The OK Team (21 page)

Golden Boy is speaking. ‘You're the only one I can say this to, Cross. What if I can't do it?'

‘You have to. Nobody else can.'

‘But who says I can?'

‘You're Triple A. You have powers others only dream of.

Why can't you do it?'

‘This meteor is huge. I'm so small. I've never tackled anything that big.'

‘There has to be a first time.'

‘I know everybody is talking behind my back about my lack of world-saves. It's like this blip on my record and I haven't joined the truly elite Heroes because of it.'

‘Who's talking? And who cares. Take out the meteor and silence them.'

‘But they might be right. Maybe I don't belong in that elite group of Heroes. Astonishinglygreatgirl would just blast straight through it without blinking. I don't know if I'm capable.'

The Southern Cross frowns and thinks for a moment. ‘What did Mr Fabulous have to say when you both took off ?'

Golden Boy smiles grimly. ‘He told me that I was being weak and to get my act together. Said if he was my age, he would have not only beaten the meteor but eaten it for breakfast. Said it was
only
the size of a small mountain, so why worry?'

‘Hmmm, so “super supportive” isn't one of his powers then,' the Southern Cross says, shaking his head.

‘Apparently not. He was rough. Told me I was a disgrace to the Triple As and threatened to have a word with Gotham about my status.'

At which point I get angry enough to snap back into some kind of visibility, with the slightly pleasing result, when I think about it later, that I shock both big-time Heroes with my appearance.

‘What? Where did you come from?' says Golden Boy.

‘Have you been listening to us? How much did you hear?'

‘Practically nothing,' I lie. ‘I was just leaving the meeting, passing through walls, you know.' I shrug like I actually know how to do this. ‘But I did hear what you just said about Mr Fabulous. I wanted to say that the old guy is the worst mentor in the world. He's so full of himself and how great he used to be years ago that he has no patience for anybody. He kicked me out of my own team!'

Golden Boy snaps a golden finger. ‘That's where I know you from, kid. You were part of that pathetic new mob, the All Right Gang.'

‘The OK Team, actually, but yeah, I was. Until he said I was crap. But I'm not crap, and even if I am, I'm working to get better. I am a Hero, and some crusty old fossil from Gotham isn't going to tell me otherwise.'

They both stare at me, trying to take in this outburst. I realise I'd better bring things back to the point. ‘Golden Boy, it doesn't matter what he says. You have to believe in yourself. You've been my favourite Hero forever. You can do anything. That meteor is toast.'

My brain catches up to inform me that I've just been dweebish enough to tell Golden Boy face-to-golden-face that he's my favourite Hero, and of course my body goes wildly out of whack in embarrassment. Which is incredibly lucky because it gives me my escape, through the last three walls to the street.

‘A Hero is a Hero,' I say. ‘No matter what.' And then I'm gone.

To them, it probably looks like I deliberately turned invisible. Which is cool.

It's been a big night. The strangest thing is that as I pass through the final, massive outer wall and head down Spencer Street towards Collins Street and a tram stop, I could swear I hear an old man chuckling.

SUPER NEWSREADER:
Only sixteen hours now until anticipated asteroid impact in Melbourne, Australia.

Local military forces and politicians are trying to decide when to inform the general population of the threat, while Gotham pleads for silence.

There's been no word from local Triple A-er Golden Boy, and nervous Gotham Hero executives are wondering whether to send in some global Triple A heavyweights to make sure this asteroid doesn't get to land. More on that story as it comes to hand.

CHAPTER 27
THE COMEBACK KID

T
he next day at school I overhear some classmates talking about Scumm not turning up. None of his henchmen have either. Seven kids wagging at once is something even the teachers can't ignore, and apparently all sorts of phone calls have been flying around between the principal and parents.

Me? I keep looking at the sky, wondering what's going on up there. By the end of the school day, we could all be dead if Golden Boy or another Hero doesn't take that mountainous rock apart. If it does end up being another Hero, Golden Boy is finished. He'll be a laughing stock. Who knows, that could even make him a little less superior when it comes to judging start-up Heroes like me.

At recess, I'm sitting under a tree, enjoying the sunshine, wondering if my parents found it strange that I gave them both an extra big hug as I left for school. I even told them I loved them, which should have been a sure sign something was going on. I thought about not spending potentially my last day on Earth at school, but couldn't think of anything better to do. Hero TV was becoming depressing, with increasingly urgent news flashes about the meteor.

I have my eyes closed when I sense something large blocking my sunshine. Scumm? No, he's not here. I blink my eyes open and there's Frederick Fodder, standing with Simon Fondue, looking down at me.

‘Mind if we sit with you, Hazy?' says Simon.

‘Sure,' I say. Now Frederick's little sister, Alexandra, is walking over here and – my heart starts beating – she's with a tall, willowy girl with ghost-white hair in a ponytail. Ali Fraudulent.

I start to blur. I might fall through the tree. What's going on?

The four of them sit around me so we're in a circle. As always, Simon is kind of peeping at me from under his long hair but he seems to be smiling.

‘Hazy, we miss you,' he says. ‘We want you back in the team.'

‘Huh?' I say. ‘What team?'

‘Please don't be like that,' Alexandra pleads. ‘Don't act as if the team never existed. Strong is the Hero who turns the other cheek. Fab was wrong to throw you out, and we all want you back in.'

‘Even I don't like fighting bad guys without my old companion alongside me,' says Frederick. At that moment it finally hits me. I'm looking at Cannonball in his everyday the comeback kid alter-ego. Frederick is Cannonball! They are one and the same.

