Mia's POV
James was accessible. Apart from his godlike superhuman abilities, James was a regular guy. Charming but nothing special apart from being a dorky freak. Mark was right about him, but it was fun to lead him on. He would never have figured it out, and if he wanted to give up his abilities, I was willing and able to help him. Consider it as helping a friend. Remind me never to say that ever again.
Max, Mark, and I devised a plan to invade Sam's laboratory and get the cure to give James what he wanted. Everyone would come out as the winner. At least, that's how we imagined it. Max grumbled and shifted beneath the bush, his hood flung over his head as he took a walkie from my slender fingers.
"Can I kill him if I see him?" he snarled, tucking the intercom inside his jacket sleeve. Mark shook his head and faked a cough.
"You're not killing anyone. James isn't an idiot. He'll figure you out."
Max sighed, his eyes leveling with mine as I pushed on his left shoulder, urging him to hurry and leave. But, of course, if it were me, I would have done the job twice.
"I'm going," Max growled, crawling from behind the shrubs as the wind picked up and he disappeared into the night air.
∆∆∆
James's POV
Sam's cheeks were flushed, and he slid his fingers through his dark blonde locks. He took a few deep breaths and drank a swig of his beer before sitting beside me at the counter to calm himself down.
"James, I'm sorry. I get why you don't want powers, and I'm sorry I let it happen to you. If I could, I would take them away. I-I mean—" Sam paused, disoriented in his thoughts. He was experiencing one of his many mental breakdowns over the years while heavily wasted, but Derek and I were there to calm him down.
"Take a deep breath before you hyperventilate, Sam." Derek urged Sam. Sam inhaled and slumped against the chair. Sam pressed his chest against his legs, and his spine aligned as if a thread tethered it straight like a puppet.
He stammered, "I-I can't do this. I can't sit here and not tell you—" but the words never left his mouth.
"Sam, you need to calm down," I grumbled, licking a silver spoon full of ice cream from the carton and offering it to him. Sam rejected it instead of chewing on his parched lips. I wish I didn't silence him like that. Maybe he would have told Derek and me the truth.
Before anything further could happen, a crash from the basement surprised us all, and I dropped the spoon on the floor, racing towards the basement staircase.
∆∆∆
Max's POV
"How lame," I muttered, dashing down the basement stairs to Sam's laboratory, which Mia had described.
I sifted through dressers and drawers, and after giving up in minutes, I snarled via the intercom, "Where's the bloody vial?" The floors were a fluorescent mess of glass and experiments.
Mia's voice boomed through the intercom, "It's in a private cabinet above his desk chair." I turned down the device.
The sound of clanking footsteps was the next thing I heard. I sprinted across the room, avoiding slipping on wet experiments as I ripped open the container and ran out towards the door, carrying the vial in my warm palm.
James stood in the doorway, staring at me as I ran up the stairs at incredible speeds, my hood securing the top of my head. I stuffed the vial into my pocket and took off like a coward, running from a bloody crime scene.
∆∆∆
James's POV
Sam had me clean up the basement after I clashed with one super. I was happy because I didn't have to create a story about a super stealing a cure and why he stole it. I was also hoping Max needed to find out what the vial contained. With my chances, though, he most likely did; that was the most wishing I could muster up. Derek got a call from the police station with reports that they had a super secured but requested me, so he drove me to his work.
I fell face-first from the police station's corner desk as I saw them drag a tough Noah Kinley through the station in handcuffs. Noah pressed his fingertips across numbered sheets of paper dipped in black ink. Derek observed me from behind his desk, scooting his chair closer.
"What the hell is Noah doing here?" As they grabbed his hood and dragged him into a secluded interview room, I mused at Derek and massaged my neck, glancing at Noah as his eyes met mine.
"I don't know," I assured him, "But this can't be good." We both got out of our seats, and Derek led me away.
They dragged me into the interview room, handcuffed. Derek guided me into the room by standing beside me and holding my shoulders. He leaned down and whispered in my ear as he unlocked the handcuffs fastened to my wrists.
"James," Derek said as he drew me in closer. "We don't have a Plan-BPlan B if this doesn't work. He sent multiple police officers to the hospital and deprived them of their work."
Noah sat in the corner, pushing a chair closer to Derek and watching the creek across the floor after the other officers left us alone. He looked at Derek and me beneath his hood before removing it and wiping his fingers through his curly black hair.
"What's up, James," Noah began. Noah's dark eyes glowed bright red as he stared at me, eager to get in my head. He chuckled as I took a deep breath and nervously tapped my fingers against my leg.
"Why did Max steal the cure, Noah Kinley?" As he observed Derek and me, Noah's gaze darkened. Before Derek sprang from his seat, we made conscious movements and charged toward Noah—his job as a cop annoyed him.
