Super Powereds: Year 2 (76 page)

“I guess that’s my fault for letting you find out,” she said, walking in and shutting the door.

“And for copying my work in the first place,” Nick added. “Which, in retrospect, was a pretty impressive piece of misdirection.”

“I aim to please.” She hopped on the bed without any sense of self-consciousness. Nick wondered if he’d ever had people in his life less aware of social implications than his dorm-mates. Where he was from, coming to a man’s room and getting on his bed carried certain intentions, ones he was relatively certain Alice wasn’t intentionally communicating. Not yet, anyway.

“I’d say you’re probably wondering why I’m here, but since it’s you, I bet you already know.”

“Sexual ravishing?”

“You always swing for the fences, I’ll give you that,” Alice replied.

“Can’t blame a guy for trying. Anyway, yes, I know you’re here because you think I know what Professor Pendleton’s ability is.”

“Wrongo. I’m here because I know that you know his power. Hell, you probably know all of our professors’ abilities. I wouldn’t be surprised if you knew everything down to their birthplaces and favorite colors.”

“You seem to think quite highly of my investigative abilities.”

“Am I wrong?”

“I didn’t say that,” Nick shot back. He reached around and turned off his computer screen. The current research didn’t involve Alice directly, but nevertheless, he was learning more and more that discretion around this girl could save him quite a few headaches.

“So, what can he do?”

“From what I’ve gathered he can teach a class fairly well, he can certainly see through people’s bullshit, and he probably is a reasonably proficient gymnast.”

Alice cocked her head in perplexity.

“He won a tournament when he was a teen. Plus he has excellent balance.”

“Ooooookay. Interesting, and we will absolutely circle back to that last part, but not what I was talking about.”

“I know what you were talking about. Let me ask you something first: you know next year we drop down to two majors, right? Are you planning on keeping Subtlety?”

Alice glanced down at the bed sheets. “I haven’t really decided yet. I mean, given the whole gravity manipulation thing, I’ve got to keep Control, but Ranged Combat isn’t all that productive for me.”

“Ranged Combat isn’t productive for a girl whose abilities are perfect for staying at a distance and making objects fly all over the place?”

“We learn a lot of that in Control. Besides, I didn’t say I was dropping it, just that I’m not sure. I know I’m not the best at Subtlety, I just kind of hate to give it up. It’s always interesting, and really, it’s different from almost every other aspect of Hero duties. Once I let it go, I can’t get it back, so I’m making up my mind slowly.”

“I can understand that,” Nick said. “So, to answer your question: no. I’m not going to tell you what Professor Pendleton’s power is.”

“Damn it, Nick, this is not the time to go into dickhead mode.”

“Believe it or not, this is me in good friend mode,” Nick countered. He plucked a pen from his desk and began twirling it between his fingers effortlessly. “If you’d told me you were going to drop Subtlety and just wanted to ace the test so the final exam wouldn’t screw up your stats overall then I would have happily given you the dirt. On the other hand, if you really do want to consider Subtlety as an option for your career as a Hero, then I’d be doing you a disservice.”

“How? You can’t say knowing invalidates the test, because you already know.”

“I know because I found out. I did the work. You can, too, and if you do then you’ll get the information. My point is that I’d help you cheat if you were just getting by, but if you want to learn then I have to say no. Professor Pendleton really did put together a great sample of a real world exercise. Yeah, you probably won’t pass, but in the act of failing you’ll learn some things not to do. That’s all success is: screwing up over and over until you’ve learned the right way to do things.”

“Geez, you didn’t complain this much when I copied your tailing work.”

“Because you earned that one. You tricked me. If you can get the information from me without my help then you deserve it. That’s exactly what we’re supposed to be learning to do in the first place.”

“All right, I take your point. You won’t help me. I’m guessing that means you won’t give me any assistance in the actual trial, either.”

“Not intentionally. Then again, you used some surprising levels of cunning to get here in the first place. See if you can dip into that well again, and maybe you’ll find a way to outfox us all.”

“Please, you don’t remotely believe that,” Alice said. Her posture had relaxed during their conversation. She was clearly still worried about the test, however she seemed to have reached the point of resolving herself to whatever fate had in store. It was a skill everyone in the HCP possessed, because those who couldn’t turn off their frantic nerves had washed out within the first few weeks.

