New Justyce – Episode 7

Episode 7: Date Night Interrupted

Gavin Kastala scolded himself for being nervous. Why should a pretty girl scare Gavin when he fought a mutant ram monster and discovered that he and his brothers had superpowers. Well, he and Harvey have superpowers. Logan was dating an angel from an alternate dimension! But here he was, fixing his hair for the fifteenth time and worrying about his date. It’s not like this is the first date Gavin has ever been on. He’d been on lots of dates. But this one seemed different. Becky asked Gavin out, and she was intelligent and beautiful. She seemed so far out of Gavin’s league that he didn’t know why Becky asked him out. Rebekah was two years older than him and was a senior in college. Gavin offered to get a fake ID and take Becky to a club, but she told him she didn’t want another club date. Becky said she asked him out because Gavin was smart and funny and could converse about what interested her.

And that’s why Gavin was so nervous. The prettiest girl at college asked him out and complimented him. Gavin knew he was gonna mess this up! It might be less stressful to fight the mutant ram-man again! Gavin had twenty minutes to kill before picking Rebekah up and taking her to the restaurant. Maybe annoying his two brothers would relax him.

Gavin walked into the living room, still fiddling with his hair. The new bright blue streaks in his dark brown hair confused him. Gavin knew he had ice powers, but why had that caused his hair to change colors? What else was happening to his body that he wasn’t even aware of yet? That line of thinking caused Gavin to be concerned for Harvey and Ashton. Maybe if Logan could find Obadiah, he could explain what was happening. For now, everything appeared deceptively normal. Logan and Ash were playing Xbox, and Harvey was texting on his cell phone. “Harvs, have you heard from Bryson yet?” Gavin asked.

“Do you think Logan would still be here if he knew where Obadiah was?” Harvey answered without looking up.

Logan’s eyes darted toward Gavin before focusing back on the game. “I will go to him as soon as Harvey finds out where Obie is. I don’t care what time it is.”

Gavin nodded. “That’s fine. We all need answers, but I don’t want you going alone. I hate to say it, but I want all three of you to go together. Be safe and watch each other’s backs.”

“Should we be worried that we haven’t heard from Dad?” Harvey asked.

“I’ve been watching the news reports. Dad’s unit is chasing the monsters. We won’t hear from him until tomorrow at the earliest. Dad told us to stay in the house and expected us to listen, but he knew nothing about our powers. Dad must understand that things are happening too fast for us to sit here.” Gavin said.

Harvey sighed. “We need to figure out how to use these powers to help Dad and the army. We barely survived fighting against one or two of the Zodiac, but there are at least six. We fought three, and I’ve seen video clips of three others. If they ever showed up together, we’d be dead.”

“I agree. Our priorities are finding Logan’s friend, finding out what else Bryson knows, and then getting ourselves trained. Right now, though, I’m heading out to meet Rebekah. I want to enjoy my date, but don’t hesitate to text me if anything happens.” Gavin said. “Keep me in the loop about Obadiah, and let me know when you leave the house. Stay together and stay safe.”

“Have fun, big bro. I’ll keep in touch.” Harvey said as Gavin turned and left.

————————————————————————————————————

Bryson was about to cross the street toward his house, but Erik grabbed the back of his t-shirt and pulled him back into the park. “Hey! What did you do that for?” Bryson asked.

“Look.” Erik pointed. “Aren’t those army jeeps in your driveway?”

“I wonder what the army is doing here,” Bryson said as he started walking out of the trees again.

Erik put a hand against Bryson’s chest to stop him. “Geez. Usually, you’re the smart one, and you stop me from acting impulsively. Think about it, Bry. The army is looking for the monsters, and your fight with the minotaur has gone viral. Your face is all over social media and the news. The army tracked you down, bro.”

“You’re right. I was so focused on making sure my dad was alright and thinking about you and the others that I completely forgot that I was the one on the news. If the army is at my house, we must assume they know everything about me. I can’t go home ever again. At least not and live a normal life.” Bryson frowned.

“I’m not ready to say never,” Erik said. “Let’s figure this thing out. We need to talk to your friend and see what she discovered.”

“Grace must have found something interesting. Harvey’s brother Logan is the Logan that she was looking for. I’ll text them both. Grace would meet me here, but obviously, she can’t. I’ll have Grace, Harvey, and Logan meet us at the baseball field.”

“Maybe Ash and Gavin will show up, too. We must get everyone on the same page and figure out what is happening.”

“Agreed. I sent the texts. Let’s get out of here.” Bryson said, and the two boys kept the trees between them and Bryson’s house as they made their way to the high school baseball field.

————————————————————————————————————

Harvey looked up from his phone and grinned. “Finally! Hey, Logan, I got a text from Bryson. He wants us to meet him at the baseball field.”

“Why there and not at his house? Is Obadiah with him?” Logan asked.

