Super Villain Grandpa (Cape High Series Book 15) (19 page)

All of a sudden, as I’m plummeting to the ground, praying for my wings to work, I remember the conversation I had with Trent and Carla all those years (I think?) ago. Who’s going to catch me?

“Keliah.” The word makes me jerk, looking around wildly. “Chicklet, you are a Falconess from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.”

“Grandma?” I say, looking around. The words are swirling all around me, echoing in my head. “Grandma, I don’t think you’re right—I can’t fly! I’m trying, but I can’t—”

“You were born to fly, sweetheart. Just like your Grandma,” I hear Grandpa say. “Now spread your wings!”

I spread my wings.

***

“What the hell?” Deathblow says, jerking back unconsciously as the girl he’d been carrying sprouts sharp golden wings. They cut through the jacket he’s wearing before he gets far enough away. “When did she grow wings?” he asks, staring at her with a mix of irritation and curiosity. She’s floating, still unconscious, and he dares to poke at the wings that are holding her aloft. The girl goes spinning with the touch, until she runs into the side of a building. “Hey, Massteria, she’s doing something really weird.”

“I…” the girl says, only to trail off.

The two men look at her blankly for a moment before Massteria reaches for her—only to get his hand slapped away, hard. “I AM A FALCONESS!” the girl yells, her eyes opening. They’re glowing gold, just like her wings. “I’M GOING TO SAVE YOU!” she bellows, taking to the air with a flap of her wings and racing away.

“Did that… did that just happen?” Deathblow asks Massteria.

“That just happened,” Massteria says.

“But who—oh forget it, she’s getting away,” Deathblow snarls, taking to the air and chasing after the girl. Massteria stares after him for a moment, a curious look on his face before he starts to walk away.

As interesting as Deathblow’s powers are, he hasn’t had the chance to play with Massteria’s enough, yet, Mimic thinks.

***

"Okay," Rocco says as they step out of the Shadowlands. He looks around and then stops, staring up with a look of confusion. "I didn't know Keliah knew how to fly," he says after a second.

"That place stinks--" Bombastic starts out, only to stop as he hears what Rocco just said. "She can't," he says, following Rocco's eyes. He stares blankly for a moment before he sees someone following his granddaughter. "Deathblow," he snarls, letting out a curse and shooting through the air.

"But--" Rocco starts out.

"You're coming with me to get Mimic," Nico tells him, his expression dark. "I think the council will understand if Boombastic brings in D.B. instead of Massteria."

"Oh, um, okay," Rocco says, still looking worried. "But shouldn't we get Keliah out of there? I mean--"

"Boombastic can handle D.B. I think," Nico says, his voice lowering slightly on the second line. "Where's Mimic?"

"This way," Rocco says, starting to run. "He's on the move, so we need to hurry."

Nico nods, right on the teen's heels.

***

Faster! I have to go faster--if I don't get to the falling person in time they're going to go splat. I can't even imagine how terrible that would be. They probably have family and friends and loved ones--no, I'm not going to mess this one up.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY GRANDDAUGHTER!" The shout echoes through my mind and I jerk, shocked to hear Grandpa's voice at the moment. The world that I'm seeing seems to shudder, and I blink a few times as I wake up, trying to figure out what's happening. The scream is gone. Was it ever there?

Wait... am I flying? I wobble dangerously as I realize that I'm several miles off the ground. "Grandpa?" I say, looking around. "Grandpa, where are we? I--I'm not sure--" I let out a squeal as I start to fall. The golden wings that I'm wearing shimmer, disappearing and reappearing erratically. "HELP!" I scream.

"I'M COMING--"

Someone grabs me, and for a second I'm relieved--until I realize that I know this hold.

"Hello, little Falconess," Deathblow says, next to my ear. "Seems like it's a big day for you, huh? I didn't realize you had your wings already."

I jerk, fighting as hard as I can to get free of his hold.

"Don't worry Keliah, I'm here," Grandpa says. "He won't have you for long."

"Really, Boombastic, do you think you can save her? You're no match for me. We both know it."

"You're full of it, Deathblow," Grandpa says. "You're just a two-bit killer with a big ego."

"Do you really think you should be saying that when I'm holding your precious granddaughter hostage?" Deathblow asks, tightening his hold on me.

I barely blink before Grandpa is right in front of me, reaching over my head and grabbing Deathblow by the throat.