“No, I don’t. I think you got lucky on the first one. Generally speaking, this class isn’t really suited to your talents.”

“Hey, I’m not an idiot. I’m just not as good at this as some of the rest of you.”

“Precisely. Remember, HCP isn’t looking for those who are good, they are looking for those who are the best. You have an ability that is flat-out spectacular, one that allows you to neutralize Supers with all manner of powers. I have no doubt you’ll be a serious contender for a graduation spot if you keep plugging away at the Control course.”

“I guess so,” Alice agreed, pulling herself off Nick’s bed. “For what it’s worth, I have no doubt you’ll get one of the Hero spots, too. No one in our class even comes close to you in lying, cheating, or manipulating.”

“You sure know how to sweet talk a fella, but only time will tell. Most graduates, even those who majored in Subtlety, have other talents they bring to the table. Punchy kinds of talents.”

“Then get good at that,” Alice said. “I will not accept any excuses for failure. The five of us are going all the way in this thing. We’ll show everyone that Powereds can be viable candidates for Heroes after the procedure. All of us, together.”

“That is a very pleasant thought,” Nick concurred. “In the meantime, let’s just focus on getting to next year.”

“Deal,” Alice said, giving him a warm smile and letting herself out.

151.

In her nearly two years at Lander, Alice had faced a myriad of trials: some personal, some academic, and some heroic in nature. She was far from the head-up-her-ass-princess that had rolled into Melbrook on the first day and made snap decisions about everyone around her. She’d grown in terms of capabilities, too. Her power had evolved, as well as her willingness to use it. Alice was not quite a first-class warrior, but she no longer wasted time fretting that she was a hindrance to her team. These challenges had caused her to grow, and they had taken place in all manner of locations. So it was with some surprise that she found the one that had worried her most, Professor Pendleton’s tailing exam, was taking place on something of a home-turf for her.

She was standing on the third floor of a massive outdoor mall, looking down at a healthy crowd of people milling about a food court. Healthy, in this case, refers only to the size of the crowd, not their overall physical wellness. A small distinction, but given the quality of the food they were cramming down, an important one. Her green eyes darted through the people, rapidly scanning for any sign of her target. The location in her envelope had put her in front of a designer boutique on the third floor. She’d spotted Will arriving in front of a Radio Shack and Nick looking bored in front of a kiosk selling sunglasses. It seemed Professor Pendleton had decided to have a little fun with doling out their starting positions. She couldn’t see Britney or Tiffani, which didn’t really mean much given their respective talents. Nevertheless, it was clear that all three of the starting positions of which she was aware had only one thing in common: their view of the food court below, which was curiously still absent of Professor Pendleton.

Alice’s nerves manifested in constant fidgeting with the brim of her pink and black baseball cap, an attempt to make herself less recognizable that would have fooled no one. Even with her mane of blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and stuffed into a hat, she hadn’t thought to cover her striking facial features or dress in a way that concealed her distinctive figure. None of which might be of concern if she failed to even locate her tailing target. If only she knew what his damned ability was. He might be able to change his looks, or even shift size entirely. What if he was masquerading as a child? Or a woman? Alice took a deep breath to try and calm down. If he could do those things, then she was screwed. Nothing would change that. She needed to focus on the scenarios where she had a fighting shot. Like if he was just wearing a mundane disguise.

A quick glance told her Nick and Will were still in starting position. Good. If neither of them had found him, then he probably wasn’t around to be found yet. Alice turned back to the food court, trying to let her gaze wander across everything. Assume he would be in a disguise: that was a fair bet. Okay, so if that was the case, how would she see through it? He was tall - unless it was an all-is-lost scenario there would be no way to hide that. He could hunch over, but that would draw even more attention. She let her eyes lift upward to only observe the highest human points before it dawned on her that he might be sitting.

