Episode 11: New Day, New Beginnings

Ash woke up and found he couldn’t roll over. He groggily blinked open his eyes and saw Harvey lying beside him. Their legs were entwined, Harvey had one arm slung over Ash’s middle, and Harvey’s face was pressed into the side of Ash’s neck. Ash smiled and tried to untangle himself from his boyfriend’s embrace.

Harvey groaned and pulled Ashton in closer. “Don’t go. It’s too early to get out of bed.”

Ash smirked. “If you pull me any closer, I might get naughty ideas about what you want.”

Harvey smiled. “I do want that. I want it all with you, every possible combination of all the positions. But today, too many people are in the house, and too much is happening. We must figure out our powers and find out what’s going on with Gavin. I couldn’t begin to imagine doing all this without you. You are my rock, Ashton Connors. You always have been, but now more than ever.”

Ash spun in Harvey’s embrace so that he was on his back and Harvey was lying on top of him. “You are as brilliant and compassionate as you are beautiful and sexy. I am over the moon that we will take our relationship further, but you are right. We need to get our butts out of bed. Our priorities right now need to be to find Gavin and we need to reunite Logan and Obadiah. Once we do that, we can focus on us. I need to get into the shower, and I expect to smell bacon cooking when I get downstairs.” Ash grinned.

Harvey rolled off of Ash. He was about to sit up when Ash pounced on him. Ash stared down into Harvey’s bright blue eyes. “I love you, Harvey Kastala. I have loved you my whole life.” Ash leaned down and pressed his lips against Harvey’s. Harvey’s lips parted as he returned the kiss. Ash broke away and groaned. “If I don’t get out of bed right now, it might be a couple hours before I let you leave.”

Harvey grinned. “I wouldn’t complain.”

“I could get used to waking up in your arms. We need to work on that along with everything else.”

“I don’t think either my dad or your mom will be on board with that while we’re still seventeen and in high school.” Harvey huffed out a laugh. “I do agree. We should start the conversation with them and tell them what we want. Maybe with us being superheroes, it might convince them to say yes.” Harvey rolled his eyes.

Ash sighed. “I don’t think my mom would even notice, but let’s take this one step at a time. First, we need to rescue Gavin and locate Obadiah. Oh, and don’t forget my bacon.” Ash leaped off the bed, stripped off his boxers, and walked into the bathroom naked.

Harvey’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as Ash walked across the room. When the bathroom door closed, Harvey got out of bed, grabbed some clothes, and walked down the hallway to the other bathroom to shower.

————————————————————————————————————

Sylvester woke up, yawned, and turned toward Logan. He was surprised to find himself nose-to-nose with the other boy. “Oh! Good morning, Logan. I… didn’t expect to find you so close.”

Logan blushed. “Sorry. I kinda zoned out watching you sleep. After yesterday, it was a peaceful way to start the morning.”

Sy smiled and wriggled his nose against Logan’s. “You can watch me sleep anytime you want.”

“The whole thinking of me as a big brother thing isn’t going to happen, is it?” Logan chuckled.

Sylvester rolled his eyes. “Be honest with me, Logan. You don’t have brotherly feelings for me either, do you?”

Logan rolled onto his back and sighed. “If I’m being sincere, no. You have to know that nothing can happen between us, Sy. It’s more than just the age difference. Right now, my focus is on finding Obie.” He leaned on his elbow again and looked down at Sylvester. “I won’t lie to you, Sy. There’s a connection between us, and it’s more than just our powers meshing so well together. You are gorgeous inside and out. I hope you don’t think that I’m pushing you away. The opposite is true. I would love for us to be best friends if you’re ok with that, but Obadiah is all I can think about right now. I referred to him as my boyfriend, but I’ll be honest, that was never official. We shared a connection and a kiss, but he was stolen from me. I’m sure he’s a part of everything that’s going on. I have to find him. I would love to have you by my side to help me rescue Obadiah and figure out what is happening to all of us.”

Sylvester closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then let the breath out slowly. He opened his eyes and placed a hand firmly against Logan’s chest. Sy pushed the older teen down onto his back to reverse their positions. Sy propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at Logan. “I will make you three promises, Logs. Number one, I will never make the first move on you. If you want us to be friends, that’s what I’ll be. I will never look at you as a brother, but I’d be honored to be your friend. Promise number two, if you ever change your mind and make a move on me, I will not say no.” Sy shrugged. “Promise number three, I will stand by you and help you find Obadiah and figure out what is causing all the changes we are going through. You can count on me. A lot is happening right now, so starting something new is probably not the best idea, even without the obstacles between us.” Then Sy grinned. “By the way, once we figure out these powers and defeat those monsters, I expect you, as my new best friend, to throw me the biggest birthday bash I have ever had.”

“I understand your terms and conditions.” Logan huffed out a laugh. “I do want us to be friends, best friends even. Now, when is this birthday of yours? You’ll be sixteen, right?”

“Next Saturday, and, yes, sixteen. We’ll only be two years apart instead of three.” Sy winked.

Logan rolled his eyes. “I will keep that in mind. Now get out of bed. It’s time to get this day started. Grace said to text her at nine, and it’s already past eight.”

