should know, she’d been in a couple of actual castles during her
missions in Eastern Europe.

“That would be great,” Ace’s dad said.

“We’ll be over around five, will that work?”
Bones asked. He was looking at Ace for confirmation. She gave
herself a shake and said, “I think so. I’ll have to call and let
Emily know we are expecting more for dinner. You have three… no
four kids.”

Bones smiled. “They will be happy to finally
get a chance to meet their famous cousin.”

That evening was an emotional time for Ace.
For the first time in her life she had a chance to meet some of her
extended family. She’d always wondered if she had aunts, uncles or
cousins. In the back of her mind she couldn’t help but wonder if it
was okay. She was a target for a lot of people. She might be nearly
invincible, but she couldn't protect everyone. The more people got
close to her the more danger they were in.

And as always it is their choice. Bones
knows just how dangerous it is to be part of a famous family.

Sometime after dinner Ace was taking a break
from everything on her back porch. It had a spectacular view over
the city, stationed as her house was on one of the bluffs. Bones
joined her and said, “Feeling a little overwhelmed?”

Ace shrugged. “It’s a lot to take in. I’ve
spent most of my life wondering if I had more of a family and the
last few years doing everything in my power to protect what little
family I have by staying the hell away from them.”

“Just so you know I’m the reason you were
transferred here. After seeing you the first time in the Academy I
was almost certain you were Abraham’s daughter. The old man was
tight lipped about it. I had to pull a few strings to do it and
with Tomahawk on my roster it was a lot harder than it should have
been. I didn’t know if I would ever get the chance to confirm my
suspicions, but I still wanted a chance to get to know you. I
haven’t seen my younger sister in years… yes, you have an aunt. It
drives the old man crazy, but he does everything he can to make
sure we are safe. The family of the First Exceptional is a target
and he knows it. He’s got enough influence to keep us all safe and
happy. Your dad is the only one who isn’t in the E.E.D and I think
the old man is happy for him. I don’t know what he’s going to make
of this whole thing.”

Ace snorted. “He can damn well live with it.
If things start going south I’ll move you and your whole family
here along with anyone else in our family I can. Not even Tomahawk
could break in here with the help of a team of Energy Class and
Mental Class.”

“So that’s what you were doing right after
this place was built,” Bones said with smile.

“And we’ve upgraded since then. Einstein and
Maniac both went over it again after Mayhem’s little stunt,” Ace
added.

“Mayhem! I can’t tell you how glad I am to
have him in custody. He will pay for what he’s done, that’s for
damn sure.”

Ace nodded. She would be more than happy to
testify at that trial. Anything to get Mayhem removed as a threat.
“Your dad said they’re leaving tomorrow?” Bones asked.

“Yeah, Amy and Aaron have to get back to
school,” Ace replied. It was too short a visit, but she understood
and would be much relieved once they were back home and away from
her current fight with the HSO.

“Go ahead and take tomorrow off then. I know
it’s been a long time since you’ve seen them.” He turned to go but
paused and said, “And I’ve already approved your time off request
for the international qualifiers for next year. I hope you have a
good time and take Emily with you. She needs a family as badly as
the rest of us.”

He’s not kidding.

Ace smiled and gave her uncle a quick,
gentle, hug. “Thank you.”

“That’s what family does for each other,” he
said returning the hug. They went back in together, Ace feeling
much relieved.

Chapter 17

“So word got around the precinct that you and Bones
are related,” Emily said on their drive to work. It was the day
after Ace’s family had left and she was still feeling pretty good.
But Emily’s news killed that.

“How bad’s the response?” she asked.

“Well those officers that have half a brain
have taken the time to look at the facts before jumping to
conclusions, you know like good police officers. And those that
haven’t are being dealt with. I have to say it took even Torment by
surprise, but she got over it quick. The rest of your team didn’t
seem to care. Jacks was pretty happy for you, but then again he’s a
pretty good guy,” Emily replied.