What next? Professor Pendleton wasn’t a terribly distinctive man: lean frame, clean shaven face as of that morning, dark hair, all features which he could disguise with a basic stage makeup kit, some dye, and a pillow under his shirt. It dawned on Alice that perhaps he favored his non-distinctive style specifically because it made him harder to visually pin down. Her eyes darted over to Nick, clad in a generic t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Except for the glasses, he was much the same as the professor. Nothing about him really stood out. In fact, if he took off his sunglasses, Alice was reasonably sure she would lose track of him in the crowd. Maybe that was the point of them: aside from masking when he used his luck, it gave him the ability to vanish in plain sight.

Alice blinked in surprise at her own realization. That was it. That was what she should be looking for. He was already nondescript, so that’s what she’d been searching faces to find. Professor Pendleton was a professional, he knew how to divert people’s attention. They’d be looking for someone not worth looking at. Alice changed her strategy, letting her eyes be drawn by bright colors or unique people.

Guy in a giant eagle jacket. Not him. Girl in light pink dress and matching shoes. Not him, but Alice wondered if the girl had gotten those heels at one of the stores in the mall. Silver painted man doing the robot as people threw change into his hat. Not him. Gentleman in a crisp business suit with an electric blue tie. Not him. Young guy with spiked hair, spiked choker, and ripped t-shirt. Obviously not... him.

It would have been easy to miss, even knowing what she was looking for, but the disinterested way the punk-styled man leaned his face against his hand did more than convey a sense of boredom. It also hid his key features without seeming like it was intended to. Alice felt her heart quicken with excitement. The lean frame, the dark hair, and even though he was leaning on the cheap plastic table, it was clear he was taller than most of the other people around him.

“Bingo,” she muttered under her breath. As if on cue, the target rose from his table, somehow always keeping a portion of his face obscured as he meandered nonchalantly through the food court. She risked a glance at her fellow test takers. Nick didn’t seem to notice anything, but with his control of body language and hidden eyes, that didn’t really tell her crap. Will was a better indicator, and despite trying to look nonplussed, his dark eyes were definitely darting in the direction of the meandering punk wannabe. Still no sign of the others, but that was enough confirmation for her.

Alice pulled down the brim of her cap and tried unsuccessfully to suppress an excited grin. Despite all the worry, despite the high stakes, despite the knowledge that there was almost no chance she would get a victory, Alice was still pumped up. Win or lose, this wasn’t going to be boring. The disguised professor was nearing the edge of the food court, heading toward an opening that led to the vast expanses of the mall’s main sector.

The game was on.

152.

For the first half hour, Professor Pendleton played by the rules of humans. He slid effortlessly through the crowd, a disguised grace that made him nearly impossible to keep up with unless most of his pursuers were willing to shove their way through the other shoppers. This was a bigger hurdle for some than others. Nick seemed to keep pace with the same inexplicable speed, and Alice was not too shy about bullying her way past people in her way (she’d been to enough designer label releases to be well at home with this concept). Will was a having a little more trouble, yet he seemed strangely unconcerned about it. The one having the biggest issue keeping up was the one who had to elbow her way through the crowd without the benefit of being seen. Britney briefly entertained the idea of going visible to make her pursuit more effective, but realized it was a poor trade off. Yes, she was a little slower than the others, but she was also the one least likely to be caught and eliminated. Besides, it wasn’t like she had to keep perfect pace with the professor. When she lost sight of him all she had to do was follow the other students taking the trial. It seemed he hadn’t really thought this through too well, or he would have realized that having them take the test all at once made it infinitely easier on them. So long as they kept each other in sight, the success of one was the success of all of them.

Britney managed to catch up to them outside an upscale men’s clothing store. They were milling about, trying hard to look like they weren’t staring at the entrance. Well, Alice and Will were. Nick seemed to have lost the trail, and of course Tiffani was even harder to find than Britney was. So logic dictated that the professor had gone inside and they were all waiting for him to emerge. Given what they sold, it seemed a fair bet that he would leave in different attire than he entered, a standard trick to throw people off one’s trail. Briefly, the idea of entering the store and watching him shop entered Britney’s mind; however, she banished it away almost as quickly. Without a solid frame of reference for how long he’d been in there, she could easily miss him and his exit, losing track of the others to boot. No, the smart play was to wait out here at a distance where she could resume pursuit safely. It was a good plan. Unfortunately, she hatched it at the thirty-five minute mark.