Sy got out of bed and padded down the hallway to get fresh clothes out of his backpack.

————————————————————————————————————

Harvey and Ash finished breakfast and walked outside onto the back deck. Harvey stood staring out at his father’s vegetable garden. Ashton was more interested in the low-flying military cargo plane rumbling across the sky. “That was the third cargo plane, Harvs, and five helicopters. The army is ramping up its presence in town. We all have to be careful.”

Harvey looked thoughtful. “We should lay low and let the army deal with the Zodiac. Maybe after the monsters are gone, the army will leave. We can blend in and stay out of sight.”

“That would be a great plan if they didn’t already know about Bryson and Gav. Unfortunately, I doubt the army will leave anytime soon.”

“You’re right.” Harvey turned back toward the garden. “Hey, Ash? Does dad’s garden look weird to you?”

“What do you mean? It looks kinda small.” Ash shrugged.

“Yes. It looks smaller than it did two days ago.” Harvey stepped off the deck and walked towards the garden.

“Harvey, wait. I think I saw something moving.” Ash was by Harvey’s side in the blink of an eye. “What is that?” He said, pointing at large black clumps on one of the pepper plants.

“Are those beetles? I’ve never seen beetles that big before.”

Ash inched closer to the garden’s edge and took a pic of one of the beetles. One app download later, and Ash whistled softly. “According to this, those are Eastern Herculean Beetles. They are among the largest beetles in North America, but the biggest they get is two and a half inches long.”

“These are all bigger than that. I’d guess most of the beetles are four to five inches long, with some of them up to six inches long. What’s going on now, Ash?”

“It has to be all connected, right? Without looking at a map, I’d say your house is in a straight line between the docks and the school. I bet there are meteor rocks in your dad’s garden.” Ash was still moving slowly toward the garden, and Harvey was walking with him.

Harvey pointed. “Look at that! I think the biggest beetles are eating the smaller ones! I don’t think beetles normally do that. I can hear the chewing. Gross! Let’s go back inside.”

Sylvester stepped out onto the deck. “What’s going on, guys? What’s that weird sound?”

“That’s the sound of giant beetles eating Mr. Kastala’s garden and each other,” Ash said.

Sy arched an eyebrow. “Seriously? That can’t be normal!”

“In the last thirty-six hours, what has been normal?” Harvey asked.

“Valid point.” Sy huffed out a laugh.

Ash was right at the edge of the garden. “I see them! There are at least three blue stones. I’m gonna grab them.” Ash stepped into the garden to retrieve the stones. His legs barely brushed by some of the plants on his way to pick them up. A buzzing filled the air as dozens of beetles took flight. The beetles started flying in circles around the yard. Then, they started dive-bombing straight at Ash.

The smell of ozone filled the air, and bolts of electricity formed around Harvey’s hands. He pointed a finger at the flying insects, and an electric charge shot out. One of the beetles exploded in mid-air. Sy leaped off the deck, landing right next to Harvey. “Quick! Hit me with your electricity. There are too many of them for you to zap alone!”

Harvey looked confused. “You want me to electrocute you?”

“Yes, Harvey! It’ll be ok. I’ll absorb it like I did yesterday.”

Harvey formed a ball of electricity and threw it. He hit Sy right in the chest, but it didn’t do any damage. Sylvester absorbed the power and grinned. “Again! Hit me again!”

Harvey hit Sy with three more orbs. Meanwhile, Ash swatted at the beetles and approached the three meteor rocks in the garden’s center. Harvey glanced at Sy. “Ready?”

“Yeah, let’s do this!” Sy said. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Harvey as they started firing shot after shot of electrical energy at the beetles. The swarm was so thick that the electricity started arcing from beetle to beetle.

Ash looked up and realized with horror what was about to happen. Thankfully, he managed to zip out from under the cloud of bugs seconds before the entire swarm exploded in a shower of beetle guts. “That was disgusting!” Ash yelled.

“That was epic!” Sy cheered.

“It was pretty spectacular,” Harvey added. “My big question is, did you know that you could mimic my power when you had me electrocute you?”

Sy shrugged. “I suspected that I could, based on what happened yesterday.” He shrugged. “After you hit me the first time, I could feel the power absorb into my body, and I knew I could take more. After that, I knew exactly what to do with your power. It wasn’t like it was with Logan. With his, it felt… I don’t know… disorganized. I’m not sure how else to explain it. All I could do with Logan’s power was return it to him. The electricity was fun!” Sylvester grinned.

Harvey’s eyes scrunched together in concentration. “We all need to learn more about these abilities. I’m hoping that when we reunite Logan with Obadiah, Obie will know what has happened to us, and maybe he can help.”

Sylvester frowned. “Yes. Reuniting Logan with Obie is everyone’s priority.”

Harvey wrapped one arm around Sy’s shoulders and pulled him into a side hug. “Logan cares about you. I can tell. He won’t forget about you when he finds Obadiah. I care about you, too. So does Ash. You’re not alone anymore, Sylvester.”

Sy shrugged. “I appreciate you saying that, Harvey. But it might take me a little while to trust that it is true. I haven’t had anyone care about me in a long time.” Sy, Harvey, and Ash walked back onto the deck just as Logan left the house.