You might have some problems with Maniac.
She is your partner after all.

“Anyone I need to worry about?” Ace asked.
The morning commute was quieter than usual. That made her wary. The
last time the roads had been this quiet had been right before
Mayhem had hit the truck. They both were looking around more than
usual.

“Not really. There might be some good natured
hazing, but those that resent you for it are the ones that resent
you for being the only Fifth. I’d be more worried about the guys in
Aerial than I would about those in your own precinct,” Emily said.
She looked worried. That was significant. Too much had happened for
Ace to have a good hold on the officers in Aerial Patrol. She was
going to have to make some calls.

They made it to the office without any
problems. Emily went right to the interrogation rooms. With Article
Two still in affect the Captain made sure to use her abilities to
their full extent. Up on the E.E.D floor there were construction
workers going in and out. They were doing only minor repairs. The
major ones had been handled by Einstein. Ace went to her,
surprisingly damaged, office and checked her inbox. There were a
few emails from members of the Aerial Patrol. With a sigh she began
working.

She’d completely lost track of time when
Captain Angel knocked on her door. She looked up in surprise. “So I
hear you had quite the last couple of days,” he said and
entered.

“Something like that, sir,” she replied. She
pushed back from her desk and rubbed her eyes.

“And on top of that you get to deal with
rumors here and among your own men. I can’t say I envy you,” the
Captain said with a shake of his head.

“If I wanted an easy job I’d have stayed at
home and played video games,” Ace said.

Captain Angel laughed. “Well I was just
coming to check in on you. With everything that happened you are
the last officer I haven’t scanned. You know protocol.”

Ace shrugged. After the death of an officer
all members of the E.E.D had to be scanned by a Mental Class. The
Captain would already know what was going on. It was E.E.D policy
that all officers keep their minds open while on police property.
It made it easier to keep attempted infiltrations to a minimum.
They still happened, but it could have been worse. Ace never
actively prevented anyone from scanning her.

“What can I tell you, Captain? I wish I’d had
the chance to put my fist through Mayhem’s face. He deserves the
maximum punishment that can be inflicted on an Exceptional and I
don’t mean the death penalty. A guy like Mayhem is expecting that.
Implant suppressors in him along with a violence inhibitor… or six…
and make him work for minimum wage the rest of his life.”

“That sounds a lot like a reform attempt.
People wouldn’t like that,” the Captain said.

“But it’s a fitting punishment. Mayhem enjoys
having power over people. It’s what makes him tick. That’s why he
directly disobeyed Valentine’s orders not to involve the E.E.D in
his attempts to kidnap me. That’s also why he blew Valentine up.
The thought of someone else having even an illusion of power over
him drives him mad. If the judge doesn’t think that violates cruel
and unusual punishment I say that’s what we do to him. The death
sentence is just him winning.”

“I’ll put that under consideration,” he said
then asked, “What about Deuce, how are you handling that?”

“You’ve seen my file. You know what’s going
on in my head,” Ace replied. That was one thing she didn’t feel
ready to talk about.

You still need to.

“Yeah, but I need to hear it from you.”

He’s just doing his job
, Ace reminded
herself. “I wish I’d broken the gunmen’s necks instead of their
arms and legs. I wish I’d pounded Mayhem into the top of that
building until there was nothing left of him. I wish I could find
ever single HSO operative and end their worthless lives so the rest
of us don’t have to suffer for their arrogance any more than we
already have.”

I’d say that sums it up pretty well.

“That’s what I needed to hear. Like you said
Ace, I know you pretty well. I’ve read all the files on you I can
legally get my hands on. And I’ve read you on a number of
occasions. I know you’re a good person and if you had it all to do
over again you’d make the same decisions. Also if any of them give
you trouble,” he pointed to her personnel files, “turn them in for
discipline. This problem is bigger than their damned egos.”

“I’ll remember that, sir,” Ace said with a
smile. He nodded and left the room. Ace turned back to her emails,
feeling a little bit better.