"I see Max is causing trouble again," Noah chuckled.
"I'll let James deal with you if you don't cooperate, Kinley. Would you like to see a police station fight between two supers?" My hands forced Derek back into his seat.
"Down, boy," Noah teased, chuckling as he played with his restraints. Derek sized up Noah again for a moment. He did not know what Noah could do if I let Derek hit him. I wanted to punch N''oah but resisted, knowing we were under surveillance.
"Okay, Derek. Back off before you get hurt." I tugged Derek back, and he sank against the chair as I gave the interrogation a whirl again.
"What do you know about my uncle and his work?" Noah scoffed, blowing air from his cheeks as he adjusted his chair and handcuffs and looked at me. "I did nothing."
"How do you know my uncle?" I questioned.
"I know he is your uncle. Do you have any more annoying questions for me, mate, or would you like to let me go?"
Derek grunted as he leaned forward in his chair. "Was it you that tossed Mark Reignson out of the sky?" Noah gave Derek a steely glare but resisted the urge to argue.
"Yes. I was trying to keep you safe from my brother. He's a lot more powerful than you might think." My jaw muscles clenched, and I made a fist, but for a brief period, I felt relieved.
"Are you referring to Max?" Derek asked. Derek drew a barrier between Noah and me. Noah pulled the seat back.
"Yeah, I am. And that girl you like isn't interested in you, James. She's just interested in playing you." I clenched my fists. Derek could sense the fury that was building up inside of me.
"Ignore him, James. Go for a walk down the hall. Find dad." As he intruded on Derek's frustrated words, Noah's eyes brightened.
"Just a second. I've got some news for you and James that you need to hear."
"What?" I snarled. Noah shifted in his seat, uneasy, and threw up his shackles.
"I'm not trying to hurt you. At the very least, I'm concerned. You don't realize how strong our bond is." He cast a glance at Derek and then at me. "I want to protect you two from my brother. He's ruthless. Max won't stop until he fulfills his mission."
"What mission?" I grunted.
"Your uncle was part of a horrible government group. It wasn't his fault. Sam was young and forced into it. Max doesn't understand and wants to destroy him."
"You mean he wants to kill Sam?" Derek asked.
Noah nodded his head. "Yes, maybe. My brother is not someone you want to fuck around with and find out. He's ruthless and unreliable. He acts impulsively and doesn't care what his actions could do to others. Our father we live with now..." Noah took a deep breath. "He's not biological. Our real dad—"
"Who's your father?" Derek questioned.
"It doesn't matter, mate. Forget I brought my father up." Noah lowered his voice. Derek readjusted his posture.
"If you don't give us any useful information, my buddies and I will charge you with the attempted murder of the chief's son."
"I can rip these handcuffs off if I want to. In fact—" Noah raised his cuffed hands. Noah's cuffs dropped from his wrists, breaking apart like thawed butter, and before things registered, Noah's fist dug into my jaw. I doubled back and stabilized myself in seconds. Blood dripped from my puffed lips. While a swarm of officers swarmed the questioning area, Derek dragged me out of the room. Noah didn't put up a fight. While another officer tucked his arms behind his back, Mr. Reignson pushed Noah onto the table. Our father glanced at Derek, who stood in the room's corner, scowling at the two of us. I had a feeling I was dead meat.
∆∆∆
"How the hell did James get in an interview room with the super?" my dad's frustrated voice filled the living room. Derek and I looked up at him from the couch, trying to devise excuses. I had nothing. I was thankful I had a cop for a brother.
Derek said, "He requested James," and I clicked my tongue. Or maybe not. My father stepped forward and puffed out his chest, growling under his breath.
"The reason for that is?" My father pushed, and I still had nothing besides coming clean with him about my powers, which I was contemplating. It was miraculous that Derek could save me every time. Superpowers or not, Derek was my hero during these times.
"He wanted to mess with James. Noah attended school with him and tried to tell James something, but it was unimportant."
"Was that the kid who came barging into our house the other day?" my father asked.
"Yeah," I admitted.
"Hmm, what did he say?" my father pressed. I held my breath and bit the tip of my tongue.
"Well," Derek squinted, sucking in a deep breath. It was one of his moves when he was lying. I hoped my dad needed to pay more attention. "All we know is they were planning something, dad."
My father rolled his eyes. "Keep him out of our work," my father said and didn't push the topic. I excreted a breath from my chest. Thank you, Gods. It was a relief knowing my father caused arguments with me, but it also meant he knew something. That's what scared me. What if he knew and was too ashamed to talk about it or didn't know, and he would fear me when he found out? It could have gone anyway, and both made me uneasy when I thought about them.
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