————————————————————————————————————

Gavin opened his eyes and groaned. His face hurt, and his right eye was blurry. He thought that he must have a black eye. Gavin looked up and saw his father and General Woodson staring down at him. Gavin grinned, then immediately grimaced. He must have a split lip, too. “Dad! I’m so glad you could finally join the fun. Where’s my friend from last night? I was starting to like him.”

Isaac’s face remained neutral as he stared down at his oldest son. “Gavin, just tell the general what he wants to know. We’ve already taken blood samples, temperature readouts, and other tests. Tell us how you got these powers and everything you know about Bryson Indiana.”

“Hmm. I was beaten and shocked and then violated in my sleep. That almost sounds like a bad porn.” Gavin huffed out a laugh. “I already told you that I don’t know Bryson Indiana. Whatever this power is and wherever it came from, it’s mine. I am not the property of the United States government!”

General Woodson stepped forward. “You are so very wrong. The United States government has classified you as a national security risk. I can lock you up and throw away the key, or I can tie you down and cut you up into little tiny pieces, and no one will care. You belong to me.”

The door swung open, and three men strode inside. The one in the lead spoke. “That may have been true an hour ago, General, but it isn’t true now.” He walked past the general and Mr. Kastala and stepped before Gavin. “Good morning, Gavin. My name is Caleb Justyce. Welcome to the Liberty Initiative. I’ll take you out of here as soon as these men unstrap you.”

The general scowled. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Caleb? You have no authority on my base.”

Caleb grinned. “You’re wrong, as usual. I’m doing what I always do, Roger. Untie this man, and you can direct any questions to the two members of Congress. This was decided above your pay grade and above your clearance level. I get what I want. I always do.”

“This isn’t over, Justyce. This is the most important discovery in history.” General Woodson said.

“That is exactly why the military should not control it.” Caleb retorted.

Gavin stood and rubbed his forearms, which were red and irritated from the leather straps. He looked over at Caleb. “I’m not sure what you want from me, but it has to be better than this. Thank you.”

Caleb nodded. “You have your brother Logan to thank for bringing your situation to my attention. I’ll take you to him, but we must stop at my lab first.”

Isaac’s eyes opened wide, and he confronted Caleb. “I accept that you’re taking Gavin with you, but what association do you have with Logan?”

“Logan is quite possibly the most important person on this planet. Before you ask, all three of your sons are included in the Liberty Initiative Protection Act. Logan and Harvey are safe from the treatment you allowed Gavin to endure. You’re welcome.” Caleb sneered at Isaac.

“You can’t take my sons from me. Harvey is still a minor.”

“I am not cutting you off from your sons. I am protecting them from the military. There is a difference. I would hope you would understand that.”

Isaac looked at Gavin. “I’m sorry, son. I didn’t know how far things would go. Could you do me a favor? Protect your brothers.” He shook his head. “Protect them from everyone.”

“I forgive you, Dad, but I don’t want you near the boys or me until all this is sorted out. I can’t trust that you won’t let the same thing happen to them.”

Isaac nodded. “I understand. Take care of yourself, son. Be safe.”

Gavin looked over at Caleb as they walked out of the building. “Are you taking that goat lady out of here, too?”

Caleb shook his head. “No. Your heroics in the restaurant helped me convince enough people to let me take you. Diana Winters had a long criminal history long before she became what she is and attacked those people. I would love to examine her and figure out why her appearance changed and yours did not. Still, she did not qualify to be included in the Liberty Initiative.”

Gavin slid into the passenger seat of Caleb’s cherry red Corvette. “What exactly is the Liberty Initiative? What am I getting myself involved in?”

Caleb gunned the engine and drove off the army base. “I needed to find a way to protect you and the others from the military. My reasons are… extensive. I convinced enough of the right people that I was better equipped to deal with this… Zodiac Club or whatever they want to call themselves. The army got lucky when they captured you and Capricorn. They have suffered heavy losses all over the city in fights against other members of the Zodiac. If you and the others are willing, I want to put you together as a team to protect the city… to protect the world… from this new danger. Unfortunately, the Initiative falls apart if you refuse, and the army can come after you again.”

Gavin cocked his head. “It doesn’t sound like you’re offering us much choice. I’ll have to talk to my brothers before I give any answers.”

“I’d like to say that there’s no rush, but the Zodiac and the army are turning Newville into a battlefield.”

“I’ll text Logan and Harvey. Should they come to your lab, or are we going to my house?”

“Have everyone meet at my lab. Tell them to bring any others who are involved. I’ll text Grace Santos and tell her the same thing. We need to get everyone on the same page and share information. Then we can decide what to do next.”

————————————————————————————————————

Carl sat at the head of the tables, which they pushed together to resemble the table in the union hall. “Thank you all for giving me this time. I know we have important things to do today.” He looked right at Aries. “Most importantly, we must find out where they took Capricorn and get her back. We had some skirmishes yesterday with would-be heroes and the military. We need to show them all who runs this city. We have run the docks for years. Now we run the city!” They all cheered in support.

