Page 84 of No Capes
“These are the basic moves.” D.S. punches in a quick motion. “Always watch your opponent’s hips. Even if they’re a Super. If you watch their hips, you can see where they’re going—if they’re about to jerk left, right, or fly behind you.”
I copy him move for move, and he models how to anticipate his punches and recovery, each movement as elegant as a falcon’s.
“What about powers? How do I fight powers?” I dodge his half-speed left cross. He’s not using his full strength yet and isn’t at all winded, while I have beads of sweat forming on my hairline.
“Fighting powers needs more strategy,” he says. “That’s partly why I like to study powers. If you understand how powers work, you can find weaknesses. Maybe not THE weakness, but a blind spot.”
“Exploiting weaknesses. Dark Static’s specialty,” I say, instantly wishing I could take it back.
He barely reacts. “Anger is good. Let yourself be angry.” His arms drop to his sides. “I meant everything I said last night, but if there’s still something you want to say, let’s settle it now.”
I bite my lip, upset with myself for trying to hurt him. I can try it his way and let myself feel, even the difficult emotions.Especiallythem.
“Ready,” I say.
“Magnificent.” He throws a hard punch, then another. I watch for the hidden signals in his legs and dodge each hit. He adds agility to his jabs, using bouts of flight, but we don’t have time to play.
Spending the rest of my energy, I summon a tide from the tank halfway across the room. Electricity sizzles in his palms, and he cuffs my shoulder just as I pull the tide above him.
The water cascades over Dark Static, hissing as it washes over him. He shakes it off like a wet dog. He’s not smiling when he looks up at me, but his fists relax.
“Roberts, I have a proposition for you.”
I use this opportunity to catch my breath. “Yeah?”
“One more fight, with powers. If I win, we’re moving on and calling Gold to hatch a plan. If you win,” he pauses, deciding. “I need you on my team. If you win, I’ll let you see me without my mask.”
Dark Static’s powers include delivering shock waves, but this shock differs from the 1.2 kilowatts he can shoot through his hands. Supers don’t reveal their identities toanyone. I would be surprised if D.S. knows who Golden Ace really is, and they seem to be BFFs.
I suck in a breath. “Why?”
“I’m not just going toletyou win, Roberts. You have to beat me in a fight, where I have an enormous advantage.”
I wipe my forehead and open one of my water bottles. I need a moment to answer. I already know that Dark Static isn’t Damian, Zane, or Fox, because of what I learned about Damian and Zane at Hallowfest, and how Fox helped me find Arielle when Dark Static wouldn’t. Could D.S. be Aaron? Or is he someone I’ve never considered? Either way, D.S. is right—knowing his secret would restore my trust in him, definitely.
“Alright, agreed. Let’s do this.”
The lights go out without warning. Darkness consumes the room, and Dark Static disappears.
“Hey, no fair,” I shout. “I don’t have night vision.”
“That’s a shame.” In my peripheral view, I catch a dim figure jumping beside me. I duck just in time for D.S.’s laser to miss my head.
One second, D.S.’s feathery shape shoots lasers from across the room, and the next, he’s a foot in front of me with a sharp right hook. I dodge his jab and he disappears, popping up a micro-second later by the room’s entrance.
At a distance, he extends his arm, the wispy shadows around his gloves vacillating in the dark.POOF.He disappears again.
Those stupid shadow portals.
He isnotmessing around. I swear and dive into the pool. As the coldness envelops me, I kick my legs and make the room spin.
~
Dark Static’s powers are fascinating. Not only can he shoot lasers and control lightning, but he can give other objects a charge so they’ll shock you if you touch them. He can’t do all of these at once, but he’s mastered how to time each power, using them nanoseconds after each other. My healing powers are just as quick as his speed-of-light zaps. Which is fortunate because I surrounded myself with liquid, and the lightning would have electrocuted me if my healing powers weren’t fast enough.
As D.S. forces me to respond by relying only on my reflexes, I get a better handle on my powers. My water spirals more creatively, and my tiny explosions are more exact. My healing powers activate instantly in the pool. Thank you, water absorption.
I wonder…Since I can change the chemical structure of anything with water inside, and humans are 70 percent water… can I change the structure of myself?
