Page 42 of No Capes
They’ve discovered the body.
“That’s Wilson,” says the second man. “I wonder…” He stalks over to it, and his figure eases into my line of sight. The man wears a shadowy black tunic with slick boots and dark spandex tights.
“D.S.” I whisper with cracked lips, barely loud enough to hear it myself.
He turns, seeing me, and I blink and there he is, crouching next to me. He wraps his arms around my shoulders, his voice holding so much concern that my knees tremble. “Roberts, are you okay?”
“I think so,” I manage. “What’s going on?”
Dark Static brushes the dust from my hair. “I can’t believe—”
CRASH. I flinch, but D.S.’s stays still. “It’s okay,” he promises. “It’s only—”
“—Did you find her?” The person accompanying D.S. asks. He steps over the deceased’s shiny shoes and into my line of vision. He’s as impressive and heroic as I’ve ever seen him, in all those news photos, network interviews, and speeches, and in thetwo times I’ve met him in person. I would know that glimmering uniform anywhere. Especially with the burrito stain.
“Golden Ace.” D.S. grins, introducing his friend to an invisible audience. “Here to save the day.”
“I mean, I would.” Golden Ace tilts his head, assessing the situation. “Although it seems like Madeline’s got this.”
“Hold on,” I gather enough of a voice to enter the conversation. “Why are both of you here?”
“You were in trouble. We came to help…” Golden Ace answers, misunderstanding the question. “Oh. You mean why are we together?”
The Supers share a hesitant glance. They seem to have some kind of mutual understanding about something. Clearly, this is not the first time they’ve ever worked together. The Goldies are going to flip when they hear about this, especially after the interview Golden Ace gave this morning about stopping Dark Static.Did Golden Ace lie to Capital City?
“Remember that project I asked you to help me with?” D.S. asks, his mask brushing my ear.
I force my mental processes back into action.Which one?“Finding out if Aaron has super powers?”
Golden Ace transports his weight from one leg to the other, issuing a warning.
D.S. slides up from his crouching position, pulling me up with him. I want to protest—using my legs shoots pain up my spine—but as I lean into him, with his arms securing me in place, I feel more supported than ever. He forced me to use my strength… and it helped. A lot.
“No, not that,” D.S. answers, “Our latest endeavor. About the mayor. It’s a lot bigger than you and me. Gold and I have been working on it for a while now.”
Wait. What? “How long is a while?” I ask.
Golden Ace’s jaw tightens as he and D.S. share another careful look. Sure, they’re treading in unsteady waters, but we’re all in this together now.Why can’t they give it to me straight?
“She’s right,” Golden Ace says. “Just tell her all of it.”
Oops. I hadn’t meant to say that aloud.
“You didn’t.” Golden Ace laughs. “I can hear thoughts.”
My jaw actually drops.Holy Aces. Of course he can.Of course Golden Ace has a secret power.
My ears burn as I realize he could hear that too. Golden Ace keeps his hands on his hips, Superhero style, and focuses on the more important business.Madeline,I say to myself,you are so embarrassing.
D.S. takes his time to respond, and I get the sense that he’s leading this project, not Golden Ace. Another surprise for today. Not that D.S. doesn’tseemlike a leader—he’s got the charisma and seems to always know what to do—but wouldn’t Golden Ace naturally take on more of the responsibility to help Capital City? Is a villain really the one orchestrating this mission?
“We’ve been doing this since I found out I have powers,” D.S. finally says, only vaguely answering. “For the entire time I’ve been Dark Static.”
D.S. tears his dark eyes away from me. He’s just admitted his deepest, most personal piece of being Super: the reason he put on his suit in the first place.
“Static is the villain the mayor needs for his evil plan,” explains Golden Ace. “And that gives us a way into his office. But we also need someone to put out the fires, to make sure civilians don’t get hurt. Someone to fight the crime Bridges throws at Capital City without losing face. That’s where I come in.”