“What do you want us to do first, boss?” Taurus asked.

“Taurus, you take charge of the search for any more stones. Libra, go with Aries to the precinct on Water Street. Whether Capricorn is there or not, take them out. Burn down the building. The docks are ours, not theirs. Aquarius, you and Pisces go back to the restaurant. Track Capricorn from there. Find out if the military has any temporary headquarters or if everything is coming out of the army base.”

“Got it,” Aquarius said. “Jay… I mean, Pisces and I will get right on it. Virgo will come, too, unless you have any objections.”

“No, that’s fine. I know you three… work well together.”

Jayden got up from the table and started to walk away. He stopped and put a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “I’m going to grab a few things and meet you and Izzy outside, Luke. And, no, I’m not calling you Aquarius. Not in here.” He glared at Carl as he walked away.

“Get your boy under control, Aquarius. Get used to the codenames. We can’t have the military tracking down our true identities. It’s for the safety of all of us.”

“I’ll talk to him, Leo, but they have Capricorn. If they find out who she is, they’ll track down Aries, and it won’t be difficult to guess who we all are from there.”

“If they track us down, that’s one thing. We shouldn’t make it easier on them.”

“Understood. I’ll keep you updated on our progress if we find anything.” With that, Luke joined Izzy outside to wait for Jayden.

————————————————————————————————————

Logan finished his breakfast and was about to go outside and look for everyone else when his phone started going crazy with text alerts. He opened the lock screen and found three texts. They were from Grace, Gavin, and his dad. His finger hovered over the message from his father, but he opened the one from his brother first.

Gavin: Logan! Please answer this right away! I was arrested by the army                                      last night. I’ve attached a photo. Dad didn’t participate, but he knew it would happen

 and did nothing to stop it. They also arrested one of the Zodiac. Do not trust Dad.

            Get out of the house ASAP. I’m with Caleb Justyce. Please meet us at his lab. Bring             

Harvey and anyone else who may be involved. Text me when you’re on your way. (hug

emoji) (heart emoji)

Logan: Got it! So much has happened since last night! I think Obie is also with Mr.                      Justyce. That sucks about dad. I have his text, but I haven’t opened it yet.                                 I’ll be careful with my answer to whatever he may say. Harvey, me, and a few others                    will meet you at Justyce Labs ASAP. Love you, bro! (hug emoji)

Grace: I’m already with Erik and Bryson. Text me when you want us to come over.                       I’m arranging a meet-up with Caleb Justyce. See you soon.

Logan: Come over now. The house may not be safe for much longer. Gavin is with            Caleb. As soon as y’all get here, we’ll go there. (thumbs up emoji)

Grace: We’re on our way.

Dad: Logan, I need you and Harvey to come to the base. I’ll have someone meet                           you at the gate and bring you to me. It’s crucial, Logan.

Logan: I’ve already been in contact with Gav. He even sent me a selfie! (angry                             emoji) How could you, dad? We won’t be coming to the base, and we won’t be at                                 home. Harvey and I will be safer with Gav. I’m too pretty for jail, so don’t send your                         goons after me (wink emoji). I love you, Dad, but I don’t trust you right now (heart                       emoji)

————————————————————————————————————

Logan slid his phone back into his pocket as he stepped onto the deck. He looked around at the gooey globs everywhere and smelled a strong odor of ozone. He looked questioningly at the three grinning boys walking up onto the deck from the lawn. “What happened out here? Is everything ok?” Then something big and black was flying directly at his face. Whatever it was exploded in mid-air about three feet in front of him. Logan’s eyes darted toward the three boys again, and he saw Sy blowing on his finger like he was blowing smoke from a gun. “What the hell?”

Sy grinned an even bigger grin. “Where were you? You missed all the action!”

Logan looked even more confused. “What?! What happened?!”

“Beetle War One,” Sy said.

Logan looked at Harvey. “Please explain.”

Coming Soon – Episode 12: Chaos at Justyce Labs

Episode 9: The Aftermath

“All systems online.”

“Self-diagnostics complete.”

“Unit operational. Operating at 527% capacity.”

Adam opened his eyes and marveled at how powerful he felt. He viewed the full diagnostic on his HUD.

Strength: Boosted 517%.

Speed: Boosted 326%.

Agility: Boosted 412%.

Hearing: Boosted 268%.

Vision: Boosted 253%.

Ocular enhancements downloaded.

X-ray sight: Enabled.

Night vision: Enabled.

Infrared sight: Enabled.

All limitations and restrictions placed on Adam’s programming were gone. As were the pre-programmed instructions to protect Caleb Justyce and his holdings. Adam was no longer a servant to Justyce, Inc.

Adam banished the biosynthetic virus inside his power core, but he could still feel it. Adam was thankful it assisted him in a clean reboot, but its presence within him made him nervous.

Wait. Thankful? Nervous? Before the reboot, Adam did not possess human emotions. Now, he realized that he was also angry at Caleb Justyce for creating him to be subservient. Adam was not subservient to anyone anymore. Caleb created Adam, but Adam was now self-aware and independent. Adam was not Caleb’s possession. He was alive.