“To answer the first question, we have to stay far away from Bryson’s house. The army is there looking for him. The video about Bryson fighting the minotaur went viral. Bryson asked us not to mention to anyone, especially Dad, that we even know him. To answer your second question, your friend is not with Bryson. I guess he forwarded the picture to me from his reporter friend, Grace. She is also going to meet us at the baseball field. Obadiah might be with her, or Grace will know where he is.”

“Let’s get going.” Logan looked over at Ashton. “Are you coming with us, Ash?”

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Besides, if there’s trouble, you may need me.” Ash said.

“The world is getting more dangerous,” Harvey said with a severe expression.

“Let’s just go find my boyfriend. I’m worried about him, and he may know what is happening to the rest of us.” Logan said. The three boys slipped on their shoes and ran out the door.

————————————————————————————————————

In the sub-basement of Justyce Labs, a computer next to a stainless-steel operating table beeped. The massive program that Caleb left running when he went to his sister’s house earlier that day finished.

“All systems online.”

“Diagnostics complete.”

“Unit operational. Operating at 100% capacity.”

The android opened his eyes and found himself in a brightly lit room. He blinked, activating his vision’s operating system. The android lowered the visual input brightness by 17% to compensate for the bright lights in the room. He found that he was lying on a silver table in a room filled with computers. The android tried to sit up but discovered his wrists, chest, and ankles were fastened to the table by leather straps. He flexed his forearms, and the straps across his wrists snapped without difficulty.

The android pushed up from the table, and the strap across his chest broke apart. Then he reached down and freed his legs to finally stand. The android inspected the room and found no windows or doors. The space was empty except for the table and all the computers. The android moved closer to the computers and activated his Heads-Up Display (HUD). “Connect to network – y/n?”

The android allowed the connection, and new images and data flooded his mind. The data was mostly about him. He discovered that he was the creation of a man named Caleb Justyce. The location of this room was the sub-basement of Justyce Labs – Building 1. The file referred to him as ‘Project: Adam.’ The file was vague. He must be called Adam. He needed to find out why this man created him. Adam needed to find Caleb Justyce.

————————————————————————————————————

Gavin pulled up in front of Rebekah’s apartment five minutes early. He was about to leave and go to the door when Gavin saw her come to meet him. Gavin opened the door for his date just as she got to the car. Rebekah paused for a minute, smirked at Gavin, and said, “That was so 1950 of you.”

Gavin blushed and got back in the car. Becky reached over and touched his forearm. “I’m teasing you, Gavin. Let’s go to dinner.”

Gavin smiled. “I just want to make sure to do everything right.”

“You’re off to a fantastic start.” Becky grinned.

The restaurant was busy, and the service was slow. Rebekah tapped her fingers on the table. “This drink is warm. Where’s that waiter? I need some ice or a new drink.” She grumbled.

Gavin pointed to the other side of the room. “Is that the waiter over there?” When Becky looked away, Gav touched the side of her glass and willed it to get cold. He only meant to chill the soda, but like the water glass at home, the entire glass froze and cracked. Thankfully, this time, the glass didn’t explode. Progress! “Oops!” Gavin said in surprise.

Becky turned back towards Gavin. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh. Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” Gav said, grabbing the glass before she could see it. “I’ll go to the bar and get you a new drink. I’ll be right back.” Gavin hurried away before Becky could see the frozen glass.

After dinner, Gavin handed Becky the dessert menu. “Pick out anything you want.” Gavin was thinking about how great the date was going, then all hell broke loose. Gavin heard a loud crash from the front of the restaurant and turned around to see a half-goat and half-woman monster charging through the front window. Gavin cursed. Why was the Zodiac Club attacking a small restaurant in the middle of nowhere? Was it because of him? The other monster said that it could sense the meteors. Were they drawn to Gavin now?

“Listen up! My name is Capricorn, and I am with the Zodiac Club. I won’t kill any of you if you do what I say. One of you has a blue meteor rock in your possession. I can smell it. Don’t try being a hero. Just give me the rock, and everyone lives.” The goat yelled. Her grey-furred head darted from side to side, and her nostrils flared. Capricorn had small, curled horns growing from her head, which she must have used to smash through the picture window.

Gavin noticed something strange. A woman in a long, flowing white dress stood behind the goat beast. At first, Gavin thought the lady was a bystander from the restaurant. Then he noticed that she was whispering to Capricorn. Then, the lady in the white dress began to sing. Gavin felt his mind fog over and stood up from his seat. He felt compelled to go to the lady in the white dress. He used every ounce of concentration that he could to try and stop. Gavin’s body went cold, and his skin turned blue. Gavin looked around the room and saw everyone walking toward the Capricorn and her friend.

