Page 74 of No Capes
I force myself to keep a straight face, though there’s no denying the spark that’s returned to our conversation.
D.S. and I sit feet away from each other, enveloped in the moonlight and silence. It’s like we’re in the middle of a staring contest, and D.S. can’t blink first.
“What’s up?” I give in.
“Phil’s after something bigger than whatever your mom discovered, I think that’s why he wants to take out Arielle—he thinks she might know what it is. If she did, you and I would have it by now, so he’s wasting his efforts there,” he gathers his thoughts. “I think he wants you because you’re a Super.”
“Why does that matter?”
D.S. brushes his gloves against the carpet. His voice weakens and I lean closer to hear. “I found a press release on his desktop. He wants me to hurt you so he can claim that Supers are a menace to the city. Then, he’ll wage war on all of us. He’s already turned me into a bad guy, with the fire and the bomb. After this, he’s going to cut me out.”
“People will still believe in Golden Ace though,” I say. “Golden Ace is more powerful than anyone in this city.”
D.S. presses a button on his teched-out watch. Then he slides it off his wrist and tosses it to me. I turn it over in my hands. On the screen is a press release, written and ready to be published. The headline reads,“Gold Gone Rogue—Your Favorite Superhero is Doubling as our City’s Greatest Threat.”
“Capital City will give Gold an ultimatum,” explains D.S. “Reveal his secret identity, or he’ll be equated with me. And then everyone will want to exterminate the Supers.”
“Peopleknowyou’re not the same person. You’ve been in photos together.”
He shakes his head. “That doesn’t matter. Phil can claim they’ve been photoshopped. And if we show up together to discredit him, Phil will claim that Golden Ace got a double, or hired a different Super to pose as me.”
“No one is going to believe that,” I argue. “That Golden Ace is a villain? There’s no way.”
“People will be too distracted to look into it properly. It’ll be Phil’s word versus a Super’s, which, let’s face it, NSRPs are quick to turn on. Phil has too much else planned.”
“And if Golden Ace reveals his secret identity, Phil will still kill him. Why is he doing this?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Dark Static stands and resumes his casual lean against Jamie’s dresser. “We need to connect the pieces, and pronto.”
As soon as the mayor finds out I’m alive and D.S. never hurt me, he’ll adjust his plan and move D.S. to the top of his hit list. We’re running out of time.
“What are the other pieces?” I ask. “What else is Phil planning?”
D.S. scratches the back of his neck. “He’s making me do odd tasks for him, which I need to do to buy time. It’ll be on the news tomorrow. You can see then.”
“Gee, so mysterious.”
Dark Static steps closer, causing butterflies to rocket through my nerves. I want to trust him, but my emotions are drained and wrapped in confusion. I wish tonight hadn’t ever happened. He’s close enough that our knees almost touch. Shadows spill from his armor, as if the darkness will never let him go.
“It would help me out, and probably save the city, if we could work together again,” he says.
“Well, when you put it like that…”
“Watch out for me on the news this morning.” He steps away.
“Which channel?” I ask.
Dark Static puts one slick boot on the window ledge. “All of them.”
Twenty Six
I sleep until noon. I would have slept for longer, but in a hazy state of half-consciousness and half-dreaming, I remember my conversation with D.S. After that, I’m wide awake.
I have to see what’s on the news. The outfit I stole from Arielle’s closet last night lies on the end of my bed, clean and fresh. Brynn must have put it there while I slept. What is it with people coming into my room while I’m asleep?
I pull my hair into a loose braid, which will help me concentrate. Despite a rejuvenating shower and some sleep, my tight hamstrings wobble as I try to go downstairs. Fox’s door is firmly closed.
Arielle sits in the kitchen, looking ready for anything in a pair of jeans and crisp shirt. She’s pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail, and she must have found contact solution, because she can blink normally.