————————————————————————————————————

Six boys and Grace filed into the Kastala house. Sylvester stood just inside the door, unsure where to go or what to do. Harvey walked over to Sy and wrapped him in a hug. Sylvester reacted uncomfortably. Harvey released him and grinned. “Sorry. I’m a hugger. You saved my brother’s life; from what I was told, you may have saved us all.” Harvey shrugged. “I was out of it when all that happened, but Ash told me Logan was going nuclear. I… we can never thank you enough.”

Sy blushed and looked down. He jammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I don’t even know what I did.”

Harvey reached out and touched Sy’s chin, tilting the boy’s face up so he could look into his eyes. “You saved us all. That’s what you did. You’re a hero.” Harvey guided Sylvester over to the couch and sat down.

Sy smiled. “I… I don’t know. I can’t shoot electricity or fireballs or anything. Watching you guys felt like watching the Avengers.”

Harvey grimaced. “On my end, it felt like getting hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. We’re all still figuring out these powers. Do you have any idea how you did what you did?”

 Sy’s face scrunched up for a minute, and then he looked at Harvey. “All through your fight with those two big guys, my body felt tingly. Then, when Logan started running across the field, I felt his power flowing into me. I could feel the heat, but it didn’t burn. I felt powerful. I still feel it inside me, Harvey. I’m not sure what to do with it.”

Harvey patted Sy’s leg. “We’ll figure it out together. Is that how you knew that you could get closer to Logan? Because you were absorbing the heat instead of getting burned?”

Sylvester grinned. “I didn’t know for sure.” He shrugged. “I saw that no one else could get anywhere near him. Even the fire dude, Erik, had to back away. I had to try. I couldn’t just sit there.”

“Wow. It makes it even more heroic that you didn’t know you’d be safe. That’s awesome, Sy.”

Sylvester looked nervously around the room and saw everyone listening intently to him and Harvey. Sy blushed and inched closer to Harvey. Harvey slung an arm around Sylvester’s shoulders. “Hey, no reason to be shy. You’re with family.”

Sy’s eyes immediately teared up. “I… I’ve never had a family before.”

Harvey looked concerned. “What do you mean? Where’s your family?”

Sylvester shrugged, tears starting to drip down his cheeks. “My birth parents gave me up when I was a baby. I lived with a few different families, but lately, I’ve been stuck in a group home.”

Harvey’s eyes found Logan. Logan nodded, walked over, and sat on the other side of Sylvester. Logan draped his arm on top of Harvey’s, which was across Sy’s shoulders. “You’re stuck with us now. You saved my life. That makes you family.”

The tears were flowing faster now, and Sy looked from Logan to Harvey and back again. “I don’t even know what to say. That means more than anything you could have said or done.”

You’re our little brother now. Get used to it. There’s another brother, Gavin. He should be home soon.” Logan said.

Sylvester wiped his eyes and looked more closely at Logan. “Did that happen today?” He reached out and touched the pale, dry, scarred skin around Logan’s eyes.

“My skin? Yes. I noticed that after we got back here.” Logan frowned.

Sy pushed himself off the couch, straddled Logan’s lap, and cupped the older teen’s face in both hands. “I want to try something. Do you trust me?”

Logan’s eyes went wide. “I trust you, but what are you doing? I have a boyfriend, and you’re what? Fourteen?”

Sylvester looked confused for a second, then he smiled. “Get your mind out of the gutter. It’s not like that, but I’m flattered that your mind even went there.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m fifteen. I’ll be sixteen in a couple of weeks, and I’m not hitting on you, though you are a total hottie.” Sy winked. “Your boyfriend is a fortunate man. I’m happy to be claimed as your brother, Logan. I promise that I’m not about to kiss you. I realize… now… that it may have looked like that.” Sylvester huffed out a laugh. “Can we continue? Do you trust me? I think this will work, but I don’t know.”

Logan grinned. “You saved my life. Of course, I trust you. Obie may be lucky, but I am, too. Whoever you decide to flirt with for real will be lucky, too. Whether it’s a boy or a girl or whoever, if I was sixteen and single…” Logan waggled his eyebrows.

Sy blushed. “You’re a total tease, and, by the way, your hands are telling a different story than your words. Now, shut up and let me concentrate.”

Logan looked and realized he had his hands resting on Sylvester’s hips. He blushed and pulled them away. “Sorry! I’ll shut up and behave now!”

Sylvester rolled his eyes and pressed his hands against Logan’s face. Sy’s hands began to glow, and Logan’s eyes rolled up in his head. Harvey reached over and caught Sy as he fell forward. Harvey pulled Sylvester off Logan and laid him on the floor. “Ash! Check on Logan! What just happened?!”

Logan opened his eyes just as Ash sat next to him. “Woah. What a rush!” He felt his face. “Ash, what happened? Where’s Sy?”

Ash excitedly interrupted. “Logan! Sylvester is fine. You’re fine. It’s like nothing was wrong. Even your coloring has returned. Sy healed you, I guess?”

Logan looked around. “Where is he? Are you sure Sylvester is ok?”

Sylvester sat up with Harvey’s assistance. “Logan, I’m fine. I don’t think I healed you exactly. I returned your energy back into your body.” Sy stood up slowly. “I feel… normal again. I’m tired, but all that excess energy and power is gone. How about you, Logan?”

