Page 65 of Breathless Recruiter

I didn’t turn. If I ignored him, perhaps Zaster would find somebody else to annoy. At first, I thought I might have disliked him because he worked as a scientist. Earth Mom taught me to give everybody a chance. It had less to do with his job and more to do with his personality. Nobody had ever taught him manners. Rude shouldn’t be the first thing that came to mind when I thought of him. Something about him made my skincrawl, and I wanted to ask Arthur if this was one of those intuition moments.

“Can I help you?”

“No, but Mr. Supreme can.”

I tensed. Zaster took Dustin’s seat, staring at the water fountain. He was wearing a white shirt and a red tie. The usual coat dragged along the ground, but this time, he wore goggles. He resembled every other scientist in the building. It was the sharp nose and sneer that set him apart.

If I flew away, it’d only confirm his suspicion. I tried to remember everything Earth Mom and Arthur had taught me. Laugh about it. Deny it. Act surprised. Time to see if taking notes while they lectured would pay off.

“Har. Har. Har.” Did it work?

“You’re in the presence of genius. Do you think I wouldn’t notice?”

“Notice what?” Deny it.

“WyattSupreme, you’re not exactly discreet.”

“Oh, I see how you got confused. Supreme. Supreme.” I rolled my eyes. “That happens all the time.” Should I act more surprised?

“I suspected it when you lifted the vending machine. Super strength. And like every other hero, none too smart about using those gifts.”

A scientist poked at my identity. Flying away wasn’t an option. I poked at my glasses, pushing them further up my nose. How had he seen through my disguise? The button-down and tie were nothing like the spandex. I tried shrinking as his eyes narrowed. As he gave me the once over, I knew my cover had been blown.

“I’m flattered, but?—”

“The fight with Titan only confirmed my suspicions.” His mind had been made up. There were no white lies that wouldconvince him otherwise. “I didn’t anticipate your sidekick being there. At least I didn’t have to pay him for services rendered.”

Wait. Had Orion been right all along? He claimed there was a conspiracy at play, which wasn’t surprising knowing him. He’d never let us live it down. For once, he had been right.

I should have gotten up and excused myself, but I had questions. A man working two floors beneath me had sent a brute to… to do what?

“You sent Titan?”

“It took you long enough to figure it out.”

“Why?”

“Science, of course. I wanted to test the limits of your abilities. You’re the first alien I’ve had under my microscope. Once I got your DNA, thanks for the hair, by the way… I needed to see your race in action.”

I jumped to my feet. The thought of being locked in a lab and having white coats poking at me was too much. Anger. Yes, definitely anger, but I was also feeling curiosity? If Dustin were here, he’d want to get to the bottom of Zaster’s plan.

“What are you talking about?”

“I should say thank you. The hair hadn’t been enough. I needed a blood sample. It was like you didn’t even notice the biker stabbing you with a needle.”

A hair? My blood? My jaw dropped as I remembered him plucking a hair from my beard. I thought the scientist had been obsessed with grooming. Instead, he wanted a sample for his experiments. I hadn’t even considered the biker at the bar doing anything dastardly. My distaste for these madmen deepened.

“All scientists are bad men,” I mumbled.

“Didn’t your mother teach you it’s rude to mumble?”

It happened without thinking. I lifted him by the shirt, his feet dangling above the sidewalk. He could harass me. Heck,he could hire supervillains to kill me. But nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, talked about Earth Mom.

“Did I hit a nerve?”

I gave him a shake for good measure. His black goggles slid down his forehead until they sat crooked on his nose. My eyes widened. Just like that, he transformed from Zaster to… Disaster? I had flashbacks to the chemical factory. Our mysterious villain had revealed himself. I let go, dropping him as I took a step back.

“It’s you…”

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