Steampunk Time: Cape High Book Seven (Cape High Series 7) (2 page)

"I saw you wake up, kitten," she says.  "You promise to be very powerful if that is an indicator."

"Oh," I say, looking down.

"Your parents, are they supers?"

I think about them, feeling so lonely that I'm tempted to cry.  Mom... Dad... it's been so long since I've seen them--well, them when they aren't teenagers that barely notice I'm alive.  "Yes," I say.  "They are."

"Are they strong?"

I hesitate, worried I might let something slip.  "Very," I say finally.  "They're very strong."

"Then you will be, as well," she says simply as she pulls to a stop in front of a run-down building that in no way resembles the Hall that I know.  It looks like it's been condemned, with several windows boarded up and graffiti on the sides.  I think my shock must show on my face because she lets out a laugh.  "Do not worry, kitten, it is much nicer on the inside."

She puts the car in park and I get out as she does.  There's a bit of juggling involved as she gets Nico
las and the bag from the backseat.  I turn to look up at the building that will one day be the nicest Hall Branch building in America.  They don't mention things like this in history books.  I mean, there's not even the Lady Justice statue in front, and I seriously doubt they have the founding member’s statue when you walk in.  "Come, now," she says to me as she walks past.  I follow automatically, glancing back at the Gremlin.

"Shouldn't you park that?" I ask.

"Oh, I will after I get you two delivered to the children’s section."

Wait, what?  Children
’s section?

I'm getting stuck in SUPER DAYCARE?

***

The building is underground, such buildings usually are.  A small group of military men are gathered together in a dingy room, looking at the files scattered over the table in front of them.  For a moment Kunnins stares at a particular picture--a woman, or at least most would call the person in the picture that.  He prefers the term "a threat."

"According to our information," the nerdy looking man on the opposite side of the table starts out, "Tatiana cannot be taken out by normal methods."

"She's a super heroine," Kunnins drawls sarcastically.  "Or did the title not clue you in?"  He scowls, leaning back in his creaky desk chair.  "It's bad enough that we don't know much about Superior, and that his second in command is a foreigner--" the word "foreigner" is spoken with disgust, even though he's not certain where Mastermental is from, exactly.  He's pretty sure it's somewhere in Asia.  "But to have the Soviet Union's guard
dog flying over our heads--I don't want to hear how she can't be taken out, Mason, I want to hear how she CAN."

Mason pushes his black rimmed glasses up his nose and hesitates visibly for a moment.  "There is one suggestion that... came up during our discussion, sir," he says.

"Do it."

"I'm not sure it's, well, intelligent," Mason says.  "In this case the cure truly might be worse than the disease.  If you would come with me," he says, "you'll understand what I'm talking about."

Kunnins gets to his feet, following the man out of the room.  The rest of the group trails along, looking nervous.  He ignores that--they don't understand exactly how big a threat Tatiana represents.  She could easily wreak havoc on their defenses, even take out their entire weapons supply.  She's right here, after all--with all the rights of a Hall member.  It's a terrifying thought.

They head deeper underground, down a hall that looks like a prison ward, with
a few of the most dangerous people in the world behind bars.  These are the men that America likes to pretend don't exist and never did.  They get to the final door, a heavy, reinforced door that looks like a vault.

"Before we go in," Mason says, his hand on the door next to a keypad, "I must respectfully ask you to refrain from getting within ten feet of the subject.  This is for your own good.  We have him restrained, of course, but it's better to be safe than sorry, sir."

"I see.  Fine, I'll do as you ask," Kunnins says, waving it off.  "Now show me your option."

Mason pulls out a card and runs it through the keypad before tapping in a five digit number.  The door opens slowly, creaking loudly.  It looks as if it weighs a ton.  For a moment Kunnins watches it,
and then looks into the dark room it hides.  There's barely any light in the room, only enough to see the man in the middle.  He's completely bound, his hands encased in heavy metal tubes, his face covered with a metal mask.  Several massively weighted chains are attached to him from all directions.  There's sparks of electricity all around, and the heavy hum of power coming from the floor.