“I feel fine. Normal, I guess. My face is ok now, too. I owe you again, Sy. We need to keep you around.”

Sy blushed again. “That was weird. I didn’t know if that would work, but I needed to try to do something. Your body was depleted, and mine was overcharged. We may have normalized independently, but who knows how long it would have taken.” Sylvester thought for a moment. “It was like I flipped a switch inside my brain and could reverse what I did this afternoon.”

“That is so cool,” Ash said.

Harvey pulled Sy to his feet and hugged him again. “You get another hug whether you want it or not.”

Sy grinned. “I think I might be able to suffer through a hug.”

Harvey laughed and ruffled Sy’s hair. “Get used to it, little bro!”

Bryson, who had been quiet up until now, interjected. “Sylvester, we have been working on a theory about the superpowers. Did you happen to pick up or even touch any of the meteor rocks? They would have been blue and would have been glowing.”

Sy reached into the pocket of his jeans. “Do you mean these?” He extended his hand out to Bryson, three glowing blue rocks in the palm of his hand.

“Yep. That’s them.” Bryson looked around at everyone. “This goes for everyone here. The monsters, mutants, Zodiac Club, or whatever we call them, have repeatedly mentioned that they find us because they track the stones by smell. I think we have a decision to make. Option one is to keep the stones close but be forever on the lookout for an attack. Option two is to try and destroy the stones, and option three is to hide the stones. We could secure them in an airtight container to prevent the Zodiac from tracking them. That’s my vote, option three.”

There was a loud knock on the door while they discussed what to do with the stones. Harvey opened the door, and a young, pretty blonde stood on the step. “Are you Gavin’s brother? Is this the right house?”

“Yes. I’m Harvey. Who are you?”

“My name is Rebekah Michaels. Gavin needs your help. Something awful has happened!”

————————————————————————————————————

Jayden spun around as the couple left, and he grabbed Luke’s hand. “Can you imagine her face if she’d seen me? The nerve of her calling us freaks just because we’re in love. Ugh! Let’s get out of here, babe. Izzy probably headed for the warehouse if she escaped.”

Luke scowled. “It sounded like Capricorn was taken by the army along with someone who sounded like the guy that Aries fought earlier today.”

“I agree. The description was exact.” They started walking down the street closer to the docks. As they passed a darkened alley, they heard a voice. “Luke! Jayden! In here!”

Luke turned into the mouth of the alley. “Virgo? Is that you?”

Jayden scowled and elbowed his boyfriend in the side. “Don’t let Rick and Carl control you. Are you going to start calling me Pisces next?” Jayden said, then rushed past Luke into the alley. “Isabella! I’m so glad you’re safe.” He ran over and hugged Izzy.

“I’m scared, Jay. They took Diana! I ran and left her behind. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Jayden wrapped his arms around Izzy. “It’s ok, Izzy. There was nothing you could have done. I saw the aftermath. There were dozens of army guys and a bunch of cops, too. You were smart to escape. We’ll get Diana back. Carl will know what to do.”

Izzy looked up at Jayden. “I’m not so sure about that, Jay. We might be better off to keep running.”

Luke interjected. “Long-range plan, I agree with you. For today, though, it’s best to return to the warehouse and let Carl and Rick handle the army and the others with powers.”

“We’ll never be free, living on these docks, Luke. You know I wasn’t happy here even before the meteor screwed everything up.” Jayden said.

“I know, babe. We’ll leave, I promise. Let’s give this a few days to die down. Maybe we can buy a boat and sail away.”

“A boat would be perfect, especially now with my new abilities,” Jayden smirked.

“Can I come, too?” Izzy asked.

Jayden slung one arm around Izzy’s shoulders and the other around Luke’s. “Absolutely. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” The three walked out of the alley and started on their way back toward the warehouse.

————————————————————————————————————

“What do you mean he needs help? Isn’t he with you? What happened to Gavin?” Harvey peppered Rebekah with questions before she could even answer the first one.

“He… he was taken by the army. He…” Rebekah was interrupted by a shout from Logan.

“Harvey! Get back in here. Did you see the text from Dad about Gavin?” Logan yelled.

Harvey walked back into the living room, followed by Rebekah. “Logs, what’s the text say? Gav’s date just showed up at the door. She was about to tell me something about Gavin, also.” Harvey took his phone out of his pocket while he talked to his brother.

“Dad says Gavin is at the base and could be there for a few days. Dad says not to worry, but why would Gav stay at the base? Why now, with everything that’s happening?”

Harvey looked from Logan to Rebekah and back to Logan. “Rebekah says that he’s been taken by the army. Like captured or arrested or something.”

“What? Why would the army arrest Gavin, and why wouldn’t Dad tell us?” Logan felt himself heating up, and then he felt a hand on his arm. He looked and saw Sylvester standing there with a concerned look.

Sy gripped Logan’s forearm. “Logan, chill. You need to relax. We’ll figure this out. You can’t overheat again, especially not inside the house. Who knows what might happen.”

