We're going to die.
That's what went through my mind. We're going to die. There was no surviving a fall from this height. We weren't invincible. We were just two teenagers who had superpowers.
Now we're just two teenagers.
Wham!
And then—
We hit the bridge hard, but I wasn't complaining. I peered at it more closely. We'd fallen about six feet onto an ice bridge linking the two buildings. Chad was on the other side, grinning.
Fire and ice, I realized. Those are his powers.
We crept across the ice bridge to join the others. Dan was so excited he was jumping around like a dog. Chad looked exceptionally pleased with himself. Ebony had barely spoken a word. She stood with a hand clasped nervously over her mouth.
'That's good work,' I told Chad. 'Thanks.'
'I know,' he said. 'I saved your ass. You owe me one.'
'I owe you—' Now was not the time to remind him about which one of us, until recently, was trapped in a cell and being tortured by a psychotic doctor. 'We need to get out of here, but first—'
'I know,' he said.
Leaning over the roof, Chad pointed at the bridge. This time it wasn't fire that erupted from his hands. It was more of an intense heat that hit the ice bridge and quickly melted it. The storm was so ferocious now that no one below would have even noticed.
We made our way to the car. Fortunately, my jacket hid the bloody patch on my side, but by then, I was sick to the stomach. Chad offered to drive, but my patience was at an all-time low. I forcefully told him to get in the back seat. Brodie took over the wheel, and we made our way back to the hotel. By then, everything was a haze. I saw bits of buildings. Roads. Pedestrians. I was barely able to walk by the time we reached the hotel lobby. The others told the desk clerk I'd had too much to drink, and he believed them.
We reached our apartment, and then everything went black.
Sometime later, I awoke to hear Chad and Brodie arguing.
'—should be in a hospital,' Brodie was saying.
'That would only draw attention to us. That's the last thing—'
I passed out again.
The next time I awoke, I realized I wasn't wearing a shirt. Ebony was at my side. None of it made any sense. Then I saw the needle and thread in her hand.
Where am I? What's happening?
I struggled. None of it made any sense. I fought her off, but then Brodie appeared. She held me down, and I didn't resist.
I trust Brodie.
Darkness came again.
Sun was on my face when I next opened my eyes. My entire body was in pain, but the delirium was gone. Rolling out of bed, I somehow landed on my feet. Chad appeared from nowhere.
He slapped my shoulder. 'How're you feeling, old man?'
Chad still had that same annoying cheeky expression on his face. I had a feeling I could really grow to hate that look.
'I feel great,' I lied. 'Really great.'
'You guys have got a fantastic set up,' he said, ignoring, or not noticing, my sarcasm. 'Penthouse apartment. Room service. Views of the city.' He gave a whistle. 'Talk about living in the lap of luxury.'
I didn't care about luxury. The woozy, sick feeling from the previous day was gone, but my side still hurt. I examined the wound. It wasn't bad. In fact, it had almost healed. Rapid recovery must have been one of our abilities.
'I'm glad you like it,' I said. 'Who stitched me up?'
'Ebony. She's my sister. I think.'
'She probably is. She looks like you.' As well as their blonde hair, they both had blue eyes.
'I'm pretty sure we're Norwegian. We can both remember fjords—'
'What are they?'
'Bodies of deep water surrounded by steep hills,' he explained. 'And we speak four languages: Norwegian, German, French and English.'
'That's a pretty strange superpower.'
'That's not a superpower. Most Europeans speak several languages.' He plopped himself into a nearby chair. 'You missed our biographies last night, so let me fill you in.'
Both Chad and Ebony had found themselves lying on the beach a few miles out of the city. Like us, they had no idea as to their identities until they checked their clothing. They quickly assumed they were brother and sister. Entirely by accident, they realized they had powers. Chad felt cold and wanted to warm up.
Bad move.
The next thing he knew, a local boatshed was alight. Realizing he'd somehow caused it to burst into flames, he just as quickly put it out with a shower of snow.
For Ebony, it took a little longer to work out her ability. Ebony thought she didn't have one until she realized she was thirsty and wanted a glass of water.
'One minute we were sitting on a park bench,' Chad recalled. 'Then we were sitting in a puddle of water.'
They realized Ebony was able to transmute objects from one substance to another. Knowing they had superpowers, they decided not to go to the police. Chad was worried they might be thrown into a lab and used for experiments.
As luck would have it, that almost happened anyway.
They were hiding in an abandoned factory when Ravana's men attacked them. Chad tried to fight them off, but they were hit with that device that robbed them of their powers. Ravana's men followed up with hypodermic needles that knocked them out. By the time they woke up, they were in the cell in Ravana's building. So began days of pain. Installed into the walls of the cell were emitters that created a dampening effect on their powers. Doctor Ravana called it a zeno ray. He and his men would conduct interrogation sessions using one of those probes.
The thought of it made me sick.
'I wanted to kill Ravana,' Chad said, clenching his fists. 'He deserves to die for what he did to us!'
It was hard to argue with him. Ravana was the sort of monster you wanted to see put in jail, and the key tossed away. Still—
'A lot of people probably deserve to die,' I told Chad. 'But that's not our call.'
He looked like he wanted to argue but held his tongue. 'Anyway,' he said. 'It looks like Ravana is permanently out of the equation now.'
I remembered the burning figure on the building. It wouldn't surprise me if Ravana didn't turn up again. Some kinds of evil take a lot to kill.
Brodie poked her head in through the door. 'Are you boys still comparing your muscles?' she asked. 'Or are you ready for breakfast?'
My stomach growled in response. 'Show me the food,' I said.
Ten minutes later, we were grouped around the breakfast nook, eating pancakes and bacon.
'Ah,' Dan said, happily. 'The perfect combination of fat and sugar.'
I smiled. Pancakes and bacon didn't fit any of the recommended food groups. Still, they were perfect when recovering from bullet wounds and sadistic maniacs.
A knock came at the door.
'Did you order more room service?' I asked Dan.
'No.'
Worried, I insisted on answering. I wasn't in the best shape, but at least I could protect myself with a barrier if someone started shooting. Easing the door open, I looked out at a man who was tall and thin and wore a dark suit. His hair was black, cut short at the sides, and he had a thin mustache.
At least he didn't want to shoot me.
Not yet, anyway.
'Mind if I come in?' he asked.
Before I could answer, he stepped past and strode into the apartment. Everyone stared at him as he gazed from face to face.
'I'm Mister Jones,' he said. 'I'm with The Agency.'