I feel like the biggest idiot in the world. There they are – right in front of me, and they've been there all along, every day, and I hadn't seen them. Little Yesterday, shy Torch, stocky Cannonball and . . . I fall completely out of focus as I make the connection between Ali, the girl who never speaks . . . because she knows if she did she would tell nothing but lies . . . and Liarbird.

‘How is your hair white as Ali, but dark as Liarbird?' I ask stupidly.

‘I don't wear a wig, genius,' she says, smiling.

That sends me further out of whack. I'm a cloud.

Luckily Yesterday has misread my fast-vanishing appearance. ‘See,' she tells Ali, putting her fingers to her temples. ‘I told you he wouldn't go for this idea.'

‘No, Alexandra, you're wrong,' I say, and I'm clear again.

In fact, I know instinctively that I'm crystal clear. And I even know why.

They gasp as I hold up my left hand. It's not there, but the rest of me is. Now I hold up my right hand and click my fingers as it vanishes and my left hand reappears.

I click those fingers and the left hand goes, right hand appears again. My teammates are slack jawed in admiration.

‘You're wrong, because I want nothing more in the world than to be part of the team again,' I say. ‘The only question is whether you want me. Mr Fabulous made it pretty clear that he didn't. Where do you stand?'

Frederick Fodder, aka Cannonball, looks over a shoulder to check no kids are around and leans in so he can speak quietly. ‘We don't just want you back, Focus. We want you back as leader more than a polar bear wants fish for dinner.'

‘Are you serious?' I ask. ‘What about Torch?'

Simon pushes some hair out of his eyes and looks me straight in the eye. ‘The truth is, I never wanted to be leader, Hazy. Mr Fabulous wanted me to be, because of who I am, my family, my Hero bloodlines. I'm having enough trouble being anything more than a novelty human candle without trying to lead the team.'

I'm trembling now, but I turn to Ali Fraudulent, gazing quietly at me with those deep grey eyes of hers. ‘What about you, Ali? Do you want me back?'

She doesn't immediately reply. Instead her face sort of flickers and she frowns and she's still looking at me but there is this sense of a huge internal battle going on.

At last, she says, ‘Yes, Focus, I want you back.'

I'm crushed. I can't look anybody in the eye and my visibility is going again.

‘Well, sorry guys, but unless the whole team wants me back, forget it.'

‘Hazy,' Yesterday's hand is on my fading arm. ‘Liarbird meant it.'

I look at her and at Ali, whose eyes are pleading with me to understand.

‘She actually
does
want you back,' says Alexandra.

Ali nods. ‘I do,' she whispers.

I gape. ‘You're telling the truth?'

She nods again. Too many words is obviously too much effort.

‘That's fantastic,' I say. ‘How long have you been able to do this?'

‘Decades,' she says, and then realises what she has said, grins and shrugs at me.

‘Actually, that wasn't just the first time ever.' She looks apologetic again.

I'm grinning. ‘It's fine, Liarbird. Relax and tell lies for a while. It will be easier. I can't believe you did it!'

‘I sensed she was about to,' says Alexandra.

‘You did not,' says her brother, rolling his eyes.

‘I did so. Like, right before she told the truth, I thought: she's going to tell the truth.'

‘Prove it.'

‘I don't have to prove it. Prove you can fly straight, Nerderick.'

‘Guys,' I say. ‘There's just one, actually two things. What about Mr Fabulous?'

‘We sacked him,' says Cannonball casually.

‘You what???'

‘We sacked him like a restaurant gets rid of runny soup.'

‘I wouldn't say we sacked him,' Torch says, giving Frederick a look. ‘He was pretty cool about it, actually.

Didn't even seem surprised. We thanked him for his help but said we'd rather find our own way. After he got rid of you, we all felt uncomfortable.'

‘I saw him sitting away from you at the meeting but thought he must have told you to sit down the back.'

‘No, we chose not to sit with him,' says Alexandra/ Yesterday. I'm still having trouble getting used to seeing these schoolkids as my teammates.

‘What about Switchy? Where does he stand? I'm not coming back unless it's unanimous that you guys want me.'

Suddenly the tree behind me starts to shake. I turn in surprise and notice the trunk has changed to a slightly red shade of brown. There's a pop and the tree becomes a rubbish bin, then another pop and we're all looking at a small black dog.

‘I want you back 3.5 million per cent, Focus,' says the dog. ‘We're a team and teammates should stick together absolutely for all time.'

I look at them all. They're staring back at me. I say to Liarbird, ‘You really want me back?' and that internal fight takes place and she manages to nod. We grin at each other.

I put my hand out and it's sharply in focus.

‘I'm OK,' I say.

Simon, Alexandra, Ali, Frederick and the small black dog put their hands, and paw, on top of mine.

‘You're OK!' they say.

‘We're OK,' we finish. And I realise that Liarbird didn't mumble her usual disagreement.

The OK Team rides again. I'm so happy my heart is soaring above the clouds somewhere, just like a meteor.

‘We should get out of school,' I say. ‘That meteor must be getting close. I want to know what's going on.'

CHAPTER 28
THE OK TEAM RIDES AGAIN

L
iarbird gets us out of there. We're worried the teachers will be able to trace back the number if she uses her mobile phone, so she sneaks out the front gate, runs down the street to a pay phone and then phones the principal's office. She says she's my mother and I have to leave for a dentist's appointment. Then she rings back, and in a different voice says that Frederick Fodder is required for an acrobatic school audition, at short notice. And so on, until we're all free and clear. We change into our costumes and I try to see Ali Fraudulent, with her ghost-white hair, in dark-haired, purple-suited Liarbird. When I think about it, they both look good. Or she does, either way, more to the point.