"Let her go or I blow your head off," Grandpa says. I can see his skin start to change--it's getting really hot. At any moment his hand is going to turn pitch black and I can only grimace at the image of what would happen next. Sure I’d TALKED about it, but the idea is frankly nauseating.

"Since you asked so nicely," Deathblow says, grinning maniacally as he drops me. I plummet down, trying to get my wings to appear again. I have to fly--I can't hit the ground, I WILL go splat if I do.

“Come on, wings—” I say, gritting my teeth and completely failing to get even a flicker of a feather in return. “WINGS!” I shout, as if yelling at them will make them show up. I don’t want to go splat! I don’t even want to bounce—you know, if that’s an option. Okay, I think I’d take the bounce over the splat--

"Aren't you going to save her?" I hear Deathblow say with amusement. I hear Grandpa let out a curse and I see him let go of Deathblow, starting to head for me--

Deathblow's hand shoots out as he grabs Grandpa by the ankle and spins, throwing Grandpa flying through the air. I hear Grandpa shout, but I can't do anything. I'm too busy looking down at the concrete that's rapidly coming up to meet me. Splat or bounce, anyone want to take bets?

***

“Keliah,” Bombastic breathes, catching himself in the air and turning, racing for her. Will he get there in time? He had been careless. He knows that, but he doesn’t care right now. He can curse himself AFTER he saves his granddaughter. She’s not even screaming, he thinks as he sees her. She’s just staring at the ground with a hint of rebellion in her eyes. He swoops down, grabbing her mere feet from the ground. “Gotcha,” he says.

“Grandpa!” she says, hugging him tightly. “I was taking bets.”

“Bets?” he repeats blankly. “Tell me later, sweetheart, right now I want you to go hide,” he says, dropping her on the ground. “Technico, come get my granddaughter,” he says, touching his ear.

“I’ll send Rocco,” I hear Nico says. “I’m going to take down Mimic.”

“Understood.”

I head for the nearest building at a run, glancing over my shoulder as I hear Deathblow laugh. “Oh no, I’m not letting her go that easily.”

He flies straight for me and I stumble over a rock, almost falling on my face.

“I don’t think so,” Grandpa says, moving between me and the other man.

“She’s making you weak, Boombastic,” Deathblow says. “Big bad Boombastic, I’ve never dreamed that you would be this pathetic in real life.” He slams into Grandpa, driving him into the ground and creating a crater mere feet away from me. I get my balance back and race away. I want to help Grandpa, but I’m totally out of my league. I hate being thirteen.

“Technico you big idiot!” I yell. “You said you had my back!”

“Yo,” Rocco says, stepping out of the shadow in front of me. “Time to go.” He holds out a hand and I stare at it, turning to look at the fight behind me.

“I don’t want to leave him. I was just going to hide where I could watch—and help if I could,” I say. “Can’t you help him? Do your shadow thing, Rocco!”

“This is his fight, and if he needed help Nico would have come, right? Come on, Keliah, you’re making it harder for him just by being here,” he says.

I glare at him, feeling the urge to yell that he’s just being a jerk and that NO ONE wants to abandon a family member in a dangerous situation— "If you’re safe, he can go all out, right?” he says.

I hesitate before taking the offered hand. He pulls me into the Shadowlands.

“Wow, this place STINKS.”

He turns to me, looking me in the eye. “Now,” he says, “do you really want to help him? Because there’s something you can do. It’ll be a bit dangerous, but…” he shrugs, “we can do it.”

“I’ll do ANYTHING,” I say, grabbing his hand urgently. “What are we waiting for? Let’s do it!”

“We need to find Malina,” he says, grabbing the hand holding his and dragging me along. “She’s got it.”

***

Deathblow growls, racing right past Bombastic and slamming a fist through the wall that Rocco and Keliah just went through. “Oh no, you don’t,” he bellows, stepping through the hole he just created and—looking around blankly. “Where did they go? I wasn’t done with her!” He turns, only to be hit so hard in the solar plexus that he goes flying a mile into the air. The next hit comes from above, where Bombastic is already waiting for him with his hands clamped together. The massive blow slams down on Deathblow’s head, burying him in the ground a mile below him.

“NEVER TOUCH MY FAMILY!” Bombastic roars as he tackles the other man, burying him yet deeper into the ground. He keeps punching Deathblow with rapid fire blows that seem more like one continuous heavy hit, they’re so fast.