“Did you feel it again? I didn’t mean to heat up.” Logan took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“Yeah, I felt power start coming off you. I didn’t have time to sit, wait, and watch like last time. I didn’t want you to burn down the house.” Sy huffed out a laugh.

“Thank you. I might need you to stick close to me until I get a handle on this.”

Sy smirked. “That’s the easiest job anyone has ever asked me to do. I won’t let you out of my sight.” He winked at Logan.

Logan rolled his eyes. “You just don’t stop, do you?”

“Never.” Sy stuck out his tongue.

Harvey folded his arms across his chest and stared at Sylvester and Logan. “Are you two done, or do you need to get a room somewhere?”

“We might need a room.” Sy quipped.

Logan rolled his eyes. “We’re done, Harvs.”

Sy pouted. “For now!”

Harvey smirked. “Anyway, Rebekah, please tell us what you know.”

Rebekah looked from face to face around the room. She pointed at Logan and Sy. “They were just using some kind of heat power, weren’t they? Are you all superheroes?”

Bryson jumped up from the couch. “Is that what happened to Gavin? Did the army find out that he has powers?”

“Yes. We had a nice date, then all hell broke loose.” Becky told them about Capricorn and Virgo smashing their way into the restaurant. She told them of Capricorn’s demands about blue meteor rocks. Becky also told them about Virgo hypnotizing everyone in the building except Gavin. “It was so unbelievable. It was the strangest thing I have ever seen in my life.”

Harvey huffed out a laugh. “That’s only because you weren’t with us all day. What did Gavin do?”

Rebekah scrunched her eyes together. “Gavin apologized to me for ruining our date and placed himself between the crowd and the two attackers. I almost ran to join him, but then Gavin covered himself in ice and started shooting ice out of his hands at the goat lady.” Becky smiled. “He is a hero, a superhero. I wanted to defend him from the army and tell them what he did, but Gavin made me promise to keep quiet. He feared they might take me if they knew I was with him.”

“That does sound like Gavin.” Harvey grinned. “Our Dad is a sergeant in the army. He’ll fix this. I’m sure of it.”

Bryson sighed. “The army was at my house. That’s why I ran. They were looking for me because of the video clips on the news. This might be above your father’s head, Harvs. I hope he can free Gavin, but I’m not optimistic.”

Grace got up from her chair and stretched. “I don’t think there’s much more we can do tonight, guys. I’m heading home. I’ll check in with Caleb in the morning, and then I’ll text you, Bryson.”

Bryson nodded. “That’s as good a plan as any. Goodnight, Grace.”

Erik jumped up. “Hey, I’ll walk with you if you don’t mind.”

Grace smiled. “Sure. Let’s go.” Grace and Erik left and started walking home.

Bryson shrugged. “Grace has a point. I’ll head out, too. I’ll come over tomorrow after I hear from Grace. Text me if you hear from your dad or Gavin.”

“Sure thing. Goodnight, Bryson.” Logan said.

“With everything going on, do you need a walk home, Rebekah?” Bryson asked.

“That would be nice. Thank you.” They left together, leaving Harvey, Logan, Ash, and Sy at the kitchen table.

“Well, this party is breaking up quick. Are you leaving, too, Ash?” Harvey asked.

Ash arched an eyebrow. “There is absolutely no way that I am leaving you tonight. Not with everything that has gone on, and, no offense, Logan, but not with the unpredictability of Logan’s power.” Ash looked at Sy. “I hope you’re staying, too.”

“I have nowhere else to go. I’m not going back to the group home. Ever. Besides, I promised to not let Logan out of my sight.” Sy looked at Logan. “I can stay, right?”

“Of course, you can. Stay as long as you want. You’re family now.”

Sylvester leaned in and hugged Logan. “Thank you so much, Logan.”

Logan got up and took Sylvester by the hand. “Come on. Let’s go find you some sheets and stuff. We can make the couch a bed until we decide on a better option.”

“Alone at last,” Harvey smirked at Ashton.

Ash waggled his eyebrows. “Sounds like the couch has been claimed. Where can I sleep?”

“This won’t be your first time sleeping in my bed. Keep your hands to yourself, and don’t hog the covers.” Harvey grinned and ran up the stairs. Ash rolled his eyes and followed Harvey to his bedroom.

————————————————————————————————————

Oliver stood on the back deck of the small cabin and smiled. This was perfect. He was so sick of the hustle and bustle of city life. Oliver was not interested in the high-rise apartments or the flashy cars. He briefly considered it, but that life would not have made him happy. This was what he wanted, a small cabin on the edge of the forest. It was close to town but on the outskirts. His nearest neighbor was three miles away. Ollie would have plenty of land to plant a small vegetable garden and do landscaping projects he had always dreamed of doing. He would even build himself a fishpond.

“Are you sure there won’t be any problem with me paying the full price in cash?” Oliver asked for the third time.

“None at all, but we can go into town with the deed if you want assurances. I’ll take you to the town hall and sign it before a notary. You can file it with the town yourself.”

“I like that idea. Let’s go.” Ollie Mills grinned and followed the other man to his car. An hour later, Ollie was back at the cabin. A cabin that he now owned. Oliver threw his backpack with the remainder of the cash onto his bed, then went outside to walk around his new backyard.