"And this is?" Kunnins asks, when no one volunteers the information.

"His name is Shawn Matkey," Mason says, looking at the man.  "According to our records he was born in 1875."

The chained man turns his head slightly, staring at Kunnins silently.  A cold chill runs down Kunnins' spine.  "What does he do?" he asks.

"He takes peoples' souls."

***

The front part of the Hall is usually filled with visitors in my time--it's the area that people bring their classes to visit on field trips.  It's full of things from past fights and past heroes, like a museum, basically.  But this Hall--well the front part of this Hall is full of superheroes lounging on ratty looking couches, or watching an ancient looking television.  I count at least five of them, plus two kids.  One of the kids, a little girl with bleach blonde curls, looks even younger than little Nicolas, and is in a playpen. 

"I have brought a super child," Tatiana announces.  "I do not know where she comes from, but she is one of us.  Until we can return her to her parents, I will be taking care of her."

"Wait, wait, wait," Blackjack says, getting up from where he was lounging on a couch.  "You can't just bring in some random super!  Kid or not, we need to know what she's after, right?"  Yes, he's Blackjack, he looks exactly as he does in my time.  Heroes don't age like normal people. They just stay the same for who knows how long.  Well, outwardly, at least.

"Are you out to destroy all of civilization, kitten?" Tatia
asks me in a bland tone.

"Um, no?" I offer.

"Good enough for me!" she says cheerfully.  "I really doubt she could do so when surrounded by half of the Hall and playing with our children.  Who has the daycare shift today?"

"Sparky does," a woman that looks a lot like Falconess says.  She's strapping on her uniform, which shows a lot more flesh than the Falconess I know.  "She's in the kitchen making sandwiches."

"Sparky," Tatia says, her expression going dark.  She puts Nicolas down, who promptly toddles over to the blonde boy sitting next to the playpen playing with Legos.  "Kitten, I ask that you behave yourself for Sparky, regardless of... her personality."

"Now, now, Tatia, Sparky isn't that bad.  She just hates you," Falconess says as she straps on her cowl.

"The feeling is mutual," Tatia mutters under her breath.  She gets a look from the room that says every single one of them heard that comment, and has nothing to say in response.  I don't know who Sparky is.  I don't remember a super hero named Sparky from, well, anywhere.

Falconess walks over to the playpen, picking up the little blonde and kissing her on the cheek.  "You be good for Sparky, okay, Missy?" she says in a loving tone.  She gets a brilliant almost toothless smile and laughs before putting the baby back into the playpen.  She reaches down and pats both the blonde boy and Nico on the head.  "You two
be good, as well."

"'Kay," the blonde boy says, holding out a large
Lego to Nico, who looks at it curiously for a moment before grabbing another to knock them together.  The blonde boy looks familiar, sort of. 

"Go on,
kitten.  The two you'll be helping with are Kenny and Missy," Tatia tells me, gently pushing me forward.  "You do not mind, do you?" she asks almost belatedly.

So I’ll be helping
.  Okay, I can handle helping out a lot better than being treated like a baby.  I have absolutely no experience whatsoever with kids, though.  Maybe I should mention--I look up, but Tatia's already left, leaving me with Nicolas's bag sitting on the floor next to my leg.  Blackjack is watching me, so I look right back, not about to back down.  Sure he's WAY more powerful than I am, and an illusionist and--well, you know.  He's Blackjack.  But Tatia’s words are echoing in my mind.  I'm not going to falter in the face of a little disapproval, even if it's from a super.

Nico
las gets to his feet and heads over to me, reaching up to grab my skirt and tug.  I've got no choice but to follow, I tell myself as he pulls me over to the toys in the corner.  Kenny looks at me and I swear I've seen those blue eyes--

That short blonde haircut, those bright blue eyes--

"America's Son?" I whisper, automatically getting on my knees as Nicolas tugs again.  Kenny grins at me.