It takes Bombastic several minutes of beating on the other man to realize what’s wrong. Deathblow is grinning from ear to ear, even as he’s being beaten. “What’s so funny?” Bombastic asks, grabbing his shirt with one hand and lighting up his opposite fist. “TELL ME!”

“You don’t know my powers,” Deathblow says, looking as if he’s run into the funniest joke yet.

“You’re a tank. It’s obvious.”

“Yeah, but have you ever wondered what TYPE of tank?” Deathblow asks, grinning wider yet, if it was even possible.

“I don’t care.”

“You should,” Deathblow says. “Do it, I dare you,” he says, nodding at the glowing fist. “No, I BEG you. Do it, Boombastic. You know you want to.”

Bombastic hesitates, wondering what the man is up to. “If I hit you with this, you’ll die,” he says.

“That’s what you think,” Deathblow says. “What’s wrong, Boom? Too afraid to become a murderer? Oh wait, you already are,” he says. “Involuntary manslaughter or something like that, right? What’s the matter, too scared to do it voluntarily? You chicken.”

“Shut up,” Bombastic snarls. “Technico, I’ve got—”

“No thanks,” Deathblow says, throwing him off of him. Bombastic slams into the rubble of the nearest building, shaking it off quickly. “I don’t feel like getting caught just yet. I’ve got a list, you know? You’re at the top, but you’re not the only one on it. I’m going to slaughter our ‘happy little family’ one by one, and when I’m done with that, I’m going after all the people related to Sonic Scream. I heard somewhere that he’s got a son. Some prissy little singer boy—I saw him on television. He looks just like his old man. I look forward to killing him again.”

“You won’t get that far,” Bombastic says, taking to the air again. “You’re going to be stopped here and now.”

“Then stop wasting my time and FINISH IT!” Deathblow bellows, tackling Bombastic hard. “Do it, Boom, hit me with your best shot!”

“If you keep throwing stupid lines at me, I will!” Bombastic shouts, twisting and flinging Deathblow away from him. “You know what’s most twisted?” he demands. “You and I spent YEARS having those stupid little five minute meetings. I always knew you were a psycho, but seriously, man, they were really boring meetings, even for you,” he says, frowning as he thinks about it. “Why am I on the top of the list?”

“Because you give me the biggest thrill,” Deathblow says.

“I would have thought Atlanti would do that—I’d be the first to admit she’s a million times better looking than I am.”

“Sure she is, but you’re the one that excites me.”

Bombastic stares at him. “You’re not my type,” he says after a moment. “Besides, I’m a married man—”

“Not like that! Go ahead and ask me, Boom—ask me what sort of tank I am.”

“Fine,” Bombastic says, sighing, “what sort of tank are you, D.B.?” he asks, dutifully.

“I’m a kinetic absorber,” Deathblow says. “Every time you hit me, you make me more powerful. You’ve hit me plenty,” he says, “but I was really hoping you would use your ability on me. Turns out you’re too big of a chicken to do that. Pathetic, I was looking forward to that the most.”

“So… basically you’re a masochist?” Bombastic says after a second of thinking. “All these years and I never wanted to know that,” he complains. “Technico, did you hear all that?” he asks, touching his earbud. “D.B. likes being—”

Deathblow tackles him again, at full speed.

***

“Technico, did you hear all that?” Nico tries not to laugh—now is not the time to show amusement, and he knows it. He’s got Mimic acting as Massteria right in front of him. It’s a bit weird to think that he has more history with Mimic than this Mimic has with him.

“Technico,” Mimic says, holding up his hands. “I didn’t do anything, man—it’s all D.B.’s fault, you know? He kidnapped me and forced me to do all of this—”

“Stop lying, Massteria,” Nico says, playing along. “If you tell me everything, I might be able to keep them from stripping your powers. If we strip you of your powers, you’ll be stuck in a tiny hold next to the other stripped ones. Can you imagine having to listen to Herold for the rest of your life?”

“Okay, you got me—” Mimic says. “I did mess with the crowd at—”

“No you didn’t,” Nico says. “In fact, the only thing you’ve done is take down Massteria, isn’t it, Mimic?”

Mimic lets out a curse and rushes towards Nico, his hand reaching for his throat. “Feel your FEAR, Technico!” he roars, grabbing onto Nico’s throat. He stares Nico in the eye, grinning triumphantly for all of a second before starting to look confused. “What—” he says.

“Do you really think you could strangle me in Massteria’s form?” Nico asks.