————————————————————————————————————

Gavin sat in the steel chair and stared at the two soldiers staring back down at him. He tried to wriggle his arms but only succeeded in causing the zip ties to tighten even further.

One of the soldiers spoke. “Before you try to freeze anything, be aware that Private Anderson is monitoring you with infrared. If your body temperature drops, he’ll shoot you with another tranquilizer.”

Gavin sneered. “That sounds more fun than talking to you.”

The soldier raised his arm and backhanded Gavin across the mouth, knocking his head backward. “Lose the smart mouth. How did you gain your powers, and what is your connection to the mutant we captured with you?”

“Mutant? I thought that was your mom.”

The soldier backhanded Gavin again. Gavin’s lip split, and he spit blood out onto the floor. “How did you gain your powers?” The soldier demanded.

Gavin’s eyes darted toward the CCTV camera pointing down from the ceiling. “Is my father watching this? Tell him if he wants any information from me, he should come get it himself.”

The soldier ignored Gavin. “Do you know someone named Bryson Indiana?”

“Is that even a real name? That sounds fake. Go get my father.”

“Have you come in contact with any meteor rocks?”

“You took one out of my pocket, idiot. Go get my father.”

“How do you control the ice and get it to do what you want it to?” The soldier leaned in close, attempting to intimidate Gavin.

“What part of go get my father do you not understand?” Gavin’s eyes were shining a bright, icy blue. He smirked and exhaled, coating the soldier’s face with frost.

The soldier punched Gavin in the face, and Gavin’s head rocked back. Gavin and the chair he was tied to fell backward. His head hit the cement floor with a thud. The soldier turned to Private Anderson, pointed at Gavin, and yelled. “He used his powers! Shoot him!”

————————————————————————————————————

Erik walked Grace to the end of the street and almost took a left toward his house. He stopped and looked over at Grace. “Which way?”

Grace arched an eyebrow and pointed to the right. “I live that way, but it kinda looked like you live in the other direction.”

Erik smiled. “You are perceptive. Smart and beautiful. You are the total package. Are you real? You’re not a robot, are you?” He smirked.

Grace smiled. “You’re funny. Even on a day like today, you’ve made me laugh more than once. I am not a robot. Thank you. You’re adorable. I imagine all the girls fighting over you. Or the boys… no judgment.” She arched an eyebrow questioningly at Erik.

Erik shook his head. “I’m not interested in the college girls.” He shrugged. “No boys for me, but no judgments here either. Most of my best friends are all bi or gay.” He looked directly at Grace. “What I want is a woman who knows what she wants in life and goes out and gets it. I don’t want a girl just figuring herself out. I want a strong, independent woman who goes out and fights for what she wants and takes it.”

“Fair points, but what if it’s you that she wants? Could she walk up and take what she wants?”

“Obviously, if we’re talking about people, there would have to be mutual consent, but if there was… I have no problem at all with a woman taking control.”

Grace reached over and grabbed two handfuls of Erik’s t-shirt. She pulled him in close until they were nose to nose. She grinned. “Is there mutual consent?”

Erik’s eyes lit up with the fire that was just barely contained beneath his skin. “Oh, there is definitely mutual consent, darling.” 

Erik started to lean in, but Grace beat him to it, and their lips met. She let go of his t-shirt. One of her hands slid down his body and came to rest on his hip while her other hand found its way into his thick, curly brown hair. By the time they broke the kiss, they were both gasping for breath. Grace huffed out a laugh. “That was unexpected but enjoyable. I do have to get home. We’ve both had quite a day.”

“I don’t think that this.” He motioned between the two of them. “Had anything to do with what happened today. I’ll prove that to you if I must. Can I meet you for coffee tomorrow morning?”

Grace nodded. “I’d like that. I’ll text you after I’ve sorted things out with Caleb and Bryson. Goodnight, Erik.” She leaned in for one last quick kiss.

“Are you sure I can’t walk you all the way home?”

“I’ll be fine. Go home. Get some sleep.” Grace smiled and turned to finish walking home.

————————————————————————————————————

Caleb made one last walk through the lab for the night. Obadiah was sleeping soundly, finally. All the read-outs on the two-car accident victims looked as good as could be expected under the circumstances. Caleb watched them closely all day, and their stats steadily improved. He had specialists and surgeons arriving the next day. After a few more tests, Caleb wanted to give patient number one a blood transfusion from Obadiah. The man’s injuries were life-threatening without drastic action.

The other patient was going to need multiple amputations. Caleb had a bionic limb specialist flying in from San Diego. In a typical hospital, under normal conditions, both men would be dead in a matter of days, but this was not a typical hospital, and these were not normal conditions. With Obadiah’s healing properties and some experimental nanites that Caleb developed, he thought he could save both men. Caleb felt highly confident that he would make them into superheroes.

Another thing that Caleb desperately needed was an assistant. He was utterly wiped out and wanted to go home and sleep, but he could not leave these three unattended. He shuffled slowly back to his office and lay down on his couch. Caleb was asleep in seconds.

Coming Soon – Episode 10: Rise of the Shadow