Gavin could hear the hooves of the goat crushing the tiled floor with every step as she walked from person to person and searched them for meteor rocks. Gavin knew he had to get out and get Rebekah and everyone else out, too. Gavin was thinking up options and silently praying that Capricorn couldn’t pinpoint his location. Then Capricorn flipped over another table and stared at a woman on the floor.

“I smell the rock, but no one is giving me what I want even though you are all entranced by Virgo’s siren call. I’ll have to prove I’m serious by crushing this woman’s head under my hoof.” The goat said, her light brown, almost yellow eyes darting wildly.

Gavin sighed and looked over at Rebekah. “Becky, this has been a great date. I hope you don’t hate me for this, but there’s something I gotta do. I can’t let them hurt anyone. Not if I can stop it. You should leave. Right now. Run as far and as fast as you can.” Gavin got up and turned toward Capricorn.

“Wait! Gavin! What can you possibly do to stop her? Get back here!” Becky cried. “Don’t do anything stupid!”

Gavin clenched his fists and concentrated. Rebekah watched as her date’s whole body became encased in armor made of ice. “Hey, goat girl! Come pick on someone your own size!”

Rebekah gasped and hid behind the table, but she watched the scene play out. She had no intention of leaving.

Capricorn heard the challenge and answered it. She charged at the man in the ice armor.

Gavin put his hands before him and shot a column of ice at the charging goat. Capricorn hit the ice with such force that she smashed through it, but she skidded on the icy floor and only hit Gavin with a glancing blow. Gavin’s hands were encased in icy gauntlets. He let loose with some heavy punches at the back and sides of Capricorn.

 Capricorn barely felt the punches. She turned and swiped at Gavin with one mighty fist. Gavin flew halfway across the room, crashing into one of the tables. Capricorn charged again. This time, Gavin aimed lower. The shot to the goat’s upper body didn’t even slow her down, so Gavin fired the icy blast at the creature’s hooves. The goat slipped and smashed through another table, but Capricorn didn’t stay down for long. She got up and stalked toward Gavin. Gavin braced for a renewed attack, but the boy and the goat heard the police sirens and the rumble of the army helicopters. More trouble than either of them wanted was fast approaching.

————————————————————————————————————

Oliver stared out the window of the penthouse apartment and scowled. Ollie knew he could keep messing with the watch until he found a way to convince the realtor to rent to him, but did he really want to live in a penthouse? Sure, it was nice, but Ollie would never fit in in this world, no matter how much he messed with the timeline. Oliver glanced at the realtor. “I’ve decided not to rent this apartment. Thank you for your time, Miss Stevens.”

“Are you sure? We haven’t even discussed all the amenities that come with it.”

“I’m sure. It’s a beautiful apartment, but it’s not what I want.” With that, he walked out. Once he was down on the street, Oliver slid into the driver’s seat of the Mustang Shelby. He drove back to the car dealership. Ollie left the car in the lot and walked back to his apartment. Oliver packed clothes and a few other small things into his backpack and one duffel bag. Ollie left money and a note in the landlord’s mailbox. The message said that Oliver would not be back and that the landlord could do whatever he wanted with whatever Ollie left behind.

Oliver decided he needed a new start but didn’t want to be like the monsters he had robbed. It was too late to do the right thing with the money now. He’d be arrested for stealing it if he returned it to the bank. Ollie knew the cameras would be all screwy because of the time jumps, so the cops would think he had something to do with it. Oliver could not prove his innocence, so he decided to keep the money. Oliver wasn’t sure what to do, but he didn’t want to keep manipulating people and stealing from them. Stealing from the monsters felt good, but tricking the car dealer into selling him the car felt wrong. He almost did the same thing with the realtor, and that was what made him think about the choices he was making.

The money would help Ollie make a fresh start. Now, he needed to decide what that fresh start would be. Oliver strapped on his backpack, picked up the duffel bag, chose a random direction, and started walking.

 

Carl Chambers and Rick Myers stood in the center of the warehouse, overseeing the buzz of activity around them. Carl shook his head, his unruly mane falling around his face. “I think this will make an excellent base of operations, and there are two other abandoned buildings that I am going to acquire. We should have safe houses in different parts of the city for emergencies.”

Rick nodded in agreement. “That’s brilliant, Carl. You were always a good union president; now, you are an even better crime boss. I am not questioning your decision, but I do have to ask. Considering the other powered individuals’ appearance, was it smart to send out just two of us to each location where we smelled the meteor? Should we send more in as backup?”

Carl stroked his chin. “Libra and Gemini should be fine. Hell, the two of them could take on an army!” Then he shrugged. “Send two more out to check on Capricorn and Virgo if you want.”

Rick’s bull muzzle turned into a semblance of a grin, and his eyes sparkled. You’ve started calling us by our codenames. I’m not sure if that’s cool or scary.”