"Hi," he says.  He looks about five.  "Nico
las, stop pulling," he scolds the other boy.

Nico
las says something that almost makes sense, then looks at my skirt for a moment.  He goes up on tiptoe, sticking his hand into my pocket and starting to pull out my phone.  I pull it out of his hand before he manages.  "No, you can't," I tell him.  "That's not for little boys."

"If it's a problem, perhaps you should put it somewhere high.  Nico
las has a habit of finding technology like that," Falconess suggests, but she has a curious expression on her face.  I think she saw it.  "Blackjack, you and I are on North duty."

"I'm not sure we should leave a complete stranger--" he starts out.

"She'll be fine," Falconess says  "I like to think that Sparky can handle a single thirteen year old."

Blackjack seems a lot more uptight in this time, doesn't he?  I look over at him, wondering if I should say anything.  He's not going to feel comfortable leaving me here, even if none of the kids are his--

"Is Banshee coming in, or did she have night duty?" Falconess asks curiously.

"She should be in soon," Blackjack says, glancing at a
chalkboard hanging on the wall.  A chalkboard?  Seriously?  That's how they keep track of who's doing what?  I stare at it for a moment, wondering if any of them have legible writing.  It doesn't look like it.  "She had evening duty with Marigold last night, but she signed up for afternoon today.  I think she's got a date planned for tonight."

Banshee dates?  Blackjack's uptight?  This time period is almost as confusing as the last one I was in!

"Another norm?" Falconess asks.  "We should really talk to her about that habit."

"Hey, now, that's elitism," Blackjack complains.  "Norms are people, too."  They head out the door, with Blackjack glancing back at me once before stepping out the door. 

“Don’t worry,” Flaconess says as she stops to look back at me, “whatever is going on, we’ll fix it.  We’re heroes, remember?  It’s what we do.”

I nod, hoping that she's right, but with Superior in Russia--or whatever they call it these days, and Grandpa Nico still at the drooling stage
and called Nicolas, I'm not sure how.  Kenny holds out a Lego to me, distracting me from my thoughts.  "I don't--" I start out.  But I don't what?  Play with babies?  I mean, they're a lot younger than I am now, but when I'm in my time, they're both legends!  Who else would be able to say that they've hung out with America's Son and Technico before the world even knew their names?

Well, you know, other than everyone that works here?

"I've got sandwiches!"  I almost jump out of my skin as the door behind me opens and a woman says that.  I twist where I'm sitting, looking up at the woman that's holding a tray of food--

"Great-aunt Liz?" I ask, stunned.  She has long silver white hair that's piled on top of her head, and a pair of bellbottom jeans on, with a pink camisole, but that's
great-aunt Liz's face.

"Who?" she asks.

"I--um--sorry, you reminded me of someone," I stutter.  This must be Sparky.  She looks like--but Liz is--I look from Nicolas to Sparky, then back again, my mind whirling.  Grandpa Nico and Great-aunt Liz always just claim to be brother and sister. They don't make a big deal of the half--to the point where I forget about it more often than not--

But if Tatia is here, how does this lady become Liz's mom?  What happens to Tatia?  I... am thinking too much, because Sparky is looking at me with a frown.  "Who are you?  How did you get in here?" she asks.

"Um... I came with Tatia," I say.

"Another of those USSR spies, I bet," Sparky says darkly, putting the platter of food down and bringing up her hands.  "What's your name, where do you come from?" she demands.  "Tell me now or I'll take you down, child or not.  You look old enough to have come into your powers!"

"I haven't!" I say, getting to my feet, only to blink as tiny arms wrap around my calves, pick me up, and put me down again behind Nicolas.

"Nico
las doesn't like you yelling," Kenny says, getting up and moving beside Nicolas.  That two year old--he just picked me up like I weighed nothing.  He DOES have his powers!  Or at least some of them!  Wow, he must be a complete PAIN to babysit.  "Stop yelling at Kitten," Kenny goes on.