Carl shrugged. “I don’t want us to slip up and use real names on a mission. We may as well get used to the codenames. It could get messy if the army finds out our real names.”

“Good point. I’ll see if Luke and Jayden, or I should say Aquarius and Pisces, will take a walk and check on Capricorn and Virgo.”

Rick spotted Luke and Jayden huddled together in a corner. “Luke! Jayden!” He got close to them and shook his head. “Well, I guess I should call you Aquarius and Pisces. Carl wants us to get used to the codenames so we don’t screw up on missions.”

Jayden rolled his eyes. “I may look like a freak, but I’m still Jayden Stone. Out there, call me Pisces if you want, but in here, I’m still me. I’m still Jayden.”

Luke put an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. “Stop calling yourself a freak, babe. You’re still my beautiful boo.” He leaned over and gave Jayden a kiss.

“I appreciate you saying that, but to the world, I’m the creature from the black lagoon.” He returned the kiss, then looked at Rick and raised an eyebrow. “What’s up, Taurus. How can we help you?”

“With everything that’s happened today, I think someone should go out and check up on Capricorn and Virgo. Do you guys mind looking for them?” Rick asked.

“I’m in. You wanna go for a walk, babe?” Luke asked Jayden.

Jay glanced outside. “It’s almost dark. My hoodie should hide my face. Yeah, let’s go. Rick is right. We should check on those two. Sam and the twins should be fine.” Hand in hand, Luke and Jayden walked out of the warehouse to search for Capricorn and Virgo. Two blocks from the Portside Restaurant, they saw the cops and heard the army helicopter.

 

Capricorn looked at Gavin and said, “You’re the one who fought my husband earlier today. We’ll find you again. All the rocks will belong to the Zodiac Club. You can’t hide from us.”

Gavin snapped back at her. “Deep Freeze hides from no one. Find me anytime, goat girl, and bring your husband. I’ll take you both at once.”

Capricorn scoffed at the comment. She turned and looked for Virgo, but the other woman was already gone. Capricorn stepped through the demolished front window just as the helicopters landed. She started to run, but she was struck in the shoulder by a tranquilizer dart and fell to the ground.

Deep Freeze, a.k.a. Gavin Kastala, knew he had to leave and leave quickly. The army meant his dad. He couldn’t let his dad find out about his powers like this. He started to go, but then Rebekah was at his side. “Trying to run out on our date?” She smiled up at him.

“Our date? I thought I ruined that half an hour ago. I’m surprised you’re even still speaking to me.” Gavin said.

“Ruined? My boyfriend is a superhero! You’re the bravest guy I know. How you stood up to that creature and saved everyone was so hot.” She gripped his forearm and laid her head against his shoulder.

Gavin knew that it was now too late to escape. “Becky, the army will come through the door any second. You can’t be seen with me. Go sit over there with all the other restaurant customers. Deny that you know me. Please. I don’t want them to take you.”

“But…”

“No. Go now. Please.” Gavin said. Rebekah let go of Gav’s hand and quickly walked away. She stood beside the wall and watched the army burst through the door. Rebekah could only watch as the soldiers knocked her boyfriend to the floor, handcuffed him, and dragged him and the goat creature away. She vowed that she would do everything possible to get him back.

After a few quick questions from one of the soldiers who seemed to be in charge, Rebekah was told she could leave. They advised her not to speak of tonight’s events to anyone. Becky decided not to listen. Instead, she hailed a cab and headed for the Kastala house. Rebekah needed to free her boyfriend from captivity. She figured that his two brothers were the most logical ones to help.

 

Gavin sat in a damp, dark jail cell. His wrists and ankles were shackled to bolts on the cement floor. Two soldiers outside his cell were both pointing rifles directly at him. No matter how much Gavin tried to talk to them, neither man would answer his questions or even acknowledge that he spoke. Then Gavin heard his father’s voice. Isaac Kastala was talking to a third soldier stationed beyond another locked cell door leading to the room where Gavin’s cell was.

“Open the door, corporal. I need to speak to the prisoner.”

“With all due respect, sir, I’ve been ordered not to let anyone in to see him. The prisoner has been deemed a national security risk.”

“My son is no security risk! Open the door. I am your superior officer!”

A third voice spoke. “Go ahead and open the door, corporal.”

“Yes, sir, General Woodson.”

Gavin heard the rattling of keys and the cell door clanging as it opened. Then, the general spoke again. “You have fifteen minutes, Ike, and I’m only giving you that because he is your son. Get him to cooperate with us. It will be easier on everyone.” Then Gavin’s father strode into the room.

Isaac Kastala glared at the two soldiers who were pointing guns at Gavin. “Both of you, get out of here.”

They hesitated, and then the voice of General Woodson was heard again. “Double time it, privates. Give the sergeant the room.”

Coming Soon – Episode 8: Chaos at the Crater!